Wilde on fashion

The fastest lady of pop talks about how she creates her own special image.

Kim is a real individualist and buys most of her clothes from jumble sales or charity shops near where she lives in Welwyn Garden City, Herts. Even now, when she can afford to go to top designers, she prefers hunting around for things she can improvise on to make her own look. She digs around in the loft at home where the family store their old clothes. Brother Ricky wears a pair of leather trousers that belonged to their dad, Marty Wilde, in the 50s.

Just before our photo session, Kim had been to Johnsons in the King’s Road (also in Kensington Market, W8) who stock lots of ’50’s style clothes and accessories. “It’s one of the few shops where I’ve got a good chance of finding something I like”, she told us.

Kim lives in trousers and wears lots of black. She cuts her hair herself – in clumps to make it stand up more – and colours it herself at home. Occasionally she lets a hairdresser trim it a bit – usually on a photo session!

1. ‘I bought this shirt in Amsterdam – It’s very long so I usually wear it outside jeans and trousers. I like the colours because it goes with all my black things – like these black jeans from Johnsons.’

2. ‘A friend gave me this blue brocade jacket – there’s a dress that goes with it. She got them from a jumble sale. The white frilly blouse is from Johnsons, my favourite shop, and so is the mock snakeskin belt. The jeans are old button-front Levis of my mum’s. I found them in the loft at home when my last pair of jeans were too worn out to wear .They were flares but I transformed them into drainpipes with a darning needle. The boots I bought locally in Welwyn Garden City about three years ago. I didn’t wear them then but now I really love them.’

3. Kim wore this black dinner jacket for her “Kids in America” TV video. It cost £4 (complete with matching trousers) from a local Oxfam shop. ‘I wear the jacket just as it is – very big! I haven’t had time to take in the trousers, which are huge!’ Worn with a simple plain white tee-shirt and tight black Johnson jeans it looks stunning.

4. Old gabardine traditional school mac bought for £1 froma Help the Aged shop near St Albans where Kim went to art college.

Kim’s make-up by ROD at ASKEWS using MAX FACTOR’s MAXI products. Foundation: Fresh Fluid Make-up in Fresh Creme Beige. Powd: Face Finisher in Translucent. Blusher: Brush-on Blush in Pink Champagne. Eyes and Lips from the Nordic Skies range. Eyes in Forest Gold and Savannah shadows. Eyeliner pencil in Midnight Blue. Maxi-Lash mascara in black. Lipstick in Midnight Sun. And a touch of new Epris fragrance!