Zandra Rhodes’ forever fashion: ‘If you look closely, my coat needs a clean. But it still feels special’

‘One does try to feel glamorous’ … Zandra Rhodes in her shearling coat. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

I designed this coat early in my career – I think it was around 1969. I’d wanted to design something that’s lovely to wear and feels fabulous – and it does feel fabulous. It has one of my prints on the suede collar, and the suede has a scalloped edge with little holes punched out, so it looks rather lace-like. I think coloured shearling is very cheery, though it could have been done in a gorgeous black or a natural colour, which would have looked quite hippy-ish for those days. All these years later, it’s not falling apart so it must have been made incredibly well.

The coat in its youth. Photograph: Courtesy of Zandra Rhodes