Fashion Brief
I love the idea of spending hours getting ready and covering every inch of my skin in glitter, but I talk too much, so by the time I get ready, I probably have only 20 minutes.
I am 31 and have tried to refine the clown element to my outfits but there is a sense of humour in the way that I dress. I have a room bursting with clothes. It is like a giant fancy dress box.
I call myself an afro punk. My hair has its own personality – it’s been every colour. At the moment it’s bleached blond with dark brown roots. My makeup application is quite “stabby”. I like Topshop’s two-tone eyeshadows and the Halo Highlighting Wand by Smashbox – it splurges out an iridescent pearly liquid that I put everywhere, on cheekbones, eyes and body.
I mostly feel confident. I have a fibroid (a benign lump of muscle in my tummy) that makes my stomach protrude, so no matter how many sit-ups, I’ll never have a washboard stomach. But I don’t care: I love my boobs, so I show them instead.
My favourite designer is Ashish. When I was 21 I was assistant to a stylist who took me to London fashion week. I saw my first Ashish show and was salivating at the sequins and sparkle. The final piece was a floor-length mermaid-esque shimmering dress. I bought it secondhand. My shoe god is Terry de Havilland. I have known him for years and he named a pair of shoes after me. They are leather, slightly SM, stiletto boots with peep toes. When he named them Gemma, it felt like every Christmas ever.
• Island Sounds is on BBC 6 Music on 28 August, 4pm. Gemma Cairney also presents The Surgery on BBC Radio 1, Wednesdays at 9pm
