Fashion Q&A with Twiggy

I echo nanadogbodys sentements wholeheartedly in looking smart and
being warm etc, with emphaise on everyday wearabilty and also occasionally
smarter outfits etc would be good.

Matson, yummy granny, we are sisters! How nice to find some sensibly sized women. The world is designed for the overgrown oversized and powerful people. Small sisters of the world unite!

miceelf, i will join your revolution if it means i dont have to dress like my grandchildren! the lack of choice for us wee ones is limited, and i agree with yummygrannys words, why is it so hard to dress women of our age and size, smart, comfy, warm and classy?

Did you have a specific brief from M&S when it came to designing your range?

My question has two parts if that's ok. Firstly what made you want to go from modelling to designing? And secondly was it difficult to make the switch?

Do you think all your years in the fashion industry has made you more aware of what people really want? Some would say it's a disadvantage (you don't, after all, get models who are short, fat or lumpy and bumpy) I'd love to know whether you have actually found it helpful?

Twiggy, you were my all-time favourite judge on America's Next Top Model (my guilty pleasure!).

What was it like to appear on the show? Did you enjoy mentoring others to do what you'd been so successful in?

Hi Twiggy,

I really love fashion and I want to go on looking stylish as I get older. But if I shop at Top Shop I find the clothes are too skimpy and the fabrics are a bit cheap, which doesn't work on an older body. You just can't show as much flesh after a certain age. Have you got any thoughts about how to go about looking as though you're not stuck in a time warp without either a) spending a fortune at net a porter or b) making people mutter about mutton and lamb?

OK, I know this is an old chestnut, but why oh why aren't there more dresses with sleeves?

I find bolero type cardigans work some of the time but they don't always. Will some designer please bring the sleeve back into fashion!

I really like shoes but they divide into two types, imho - sexy and unwearable and practical but ugly.

There is a sub-category of practical, which is masculine and tough - like biker boots - which at least make you look not like an old lady but don't always work with dresses and skirts. Or even trousers.

So I want to ask if it is physically impossible in an era of nuclear fusion, laser surgery and worldwide instant communication, to make a shoe that is sexy, stylish and doesn't make you feel like screaming after an hour.

And if so, where it is.

What I'd love to know, if she'd be prepared to answer, is whether Twiggy ever felt lonely - I mean for more than a short while – and if so, when was it worst? Crucially did she find anything to reduce or get rid of her lonely feelings?

To qualify - this is not prurience. I'm studying loneliness, and well-known, successful and beautiful people seem to suffer at least as much if not more than most of us. Twiggy has always seemed down to earth and sane, but I wonder if life in the spotlight produced any bleak times for her. Any remedy she found would be brilliant to know.

Twiggy always manages to look trendy without being too "down with the kids." Could she please explain how easy it is to marry the best of today's fashions with a personal sense of appropriate style. Perhaps she could also identify what of the current crop of fashion items she likes the best.

I only ever wear trousers, mostly crops or capri styles. I'm 5'8" tall and size 12/14 - I want to wear nice boots in the winter but nearly all of the styles available need you to wear leggings or "jeggings" - I have thin legs and look like Max Wall in these!! How can I wear trousers with these boots ( I hate Uggs by the way) I "got away" with it last year by rolling straight jeans up to just meet the top of the boot. I've just about given up on M & S myself, in trying to be stylish they completely miss the point of what style is - simplicity, sublety, cut and fabric. I am over 70 but have no wish to identify myself with M & S style.

I thought that she was going to actually answer the questions? What's that all about then? Is she scared of the gransnetters?! [scary face emoticon]