Hong Kong

19 magazine, 1970s, Alan Rodin, alice pollock, antony price, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, Bata, biba, Inspirational Images, John Bishop, Jolly and Marsh, lilley and skinner, Norma Moriceau, ravel, stirling cooper, universal witness, van der fransen, Vintage Editorials, yves saint laurent
Palest green Dicel satin blouse with glass buttons, £5.25. Apple green circular skirt in silk and rayon mixture, £8.75. Both from Universal Witness. Green tights by Mary Quant, 75p. Red patent shoes from Yves Saint Laurent, £14.

The look is tarty—and where better to go for background atmosphere than Hong Kong, sinful city of the Orient, perfect setting for saucy ladies of ill-repute. In this rich, bustling East/West meeting point, with its maze of colourful streets and endless shops bursting with tax-free jade, pearls and cameras. one gets the feeling that beyond these elegant facades are hidden opium dens, James Bond intrigues, and seamy Suzie Wong bars. We took the ferry across from Kowloon to Hong Kong and travelled to Aberdeen—a small, picturesque harbour inlet filled with over eight thousand junks and sampans, ornate floating restaurants selling delicious, fresh seafood, and crowded local markets.

Styled by Norma Moriceau.

Photographed by John Bishop.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1971.

The styling and clothes in this editorial (I mean, green tights and red platforms? Swoon!) are something close to flawless. Unlike the copy – which I have still posted as a historical document – and also, possibly, the use of local residents as ‘extras’. I occasionally feel the need to clarify that I don’t necessarily endorse all elements of things I post, but I also don’t think it benefits us to completely censor history – especially when one is creating an archive.

Satin print blouse, from Van Der Fransen, £2. Blue cotton skirt with white print and ruffled dipping hem, by Universal Witness, £7.35. Tights by Mary Quant, 75p. Purple leather sandals, from Bata International, £7. Satin shawl with black fringing, from Van Der Fransen, £5.
White sleeveless Dicel satin dress with large blue flower design, by Universal Witness, £14.70. Apple green mock lizard sandals, by Bally, £6-50. Bracelet from a selection at Jolly and Marsh.
Moss crepe dress by Alice Pollock at Radley, £13.50. Tight by Mary Quant, 75p. Patent wedge sandals by Yves Saint Laurent, £14. Bracelets from a selection at Jolly and Marsh.
White crepe dress with moon print and matching shorts by Antony Price at Stirling Cooper, £10. Ankle strap shoes, from Ravel, £5.99.
Cotton jersey halter-neck top and slit skirt in green and yellow floral print, by Alan Rodin, £5. Navy suede laced sandals, by Lilley and Skinner, £8.95. Bracelet from a selection at Jolly and Marsh.
Black Tricel dress with beige print has cap sleeves and sash tie, by Biba, £8.55. Navy sandals with lacings, by Lilley and Skinner, £8.95. Neckklace from a selection at Kensington Market. Rings are model’s own. Flower from Fogg and Wakefield.

Beauty from Biba

19 magazine, 1970s, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, beauty, biba, british boutique movement, hair, Hair and make-up, Make-up

As with everything Biba creates, its newly opened Beauty Parlour in the Kensington store hits that striking note of sparkling originality.

It has 19’s stamp of approval. because it is a genuine beauty parlour, in the true, old-fashioned sense of the word. The Parlour welcomes you into a relaxed, spacious and luxurious, ‘Thirties’ world of cream and black decor, bedecked with dark green palms. It is the brain-child of Barbara Hulaniki— Biba’s creator—and Regis, a brilliant and inventive make-up artist and hairdresser.

Before Regis showed us around, we asked him to tell us about his past.

Looking every bit as dashing as Valentino himself. he said: “Call me a man with no past. Although I trained and worked in many leading salons, I don’t want to be attached to anything I’ve done before or The Parlour to be compared with others.”

The Parlour offers the services of a modern establishment (from haircutting to leg waxing) which it executes in a novel way. Here you are not a number with a gown—you are treated as an individual with individual needs. In true Biba tradition, on arrival, you are fitted out with a fabulous gown—either a long black satin one (if you are having your hair done), a black velour robe (for the guys) or a super black towelling robe (if you are going into the beauty room). Even the hair nets are pretty— black and silky.


The seating is so cleverly designed in the curved and pillared room that one client hardly sees another and, although each hairdresser—and there are three, plus Regis— has his own ‘corner’, all the involved treatments, such as tinting, bleaching, high-lighting and perming. are done in private cubicles.

Biba carries every conceivable shade of hair colouring and hasn’t just confined The Parlour to all the well-known branded names. Regis virtually combed the earth to find special formulas and effects.

