What is your favourite item in your wardrobe?
My catsuits. They are elegant, super comfortable and I can wear the same one for the office and out to dinner.
What is your fallback outfit?
A black smock dress that is cut in big circles and drapes in an interesting way.
What is your one piece of fashion advice? Wear clothes that suit your personality. It’s the difference between “What a great dress” and “You look great in that dress”.
We’ve had slim, slouchy and harem, where are trouser shapes going next? They’ll get looser. A relaxed, pyjama type, I’d say.
What has been your biggest fashion faux pas? I hated a pair of heeled sandals that my mum bought me for school. All the other girls laughed.
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What aspect of fashion do you dislike the most? The confusion between fashion and design; great design is timeless but people assume all fashion is throwaway.
How do you think people perceive you from the way you dress? People always say, “Wow, you look so glamorous”. Probably because I walk around in my drapey catsuits in the middle of the day.
If you could steal anyone’s wardrobe — past or present, fictional or real — whose would it be and why? Katharine Hepburn’s — she had great trousers.
If you could change one part of your body, which would it be? A smaller bottom. Hence spending so much time creating flattering trousers.
What are your five desert-island staples? A great bikini, a versatile beach dress, my PoverTee T-shirt (it’s for a good cause, after all), sunblock and my iPod touch.
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What is a fashion day in the life of Maria Grachvogel?
I walk into work in my MBT trainers and a Gore-Tex catsuit that I made in 1997. I put on my day outfit when I get to the office. If I don’t have time to change again for an event or meeting, I’ll just add a jabot [accessory worn around the neck] from my range. Apart from my morning walk, I’m always in stupidly high heels.
Maria Grachvogel is supporting ActionAid’s PoverTee Day on June 26. T-shirts are available at actionaid.org.uk/poverteeday