My personal style signifier is a blue vintage jacket. I’ve got a genuine 1970s naval one with gold-braided cuffs and a velvet one I bought off someone at a fancy-dress party for £10. I’ve had it since the mid-1990s and, even with a cigarette burn on the shoulder, it’s my most treasured item. I’ll wear it any time – to go shopping or with jeans and a bow tie perhaps. It makes me feel pretty cool.
The last things I bought and loved were three original stage lights from the 1960s. I was mooching around Greenwich Market one day and fell in love with them. They cost far too much, but I thought, “What the hell, you only live once.” They create a nice subdued light in the evening.
The blue vintage jacket Clarke “bought off someone at a fancy-dress party for £10” © Lily Bertrand-Webb
One of Clarke’s three ’60s stage lights © Lily Bertrand-Webb
The place that means a lot to me is Sheffield Park and Garden in East Sussex. I discovered it years ago and still visit often because it has a lot of woodland, and I’ve got a real passion for trees – I’m your archetypal tree hugger; they give you energy. The garden has giant redwoods that feel so tactile because of the rough texture of their bark, so I normally give them a little hug and a kiss, which puts me in a good mood. The best time to visit is autumn when the leaves change colour.
