News: Daily Mail (September 25, 2006)

Tori discusses her fashion preferences in this article which appeared in the Femail section of the September 25th Daily Mail. You can read it online or below. Thanks to Lucy for sending this in!

---

Tori Amos reveals her style secrets

Tori Amos, 43, is one of America’s highest-grossing touring solo artists. She started playing the piano at the age of two, and by five she had been accepted into Baltimore’s prestigious Peabody Conservatory.

She married her British sound engineer, Mark Hawley, in 1998. They live in Cornwall with their six-year-old daughter, Natashya. Here she reveals her fashion secrets:

WHAT’S IN YOUR CAPSULE WARDROBE?

Shoes are my passion: Pollini, Kurt Geiger, sleek boots by Sergio Rossi. Even if everything else is downplayed, I’ll wear good shoes.

Stage clothes have to be practical, but day to day, my favourite label is Ashish, particularly his jackets because they have a touch of glamour as well as a rawness to them.

When I need to feel strong, I wear Hussein Chalayan; Viktor & Rolf for classic, sharp separates; and Robert Carey Williams when I am feeling hardcore.

IF YOU WANT TO LOOK GLAMOROUS, WHICH DESIGNER DO YOU RELY ON AND WHY?

To me glamour isn’t about being sparkly. We are the real canvases, what’s inside us; clothes are just our watercolours. But if I had to choose one brand it would be Viktor & Rolf because it is understated and has such intelligence behind it.

I also loved the turquoise and green body-hugging Patagonian fleece dress by Andre Walker that I wore one year to the Grammys.

WHAT BRAND OF BAG ARE YOU TOTING AT THE MOMENT?

A sky-blue, woven leather Bottega Veneta. Because I have red hair, the colour goes well.

I never bargain-buy shoes or bags: it’s always Pollini or a Bottega. And I can’t get into the sheep mentality of fashion. If everyone is being seen with an ‘It’ bag, it’s not the ‘It’ bag for me. I prefer to own a classic or something really new.

IS THERE A FASHION ITEM THAT YOU HAVE ON YOUR WISH LIST AT THE MOMENT?

Anything from Costume Nationale. I love the cut of their coats. Often, if I need inspiration, I will put the one I own on.

I think of music as sonic architecture, so if you are wearing something that’s architectural, too, it kind of works. You can feel the passion or the paradox that’s gone into making it through your skin, and that goes through into the composition.

WHAT’S YOUR DEFINITION OF STYLE?

Someone who is thrilled to be a woman. Being stylish is about enjoying your life and expressing yourself and your inner light.

DO YOU HAVE A STYLE ICON?

Jackie Onassis. She could wear a T-shirt and it could have the effect of an evening gown.

DESCRIBE YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE

I have never smoked and have always drunk a lot of water, but cleanse, tone and moisturise every day? No way!

There were some days when I would keep on my make-up for days – hey, when you’re paying the top guys a thousand dollars a day to do your face professionally, you don’t want to just wipe it off!

But there are specific products I love: SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic drops, Clinique anti-gravity eye cream, REN Calendula and Arctic Blackcurrant Seed Cleansing Milk Wash and Murad oil-free SPF15 sheer-tint sunblock.

YOU’RE ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONLY FOUR MAKE-UP PRODUCTS — WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE?

A lot of lip balm. My Arcona Eye Dew cream and my anti-ageing Clinique. I have my eyelashes dyed so don’t need mascara, but I always need hand cream. As a piano player, your hands have to be moisturised or they crack when you play — and that hurts.

DO YOU HAVE A STYLIST WHO SHOPS FOR YOU OR DO YOU HIT THE BOUTIQUES YOURSELF?

Karen Binns has worked with me since 1991. She is really aware of what’s fresh, and isn’t seduced by the big names.

HOW DO YOU STAY IN SHAPE?

I am convinced that Frenchwomen don’t get fat because they eat two or three proper meals a day – real food. I don’t do sugar substitutes.

I play the piano for a few hours a day – it’s a real workout. Then I get on the rowing machine for about 20 minutes four times a week. And a sauna about five times a week. You can steam toxins out. Just sit in there for about 20 minutes and drink two big bottles of water. It changes your health.

A Piano: The Collection, a five-disc compilation of classics, rarities, B-sides and never-before-released tracks by Tori Amos, is released today.