Marie Claire

March 2015

Page 166

Reporter

MY WORLD – DEBBIE HARRY

Killer keels, style icons and platinum hair secrets: the Blondie frontwoman tells it like it is.

I can’t throw out clothes. Vintage pieces like my Stephen Sprouse collection from the 70s and early 80s are too special to part with. He’d be a household name if he hadn’t passed away. I still wear a lot of his pieces – the stuff that fits, anyway!

Some films stay with you forever. For me, it’s Juliet of the Spirits. I love fantasy films and novels. More recently, I loved Nightcrawler – it’s so creepy. Jake Gyllenhaal is great in it.

Shopping isn’t something I really have time for. I realised I was buying the same thing over and over again for no apparent reason. But heaven is the Comme Des Garcons store on 22nd street, New York City – it’s beautifully designed. I was also inspired when I stumbled across a vintage showroom on Wooster Street in New York City, called Melet Mercantile. It’s extraordinary. I met Nicholas Kirkwood recently, too, and he was very charming. His shoes are wonderful.

Fragrance is an important part of my ritual. I wear it every day. I don’t like walking through duty-free in an airport, when you get a cacophony of scent.

I started reading as soon as I learned the alphabet: The Little Prince, The Secret Garden, The Wizard of Oz. Now, I love sci-fi fantasy author China Mieville.

I thought of going natural and having silver hair at one point, but as long as I’m pulling Blondie out of the hat I have to maintain my character. I won’t use dye that contains ammonia – it burns my hair. But I’ve had to bleach it for a very long time, so it’s not done too badly, considering. I swear by Viviscal hair vitamins and Wen’s cream conditioner.

I wouldn’t leave the house without lipstick. I use MAC a lot and like to experiment with colour, especially for a show. It frustrates me when you fall in love with a product and it gets discontinued.

You don’t get style icons like Jean Seberg and Edie Sedgewick any more. They had some kind of source within them. Today, everyone is styled by outside sources, so it’s hard to spot individuality. Yolandi Visser from the group Die Antwoord has a distinctive look and haircut.

Debbie Harry is the face of Paco Rabanne’s new Black XS Be A Legend fragrance.

Interview by Tracy Ramsden