knitted winter hat: The close-up: - & georgia institute of

What are you wearing today?

A Chloé jacket, a Givenchy tank top, jeans by Citizens of Humanity and an old favourite pair of Prada heels. I found this bag in Mexico on holiday. It's hand-woven in solid silver but was quite cheap as they charge you by weight, not workmanship over there. I love it - it's so 1920s Titanic.

Would you wear this towork?

No, I don't work in jeans. At Sotheby's we can pretty much dress how we want but jeans are a little too informal.

How stylish is the art world?

There's a lot of crossover between art and fashion; Marc Jacobs uses contemporary artists such as Cindy Sherman in his campaigns, and Prada has a big foundation for contemporary arts in Milan. Emanuel Ungaro sponsored us for the Damien Hirst party for the Pharmacy auction we did last year. They lent me a pink dress for the event, which was fantastic.

How important is image in your job?

At times, very. During the sale weeks here and in New York I work out in my head what I'm going to wear every day because I stand at the front with the auctioneer and am very much on show. In the old days it was very formal - black tie for men, and women wore only black. In the mid-90s it became less formal. One time I got it wrong. I was wearing a Jil Sander wrap dress and I was pregnant but hadn't announced it. I could sense so many whispered speculations going around the room, people wondering whether I was bloated or pregnant. It was so embarrassing.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?

I just bought a summer dress from Collette Dinnigan - it's a silver halterneck with pretty beading around the waist. It cost £1,100 and it's still making me sick! I just passed over the bank card and was like, "Do it quickly." If I had been looking I would never have found it, but I saw it hanging there and could tell it would look good. I don't know when I'll wear it exactly, but I'll get it out as soon as the weather turns. I'm not sure it looks £1,100-worth, but it's gorgeous.

How much time and energy do you spend shopping?

I tend to shop a lot in New York when I'm there on business. Even though I'm working, I always find a block of time when I can go to Barneys for a couple of hours and I end up doing quite a lot of damage there. I also buy from net-a-porter.com - I have even used it on holiday in Skiathos, mainly to see if it really worked in offbeat locations - and it did. I suppose my shopping is sporadic and event-driven. I also borrow a lot from girlfriends - we trade things around. I like the idea of having a timeshare in a bag.

Do you dress down at the weekends?

Always. I'm a mum - I have a three-year-old - so I run around in jeans and Juicy Couture tracksuit bottoms because they are so comfy. I like the fact that I have my identity as a working person and that has always been very important to me. But I also have an identity as a mum and a friend, and whatever else I do outside work. I'm really pleased to have that too.

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