Henna treatments are very popular and Biba uses several varieties—Black Henna, for dark heads; Neutral Henna, for blondes; Henna Wax for dry, split hair; ordinary henna, for a rich, red glow and a special henna, which can be used with a perm—normally you cannot perm hair which has henna on it. (Henna treatment costs from £6: tinting from £6.50; perming from £10.) Regis has fixed ideas concerning shampoo.

“A good shampoo is the most important step in the whole process. because if you use a bad one. then you can forget about doing an original style. Dull, horrible hair can never look good, however hard you try.”

Biba has 17 kinds of shampoo to choose from, ranging from ‘Almond’ and ‘Strawberry’ to ‘Henna Gloss’ shampoo, which doesn’t actually colour the hair but, with constant use, produces marvellous red lights. There are also three biological shampoos: one for greasy hair, one for dry and one for dandruff sufferers. (A shampoo and set costs £3, no matter which shampoo you need to use.)

Other Biba specialities are the after-washing, pre-setting goodies. Regis’ favourite is the Champagne Rinse, which gives a remarkable gloss and softness. The Henna Conditioner is good and there are Frictions, too, which are spirit-based hair perfumes, to make your hair smell beautiful, as well as look good. (Frictions are something mothers and grandmothers know all about. but which had disappeared from our lives—until now.) These cost 50p. each, and you can choose from ‘Orchid’, `Fougere., ‘Eau de Cologne’, ‘Passionate’ and ‘Gardenia’.


Blow-drying is virtually non-existent at Biba.

“We want girls to look truly groomed and feminine again.” said Regis. He believes in the old-style training and he and his staff use rollers (but not heated ones), Marcel Wave tongs, wave clips. small tongs and irons, and do lots of exacting pin-curling.


The Beauty Room is run by a very efficient lady and practically anything is done. There are treatments to help acne problems; waxing to remove unwanted hair; massage including a deep-back massage. with an infra-red lamp; spot reducing with Slendertone and eye treatments, which include eyebrow shaping, eyelash dyeing and the application of Permanent lashes. (This costs £4. and replacements later on cost 10p. a lash.)

The manicures and pedicures are superb. If it is just a plain one you want, then, of course, they will oblige. But if you want something for a special occasion then they can do fantastic combinations of colours, patterns and designs on nails and toes, too, if required. (Ordinary manicures cost £1: the special kind. £2.50.)

As far as make-up is concerned. Regis will create a fantastic new look for you and will advise on form-ulas, colours and applica-tion. (Cost £5.)

The Parlour opens at 11am., on weekdays, and last appointments are at 6.30pm. On Saturdays. opening time is 9.30am. and last appointments are at 4pm.

It’s sobering to remember that about seven months after this article appeared, Biba was closed forever.

Photographer(s) uncredited.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, February 1975.

Down-Town

19 magazine, 1970s, Adrian Mann, Ann Reeves, Antiquarius, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, Bombacha, Dolcis, Essences, Essenses, Gamba, Harri Peccinotti, Inspirational Images, Mary Graeme, miss mouse, rae spencer cullen, stirling cooper, strawberry studio, van der fransen, Vintage Editorials
Circular skirt, printed with leopard skin and roses, and matching sun top, from Miss Mouse, £18.95. Gold dancing shoes, from Gamba, £13. African necklaces, from a selection by Peter Adler, from £10. Bangles from a selection at Chimera from £2.50. Scarf, worn as a sun top, from a selection at Essences, from £2. Cotton leopard-skin printed shorts, by Miss Mouse, £5.95. Embossed leather stiletto shoes, with wooden heels, from a selection at Smith and Simpson, from £5. Drop earrings, from a selection at Chimera, from £1.50.

19 AND airJamaica GO DOWN -TOWN

Down-town Mo Bay is a riot of colour. Houses are made of wood and painted red, blue, green or yellow. There’s a different colour at every step, so a walk down any street is quite an experience. Then there’s the soul music which blasts out of every shop, so you’ve got to look cool. Hence our choice of fun clothes to catch the eye even with all that competition.

Photographed by Harri Peccinotti.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1974.

