LONDON, United Kingdom — I have known Diane Pernet for over twenty years and whenever we meet I am always reminded of King Lear’s words about his daughter Cordelia: “Her voice was ever soft. Gentle and low.” But Diane’s voice is more than that. It is also full of humour — usually self-deprecating — and reflective of an eye for fashion that is passionate, informed and never indulgent. Gently, she tells it like it is, often against the general consensus. “The standard is so low,” she says. “Most people don’t know enough about what they are seeing to have an opinion. What’s the point of an opinion that is not based on knowledge?”