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My idea of luxury is my weekend house in Cambridgeshire. I’ll be spending Christmas there, sitting in the kitchen with friends, with a bottle of Château Palmer, eating good cheese and playing cards until late. During the day, I’ll go for long walks in wellies and play backgammon in the afternoons. As for presents, my boy and girl, who are three and four-and-a-half, are keen on mini-cars. For my present, I’d like to have more time to myself.
My real indulgence, however, is art.
The most I’ve ever spent is on artworks: I love Ed Ruscha, Lucian Freud, Louise Bourgeois and Warhol. Bourgeois’ enormous spider, Maman, is my favourite piece in the world – sadly, I only own drawings by her. But the overall best has to be Warhol. When I was starting out, I would always buy postcards of his work. I dreamt that one day I would own one . . . and now I do.
This Christmas, I’m shipping in lots of cookies from Daylesford Organic, and freshly made mince pies. I’m crazy about tea, too. I lived in Paris for a long time, so whenever I go there, I visit Mariage Frères tea house and buy my favourite tea, Marco Polo. I’ll buy it in industrial-sized bags. When I drink it, I sweeten it with honey from Fortnum & Mason, or some lavender honey I bought recently in St Tropez.

WHEN A WOMAN LOVES A MAN
My favourite resort is Aman Spa in Phuket. It’s the most luxurious one: you’re completely on your own, with your own swimming pool that’s beautifully tiled in black; it’s simply not like anywhere else. I also love to holiday on a boat, one like The Virginian, which is owned by Sir Anthony Bamford. You can’t get any more luxurious than that. However, now I have children, I want to spend time with them, so I don’t go away as much.

A GIRL NEEDS ROUGE
I love Châteaux Lafite, Latour and Palmer. I don’t drink much, but I’ll open a bottle at weekends.
Bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild, from £335, from Berry Bros & Rudd

MODEL CUISINE
I always have amazing food: foie gras, caviar, the finest tea. I used to eat
Beluga whenever I visited Moscow. Beluga caviar, from £256 for 100g, from
Whisk Hampers FUN AND GAMES
I like working out, three or four times a week: Pilates, yoga, I like to mix
it up. But the games I really love are cards – whist and hearts – and
backgammon. Backgammon set, from £950, by Asprey

THE LADY IN RED
After 20 years in fashion, I’ve tons of couture. So many red Valentino dresses! I’ve never thrown anything away. My favourite piece is a black Chanel dress made out of umbrella material. Karl [Lagerfeld] gave it to me back in 1993 when I wore it to the Oscars. I was thrilled to work with him again recently on the Chanel campaign. Couture just makes you feel like a princess. I use one reliable black lace couture piece from Chanel all the time – the workmanship on the bustier is so good that you can wear it whenever.

BEAUTY SLEEP
This Christmas, I’d like a cashmere blanket. And a bespoke fragrance. Anything that nobody else has! Vicuna blanket, £6,525, from Loro Piana
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So nice not to have to hear a reading of the sacrificial parent script of how having kids has changed her life,it's now all about the kids, etc., etc. Sounds like Claudia still knows how to have a good time.
Andy, Florida,
Actually Christmas should shame the so-called developed world.
As the usual hype numbs the senses with extravagance, a child in Africa dies of disease or of hunger every three seconds. Christmas! And what about the biggest lie of them all: celebrating the birth of a Child who chose poverty and humility to initiate his sacrificial mission on earth.
Mario Azzopardi , Gzira, Malta
Oh dear Dodo.
It's all very well to care about The World, but it doesn't mean you can't ever enjoy yourself. Shallow moments do not equal shallow people. Expressing a love of luxury does not mean she doesn't care about other people - if you can't look after yourself how are you qualified to look after other people?
See Aristotle - Virtue theory etc. Balance not extremes.
Katy F, Durham,
Aren't people bored with Christmas, the same old tripe year in year out. That is all we ever think about and we wonder about planet change/global warming. Let's continue to destroy our land, sea and air. What about the generations to come? But who cares, as long as we get what we want.
Dodo, Brisbane, Australia