From Freddie Mercury to Princess Diana - Designer Dame Zandra Rhodes tells all in her new memoir

The world-famous designer sat down with Sally Williams to break down the stories in her new book.

British designer, Dame Zandra Rhodes, tells the story of her career in a new memoir.

The designer found fame in the 1960s, but is opening up about her past for the first time.

"I've had amazing adventures," she said.

"It's a portrait of London in the 60s, if you're talking about beginning of my career when the Beatles were at their height."

Rhodes began her career as a textile designer after she studied at the Royal College of Art.

But she says her inspiration comes from her mother.

"Total inspiration, my mother encouraged me, she was always encouraging me, letting me draw and paint and I didn't do household chores, though if we went to stay anywhere we were taught we had to help with the cleaning up and washing up," continued Dame Rhodes.

"Maybe I'm her reincarnation... she'd come to school in these wonderful green lizard skin platforms with ankle straps and a wonderful hat, none of the other mothers looked like that, and I'd say 'mummy you look different'."

Her new memoir, Iconic, she shares her life story for the first time.

It tells the reader of how she started out, her inspirations, who she's worked with and also what it means to be somebody like her.

London played a huge part in her career, but it was in New York that she was given a big break.

"We opened a Fulham Row clothes shop and we had Joe Cocker singing for the opening - we made a tremendous name and then it fell flat on its face and died," she explained.

"That was when I took my collection to America and showed it to the head of American vogue and she just raved about them, 'my darling you must have them on Natalie Wood and you must go to the top boutique in New York', and that opened to New York to me, and I started selling to the New York ladies."

It was when she returned to London that she started working with stars like Freddie Mercury.

She added: "New York gave me the moment, but I came back to London and started to make them in my little workroom in Portchester Road, little rickety stairs and all these people like Freddie Mercury would come up these rickety stairs to the top.

"There were no changing rooms so when I got the phone call from Brian May I had to say 'please don't, you'll have to come in the evening'.

"Freddie was really lovely and shy and I pulled out the pleated top and I said move around see how you feel and he moved around and came to life in front the mirror."

She explains: "You didn't realise you were living moments that were going down in history."

The designer didn't just work with rock stars, she also regularly worked with royalty - with Princess Diana wearing her designs.

"I did the pink dress when she announced her pregnancy, in Japan, all edged with pearls that she then sold that to raise money for her charity," she said.

"[She was] very, very shy... she tried it on in black and of course they can't wear black so I then had it commissioned in pink, I fitted her and on the way in it ripped on a great, big doll with horns and I said oh what's that and she said its William's favourite."

But as well as being known for her famous friends, she is also recognised for her style and stand out pink hair.

"I suppose the evolution started in the hippy period, when I started wearing head scarves and there weren't a lot of makeup lines so I'd put lipstick round my eyes and do swirls of red." she said.

"In 1980, I went pink and I've stayed pink ever since. Pink is the easiest colour and it doesn't fade very much or require much upkeep."

Her book My Life in Fashion in 50 Objects, Iconic is out now. She describes it as an "exposé that I've learnt to live with".

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