My life has been amazing. How many other ladies of 76 can say that the snapshot on their senior citizen's card was taken by Norman Parkinson?

Facion goes in cycles but nothing has changed. When it's ridiculous it's more ridiculous than ever, and when it's wonderful it becomes more wonderful than ever because now more people think: "I dress the body I have, not I have to change the body to wear the fashion." That's what I admire about the growth of the fashion industry. I also think it's wonderful that there is the opportunity to use different textures and fabrics on different colour skins. I am inspired by that.

I'm a working woman of 80 trying to work out what the image I can project is. How I can do it with, you know, dignity.

I'm loath to do interviews. What comes out is generally not what I meant or thought I was saying or thought they were asking.

I have had more magazine covers in the last 25 years than I have had in my whole elongated career. [...] Today I am in a territory that business considers unmarketable: age and white hair. Slowly, however, I started to own that territory little by little because I stood up for age.

We were so poor that my mother would often leave me in a foster home until she could raise enough money to rent rooms for us.

My mother was harsh and constantly told me I had jug ears and heaven knows what else. But she was devoted and a hard worker.