Green satin halter top, with red tulip print, £5.95. Matching gored skirt, £6.95. Both from Biba. Pink stiletto shoes, from a selection at Smith and Simpson, from £5. Green shawl, from Bombacha, £5.20. Bag from Biba, £1-95. Multi-coloured glass necklace, green glass necklace and green glass bracelet from a selection at Chimera. Brown and gold halter neck, with rust tulips, £5.95. Matching skirt, £6.95. Both from Biba. Gold dancing shoes, from Gamba, £13. Shawl from Bombacha, £5.20. Bag from Biba, £1.95. Long necklace and rust necklace from a selection by Adrien Mann. Blue glass necklace, from a selection at Chimera, from £2.50.
Palm-tree-print sun top, with matching skirt, from Strawberry Studio, £11.75. Wooden stiletto shoes, from a selection at Smith and Simpson at Antiquarius, from £5. Blue earrings, blue and cream necklace and gold bracelet, all from a selection at Chimera at Antiquarius. White sunglasses, from Bombacha, £.1.50. One-shoulder dress, in green crêpe with yellow floral print, from a selection at Van Der Fransen, £16. Straw wedge shoes, with painted flowers, from Dolcis, £5.99. Blue paisley-print scarf, from a selection at Essences, from £3. Green and yellow bangles, from a selection at Chimera at Antiquarius, from £3 each. Sunglasses from Bombacha, £2. Pink palm-tree-print sun top, with matching skirt, from Strawberry Studio. £13.75. Pink stiletto shoes.from a selection at Smith and Simpson at Antiquarius. from £5. Pink necklace, multi-coloured necklace, pink and clear bangles and pearl bracelet, all from a selection at Chimera at Antiquarius. Sunglasses from Bombacha. £2.
Yellow jungle print shirt, with cotton sleeves and collar in floral and seaside print, £5. Floral shorts, with patch pockets, £4-50. Both from a selection at Van Der Fransen. Gold strappy sandals, from Gamba, £2-54. Blue and white straw belt, from Biba, £4-70. Blue earrings from a selection at Chimera, from £1.50. Jungle print shirt, with crêpe de Chine floral print sleeves, £5. Matching crêpe de Chine shorts, with cotton pockets, £4-50. Both from a selection at Van Der Fransen. Gold flat dancing shoes, from Gamba, £2-54. Embroidered blue and red belt from a selection at Peaches at Antiquarius. Yellow, pink and green bangles, from Chimera, from £2.25.
White, red and black printed bra top, with matching skirt, with two pockets, by Strawberry Studio, £14. Leather shoes, with wooden stiletto heels, from a selection at Smith and Simpson, from £5. Multi-coloured glass necklace and blue plastic bangle, from a selection at Chimera. Sack bag, with cockerel printed on front, from Domidiom, 61p.
Button-through, seaside print shirt, by Miss Mouse, £7.95. Green, pink and blue button-through skirt, with side pockets, from Lily, £9.50. Green and black art deco belt, from a selection at Peaches at Antiquarius, from £6. Blue earrings and bracelet from a selection at Chimera. Seaside print shirt, by Miss Mouse, £7.95. Multi-coloured floral skirt, from Lily, £9.50. Scarf, in pocket, from a selection at Essences, from £2. Belt from a selection at Peaches at Antiquarius, from £6. Multi-coloured necklace and pink and blue floral bangles from a selection at Chimera.
Old Brighton sea-front print halter top, with matching skirt, by Ann Reeves, £13. Black snake-skin shoes, by Mary Graeme, £9.95. Scarf from a selection from Essences, from £2. Sack bag, with cockerel printed on front, from Domidiom, 61p. Earrings, multi-coloured glass necklace and bangles, from a selection at Chimera. Yellow floral cotton shirt, £6.95. Matching floral skirt, in blue, £8.95. Both from Stirling Cooper. Red snake-skin shoes, by Mary Graeme, £9.95. Sack bag, from Domidiom, 61p. Multi-coloured necklace, and clear perspex bangle, with flowers inset, from a selection by Adrien Mann. Small flower brooch, from a selection at Chimera, from £1.50.

Something long and cool

19 magazine, 1970s, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, erica budd, Essences, Essenses, Inspirational Images, janice wainwright, jean junction, medusa, Michael Berkofsky, Uschi Obermaier, van der fransen, Vintage Editorials
Green cotton jersey t-shirt from Jean Junction. Floral print skirt from a selection at Van Der Fransen. Scarf around head from a selection at Biba.

You’re on holiday. It’s evening. You feel like dressing up, but staying casual. Something that’ll take you just anywhere. These skirts are ideal. Right for the beach. Perfect for a rendezvous.

(One of the models I believe is Uschi Obermaier.)

Photographed by Michael Berkofsky.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1973.

Silk head scarves from a selection at Essences at Antiquarius. Both tops and long skirt made with different fabrics, from Van Der Fransen.
Silk scarf from a selection at Essences. White lacy top by Erica Budd. Long cotton skirt by Janice Wainwright.
Silk scarf from a selection at Essences. Yellow t-shirt trimmed with plastic ring from Biba. Cotton floral skirt by Medusa. All jewellery from local markets in Kenya.
Black printed scarf from a selection at Essences. Black bra top by Erica Budd. Black cotton skirt with embroidered floral by Janice Wainwright.

