Donna Saslove And Simon Lugassy - JO LEE Magazine

THE PROVOCATIVE & CHALLENGING WORLD OF ARCERI
Hello! I ’m Your British Auntie Mame!
By Gene Arceri
New York – San Francisco – London
Would that we were all so lucky as
to have a favorite relative who
proves that life is a banquet, while
overcoming insurmountable obstacles
along the way. Yet in 1982, I had
that experience, albeit archetypal,
when I interviewed Shirley Conran.
Unbeknownst to her, she was in
rehearsal for that real-life role.
Shirley was on a stopover in San
Francisco to promote her latest
book, Lace. Read by millions, seen
by millions (TV series), it made her
millions.
Her PR man escorted her to
our reserved table at lunchtime.
Impressive, she was rich, famous and
beautiful, looking somewhat like a
dark-haired Julie Christie (today a
blonde). She had a star power all
her own. Better still, she was sharp,
original, direct and witty. We hit
it off! After the usual hype for the
book, “It’s all up here [pointing to
her forehead], you have to write
out the dynamics first – start to
finish. I started Lace, after having
been a journalist [she would have
liked to have had an interview with
Jackie Kennedy]. “One of the most
fascinating women in the world.”
When I was staying at the Beverly
Hills Hotel, I couldn’t sleep and
began writing on a little shorthand
pad. Her editor at Simon &
Schuster, Alexander Korda, sent
her summary back twice. She
eventually connected with Michael
Korda and success.
Bantering back and forth, my
recorder caught some of her
philosophy; “I try to avoid
complications with people I love.
“I don’t mind complications with
people I don’t know.
“I rather enjoy that.
“Experience is worth having, and a
good thing to remember when things
go wrong, as they always do.
“Successful people are very good
at hiding their failures. Can’t have
success without risking failure.
Failure is a challenge.”
Well, one asks, what can we get out
of this?
She would become the ex-wife of Sir
Terrance Conran, later she remarried
twice before going solo. Proud of her
two sons, Sebastian, a designer and
entrepreneur for Mother’s Care
(children under 10), and Jasper,
another famous designer who has
designed costumes and sets for ballet,
opera and theatre productions. He
has been awarded (among many
from 1982-2008) an Officer of the
British Empire and the Lawrence
Oliver Award for costume design.
Princess Diana was a patron. Much
has been written about his home in
Dorset, resulting in a book, Jasper
Conran Country.
Their mother, Shirley, is living in
Putney, South of London, as last
reported. She is the founder and
chairwoman of the Work-Life
Balance Trust Conference. True
to her British “Mame” image,
Shirley endorses the theory that
life is an adventure. You have to
get out and make things happen. I
suspected she might have an interest
in metaphysics. Her astrologer
and great friend, columnist Patrick
Walker, has been accurate, she said; it
all came true.
When Shirley autographed her book
to me she wrote, “For Gene Arceri
– who saw right through me – with
warmest good wishes”. I can say
the same about her – a perceptive,
empathetic, unforgettable woman
of characteristic style and earthy
elegance. I hope our paths may cross
again. Until then, may the stars
shine on her. I’d like to imagine her
a centrifugal force, slightly off-kilter,
an influence to her sons and a volatile
mother whose life is a tour de force.
A rare species indeed!
JL
Jo Lee Power 2011 103