Talk ’90s to me

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Catwalk Britain, Absolutely Fabulous and shopping in the ’90s – with Mary Portas, darling!

Dec 1, 2025

Guest

Mary Portas

Mary Portas, the 'Queen of Shops' and author, dives into the 90s retail revolution. She shares thrilling stories of transforming Harvey Nichols into a fashion hotspot, creating catwalks out of shop floors, and the wild antics behind iconic fashion shows. Mary discusses how celebrities like Naomi Campbell influenced trends and the role of Absolutely Fabulous in reshaping retail perceptions. Plus, she reflects on the nostalgia for tactile shopping experiences and the impact of digital retail on local communities.

58:13

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ANECDOTE

Heatherwick's Award-Winning Tree

Thomas Heatherwick created a tree installation for Harvey Nichols that looked real and won a D&AD gold for windows.
That award marked Mary Portas's final celebrated window project at the store.

insights

INSIGHT

90s Fashion's Cultural Arc

Mary maps the 90s fashion arc from power dressing to grunge to Tom Ford's sexy rock-star aesthetic.
She highlights music and show production as core drivers that shaped designers' theatrical runway worlds.

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ANECDOTE

Linda Evangelista In The Window

Nick Knight photographed Linda Evangelista in a Harvey Nichols window, drawing crowds and street photographers.
Mary watched from inside as passers-by and press gathered to see the shoot.

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Meeting Mary Portas and her new book

02:23 • 1min

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Launching new-gen designers at Harvey Nichols

03:40 • 2min

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Catwalk chaos: hats, Naomi and Ab Fab

05:10 • 6min

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Topshop days and creating sensory retail

11:01 • 3min

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Arriving at Harvey Nichols and class shock

14:06 • 3min

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Leveraging Ab Fab to modernise Harvey Nichols

17:17 • 5min

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Window revolutions: Carhenge and grunge influence

21:51 • 3min

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The craft of window-making and its decline

25:12 • 2min

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Thomas Heatherwick's tree and award-winning windows

90s fashion shifts: grunge to Tom Ford

28:44 • 4min

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Catwalk theatre: McQueen, Galliano and spectacle

33:00 • 3min

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Shop staff, theft and backstage stories

36:14 • 3min

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Sexism in the industry and motherhood challenges

39:10 • 2min

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Standing up: confronting harassment on shoots

41:31 • 4min

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Creating the retail 'orchestra' experience

45:26 • 39sec

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Retail touchstones: HMV, Gap and tactile stores

46:05 • 2min

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Creative leadership versus finance-driven decisions

48:10 • 44sec

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Music, kids and 90s soundtracks

48:54 • 1min

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Celebrities, Princess Diana and store atmosphere

Nostalgia, digital loss and community retail

53:21 • 4min

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Final reflections and 90s music pick

I Shop, Therefore I Am

The 90s Harvey Nicks and Me

Mary Portas

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Work Like a Woman

Mary Portas

In 'Work Like a Woman', Mary Portas critiques the existing male-dominated work culture and argues for a more inclusive and empathetic approach. She shares her personal experiences and insights on how to create a better working environment that benefits both men and women. The book emphasizes the importance of qualities like empathy, collaboration, and intuition in leadership.

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The American way of death

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Jessica Mitford's 'The American Way of Death' is a groundbreaking work of investigative journalism that exposed the exploitative practices prevalent in the American funeral industry during the 1960s. Mitford meticulously documented the industry's manipulative sales tactics, exorbitant pricing, and deceptive marketing strategies that preyed on grieving families. Her unflinching critique sparked public outrage and led to significant reforms in funeral regulations. The book's impact extended beyond the funeral industry, highlighting the vulnerability of consumers during times of grief and the need for greater transparency and ethical practices in all businesses. Mitford's work remains a powerful example of investigative journalism's ability to effect social change.

Diving deep into all things ’90s. The British high street was everything in the ’90s. A place to roam, reinvent yourself and blow your wages on whatever you fancied. Fashion maven Mary “Queen of Shops” Portas, author of I Shop, Therefore I Am, joins Miranda to revisit a decade when shop floors became catwalks, window displays turned into art, and the real-life fashion of the decade helped inspire the world of Absolutely Fabulous.

Mary was right there in the thick of it: transforming Harvey Nichols from dowdy to dazzling and helping set the tone for the high street’s boldest reinvention. From celebrity shoppers to the rise of fast fashion, Miranda and Mary unpack how the shops defined the decade for better or worse.

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• Buy Miranda’s book Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs and Mary’s book I Shop, Therefore I Am: The '90s, Harvey Nicks – and Me, through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll be helping the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Miranda Sawyer. Produced by Liam Tait. Audio and video production by Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Soniq Branding from Artlist. Talk ’90s To Me is a Podmasters production.

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