For as long as many of us can remember, Lily Allen has been at the forefront of the British music scene. Her debut album Alright, Still came out in 2006, and since then, her 20-year career has delivered some of the best anthems of the 21st century. Allen has also taken to the stage in West End productions such as 2:22 A Ghost Story and The Pillowman, and she starred in the TV series Dreamland in 2022.
She has always had close ties to fashion, most notably first as a brand ambassador for Chanel in the Karl Lagerfeld years (who else remembers her iconic performance of "Not Fair" at the spring/summer 2010 show?), and she's now working with stylist and editor-in-chief of Interview magazine Mel Ottenberg for her highly stylish West End Girl tour. Her latest fashion endeavour is a partnership with Italian swimwear and hosiery brand Calzedonia, in which she is the face (shot by Sharna Osborne) of an edit of tights and lace staples.
Here, she talks to acting deputy editor Rebecca Rhys-Evans about the collaboration as well as her recent tour, her latest reality TV binge and much more.
Rebecca Rhys-Evans: What's your favourite outfit from the West End Girl tour?
Lily Allen: I really like all of them. In the current iteration, there are three different stages to the story. There's a middle section where I wear leather shorts and matching pants, and a little mohair cropped cardigan and bra. I really like that look. [They are] custom R&M Leathers shorts and [the cardigan is] Self Portrait. The boots are great [too].
RRE: Is there a past look you regret?
LA: There was maybe one festival look I wore probably in the early 2000s; a big, white, sort of princess-y prom dress with a baseball cap, a load of chains and big, gold hoop earrings and trainers.
RRE: The tour is styled by none other than Mel Ottenberg. Is there one piece of styling advice he's given you that you'll never forget?
LA: I don't think he really doles out advice, to be honest. He's just so unbelievably talented, well-informed and well-referenced, and he has such a clear idea of what he wants to achieve. It was tough for me to ask him to do this because he's at such an elevated level in this game, and I really don't like rejection, but I'm glad that I did because it's definitely paid off.
RRE: You've had some really iconic women playing Madeline in your show, like Lisa Rinna, Trisha Paytas and Dakota Johnson. Who was the ultimate, if you can say, and who would you love to have next?
LA: I think they've all been amazing; I don't think I could possibly pick a favourite. But I don't think that we'll have any more Madelines, just because I think that it takes away from the storytelling element of the show.
RRE: "West End Girl" has become such a single-girl anthem. What's your dating advice—if you have any—for single people?
LA: Don’t rush it. It’s that classic thing: when you stop thinking about it is when the right person walks into your life, so I would just say don't worry; it's all gonna be okay. You'll end up with who you're meant to be with eventually.
RRE: Do you really think so?
LA: Well, ultimately, the person you’re meant to be with is yourself. I think it’s a bit of a myth that life is about partnership. I don’t think it is; I think it’s about accepting that you’re here in the world alone, and if you can find someone who can add value to that, then great. I think that we can spend our whole lives, you know, hoping for the one, when I think the one is you.
The person you’re meant to be with is yourself. I think it’s a bit of a myth that life is about partnership … I think it’s about accepting that you’re here in the world alone, and if you can find someone who can add value to that, then great. I think that we can spend our whole lives, you know, hoping for the one, when I think the one is you.
RRE: Speaking of single girls, do you have any single-girl anthems you love to listen to?
LA: I Will Survive [by Gloria Gaynor]—so obvious.
RRE: Your song "Fuck You" has become a modern feminist anthem. Do you have any of your own female angst-y favourites?
LA: I mean, anything Olivia Rodrigo. That whole latest album was excellent. If I had to choose one song off that album, it would be "Expectations".
RRE: How do you unwind after your shows? Do you have any post-show rituals?
LA: I have a vocal warm-down that I do as soon as I come off stage. If I'm staying in a hotel, I run myself a bath, order a chamomile tea with honey, and we'll watch some trash on TV or Netflix. But if I'm on the bus, I obviously don't have a bath, so I have a shower in the venue, take off all my makeup, get into my pyjamas and head onto the bus in my UGG slippers.
RRE: I have to ask: do you have any trash TV recommendations? What are you watching at the moment?
LA: I actually [paused] Love Is Blind: UK, the latest one, to make this phone call.
I really enjoy the finer things in life and I like to always match my underwear. Like, I will not have mismatched underwear underneath my clothes.
RRE: We know you love to vape. What's your current flavour?
LA: I'm actually trying to give up vaping now, annoyingly.
RRE: Why? Because it's bad for you, or...?
LA: It’s just not serving me anymore; I feel like I need to move on. It's definitely been a coping mechanism and a clutch for me for a while, but I'm feeling in a pretty good place, and I think I can get rid of it.
RRE: But when you did, what was your flavour of choice?
LA: Matcha.
RRE: Tights have been a key part of your wardrobe for years, like a lot of women. Before fame, do you have any memories of tights as a child or young teen?
LA: You know what? It's so funny you ask me that, because one of my first ever memories is being in our little flat in Bloomsbury when I went to Catholic school and I had to wear tights for my school uniform. I remember really clearly not understanding how to put them on, and I put both of my legs in one leg and fell over and hit myself. So yeah, basically cracking my head open in the hallway!
RRE: And do you have a favourite pair from this Calzedonia collection?
LA: There's a floral, fishnet pair that they've done in this collection. It's sort of a play on fishnet that brings something vintage into it. They feel quite pin-up-y and retro, but also modern.
I find tights sexy. I like walking around, you know, in my hotel room or my bedroom or my house wearing like just my tights and a little bra. I will say the only thing with tights is that there is no dignified way to get into them.
RRE: Tights have always been viewed as a bit matronly or schoolgirl-y, but they've had a really sexy rebrand. Why do you think that is?
LA: I find tights sexy. I like walking around my hotel room or my bedroom wearing just my tights and a little bra. I think that they do get a bad rap. I will say that the only thing with tights is that there is no dignified way to get into them.
RRE: And with that in mind, what does "sexy" actually mean to you?
LA: I suppose in my younger years, I tried to veer away from it. Sexuality and dressing were something I actively tried to combat and didn't really want to engage in at all. But as I've got older, it's something I'm embracing, which is interesting, because society tells us that once you're past a certain age, that sex is off the cards, or whatever. When you're young, you're told to ham that up, and I didn't really want to, and now I'm older, it's like, "that's not for you", [but] yes, it is.
Shop the Calzedonia Collection:
