Vivienne Westwood - Vivienne Westwood's fashion hate

Dame Vivienne Westwood admits she used to ''hate'' fashion because it was such hard work and took years before the media noticed her.

Dame Vivienne Westwood used to ''hate'' fashion.
The long-serving British fashion designer often had moments during her 40-plus-year career where she found it tough to keep going, especially when the media largely ignored her for ten years, but says the rewards of creating your own clothing line are worth the effort.

She said: ''I used to hate fashion. Well, not hate it completely. There always comes a point where you think: well, that's incredible. When you're really pleased. But it's very hard work. How do I keep going? I tell myself that when I've finished this pair of trousers, I can read my book.

''I was successful when I started out. That's how fashion works - the new thing is the news! Then they want somebody else new. I was completely ignored by the fashion press for about - easily 10 years. I thought it was terrible. In France, they would have looked after you better. In England, they're so bourgeois.''

The 71-year-old flamboyant diva - who brought punk and new age fashion into the mainstream - revealed model Jerry Hall is her ideal clothes horse and she thinks the statuesque 56-year-old star is the epitome of glamour.

Vivienne enthused: ''I once opened the show with her; she came up through the floor and stood still for about 10 minutes. I think she just feels the glamorous, Hollywood thing. She spritzes perfume before walking down the catwalk. She's amazing.''