Hello Dana, what's new?
My third book, Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes, has just been published by Head of Zeus in the United Kingdom and Penguin Press in the United States.
What's your favourite way to waste time?
Reading trashy tabloid weeklies—People, Us, Voici—and decor glossies, which for me is like porn.
What do you tune in to on a car journey?
NPR (which I stream wherever I am); Alec Baldwin’s “Here’s the Thing,” (the Billy Joel episode is EPIC); Hard Bop; the Allman Brothers.
What's your favourite road movie?
Smokey and the Bandit.
Who is your ideal travelling companion?
My daughter Lucie, always and forever.
"I love driving classics - when I was in my teens, I drove 1974 Porsche 914; in my 20s, I had a 1968 Cougar; and I have now a 1968 Fiat 500 and a 1964 Mustang."
- Dana Thomas
What is your favourite view?
Anywhere in the Grand Canyon.
What is the fastest speed at which you have travelled on land?
130 mph in a brand new 1975 Silver Porsche Turbo Carrera, when I was 11 years old, on a beach town street in Delaware. It belonged to and was driven by my Dad’s friend Chick Stanton, who was a top Porsche dealer in the United States. No, we didn’t get a ticket; he had a radar detector. Chick drove the Carrera in the Cannonball Run that year and in 1979. In 1975, he and his co-pilot completed the renegade coast-to-coast race in 36 hours, 45 minutes, and came in seventh place. I loved that car.
If you could invent a motoring accessory, what would it be?
A genie bottle mounted to the dash, with a mechanic genie who specializes in classic cars. I love driving classics - when I was in my teens in the 1980s, I drove 1974 Porsche 914; in my 20s, I had a 1968 Cougar (with a 302 engine); and I have now a 1968 Fiat 500 and the 1964½ convertible Mustang four-speed up above (yes, I have my dream car) - but old cars break down. A lot.
When in London....
I stay at Hazlitt’s in Soho, go to the theatre, dine at Jeremy King’s restaurants and Barrafina, do a tour of the latest must-see exhibitions at the Tate Britain, V&A, or National Portrait Gallery, and seek out small, specialty museums. A recent discovery: The Garden Museum, in Lambeth. Next on my list: the William Morris Gallery.
Do you have a Connolly favourite?
My handsome royal blue wool men’s coat from the 2017-2018 Fall-Winter collection. It keeps me warm, and I always get compliments.