What do you think when you look back on Duran Duran’s 1980s outfits?
I’m not embarrassed by any of it. I remember playing a gig in the UK in about 1980 and it was a very hot day. We were in the dressing room, we knew it was going to be absolutely boiling, so Roger [Taylor] literally tore a strip off a towel, put it around his head and tied it in a knot at the back. I looked at him and thought, that looks cool in a Jimi Hendrix sort of way, so I did the same thing. That was on a Saturday afternoon. By Monday kids were wearing that — and by the end of the week it was in the fashion pages of newspapers.
The band were also known for rolling the sleeves up on blazers …
That came from John [Taylor] and Andy [Taylor] because they were playing guitars. They wanted to wear jackets because they thought they looked cool on stage, but you can’t have cuffs flapping around your wrists. Not long after it was in Miami Vice. I’ve kept all of it, every outfit. I’d love to do an exhibition.
What do you wear on date nights with your wife, the model Yasmin Le Bon?
She likes me to dress up a bit. I have a lovely Tom Ford beige and brown check jacket she bought me, and she’d have me wear that with a nice T-shirt underneath, such as a blue Punk Masters T-shirt with a picture of a leopard on it. And I’d wear a nice pair of Uniqlo faded jeans. She likes me to mix things up, otherwise she’ll say: “It’s too Simon, it’s too matchy-matchy.”
What’s your all-time favourite thing to wear?
Hiking boots. I love to walk and I love my feet to be comfortable. I love wellington boots too. I got a new pair recently by Barbour — they’re ankle wellies, like Chelsea boots, and really good.
What do you wear to put out the bins?
Crocs.
Whose style do you admire?
Harry Styles has done the most for men’s fashion recently. His willingness to be experimental is fantastic. It’s because of him that I’ve bought Dries Van Noten big, baggy velour printed trousers.
Do you have any fashion regrets?
Yes, in any pictures where I look really conservative. I look back and think I wish I’d been more flamboyant. Nick [Rhodes] is very flamboyant. He’s a real peacock. John is amazing because he’s such a beautiful-looking human, he can make anything look great. I have to try a bit harder than those guys.
What do you do grooming-wise?
We’ve just launched a fragrance range and I like wearing our NeoRio scent — it’s a really summery daytime fragrance. The best thing for a guy, if you want to keep your hair: don’t use shampoo. That’s my tip. I use a clay from Morocco called Ghassoul and I use apple cider vinegar occasionally as conditioner. You’d think it would stink but after a short time it doesn’t at all; it gives my hair body and some stiffness. And I don’t like it when my beard gets too white — I either shave it off or put some colour on it because you can’t have Duran Duran fronted by Father Christmas.
What’s the most fashionable party you’ve ever been to?
Nick Rhodes’s birthday party in 1984 or 1985 was at an Asian restaurant in Paris called Davé, and among the guests were Bryan Ferry, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Amanda Lear and Serge Gainsbourg. Somebody took a Polaroid of Nick, me and Serge together and Davé put it up on the wall of the restaurant in a frame. Within two weeks it was stolen. People were obsessed with Serge in Paris.
Who is the most “fashion” person in your phone contacts?
I was very good friends with Michael Hutchence and Helena [Christensen]. But it’s mainly people I’ve met through Yasmin. I got on very well with Grace Coddington and still do. I used to sit next to her at fashion shows and she’d say: “Simon, stop jogging me, I’m trying to draw!”
Duran Duran and Xerjoff’s new perfumes Black Moonlight and NeoRio are available now
Courtesy The London Times