Well Dressed

19 magazine, 1970s, Adrian Mann, Antiquarius, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, Chelsea Antiques Market, Essenses, gillian richard, Herbert Johnson, Ian Batten, Inspirational Images, Michael Berkofsky, Ronald Keith, Sacha, Spectrum, stirling cooper, susan marsh, van der fransen, Vintage Editorials
Cream Trevira cotton dress by Gillian Richard. Black patent shoes from Sacha. Silk scarf from a selection at Essences at Antiquarius. Papier mache bangles by Fabrice for Zig Zag. / White cotton pull on hat from Herbert Johnson. Blue and white cotton dress from Spectrum. White peep toe shoes from Ronald Keith. White gloves by Cornelia James. Necklace and bangle from a selection at Zig Zag. Bag from Universal Witness.

Spring’s in the air – and with it the chance to wear all those elegant eye-catching dresses. If you’ve been feeling bundled up in woolies, here’s the chance to look feminine again.

All photographs taken at the Hyde Park Hotel, Knightsbridge, SW1.

Photographed by Mike Berkofsky.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, April 1973.

Green and white spotted scarf from a selection at Essences at Antiquarius. Soft green dress with flower print from Van Der Fransen. Belt inset with flowers and elephant clasp, and matching bangle, both from Biba. / Lilac and mauve ankle length dress with purple rosette trim from Van Der Fransen. Pink metallic platform shoes from Sacha.
Cotton mid calf dress from Biba. Gloves from Cornelia James. Beads from a selection at Susan Marsh at the Chelsea Antique Market. White bangles from Adrien Mann. / Pink cotton smock with floral print, yellow cotton skirt, both from Biba. Gloves by Cornelia James.
White cotton hat from Herbert Johnson. Blue and white dress from a selection of elegant old dresses at Van Der Fransen. Black patent shoes from Sacha. / Blue and white fan print dress from a selection at Van Der Fransen. White peep toes with flower trim from Ronald Keith.
White cotton hat from Herbert Johnson. Blue and white striped jersey dress by Ian Batten at Stirling Cooper. Shoes by Sacha. / Blue and white striped dress by Ian Batten at Stirling Cooper. Shoes from Ronald Keith.

Come up and see me sometime

19 magazine, 1970s, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, Inspirational Images, interior design, interiors, Manfred Vogelsanger, platforms
Wallpaper, 10p. a 2ft. x 3ft. sheet. Each sheet has a border which can be trimmed off with a Stanley knife and steel rule and used for edging. Butterfly mirror from a junk Shop. Plywood boxes, painted with Biba Brown Flat Oil Paint, £1-80 per litre, and edged with wallpaper border, used as table. On table: feathers, 65p. each. Brown velvet shade, with gold bead fringe, £7-50. Gilt lady lamp, £5-05. Lacquered basket, full of beads, from 55p. Brown velvet wastepaper basket, £3-60. Satin and velvet cushions: small £2.10 each, large £2.95 each. Brown velvet used as bed-cover, £2.35 per square yard. Huge terracotta plant pot and dish from any good nursery. Both painted with Biba Brown Flat Oil and Biba Gold, £1.25 a litre, and varnished with clear polyurethane, from hardware stores. Old wardrobe was given a coat of Biba Brown Flat Oil Paint and edged with wallpaper border. Foreground: table and seat both made out of plywood, as before. On table: brass mirror tray, £4-50. Long-lasting candles, 60p. each. Brown mirror glass cigarette box, £5.50. Sundae glasses, £1.15 each. Crockery: cups 35p. each, saucers, 20p. each. Brown felt on floor, 95p. per yard.

How do you turn your bed-sitter into a cosy, welcoming den, with a seductive hint to it, so that a friend would love to come back with you after an evening out on the town? 19 asked Barbara Hulanicki of Biba for her expert advice on this and here are some of her easily imitated ideas to jazz up your pad.

Choice of colour schemes is very much a question of taste, but we chose Biba’s beautiful brown and gold paper and brown paint because they’re warm and intimate to live with and neutral enough to display favourite bits and pieces. Brown floor felt is a cheap alternative to carpet, but it is difficult to keep clean. If you can stand doing it, sanding tt-e floor gives a beautiful surface. pywood pieces, cut to size by your frendly local do-it-yourself shop and glued or nailed together, form excellent boxes for tables and seats. If yoire clever with a screwdriver, you night even manage to hinge one side and use the boxes for storage.

Painted and edged with wallpaper border and then varnished with clear polyurethane. they make effective and decorative furniture, which will tie in beautifully with your room scheme. An alternative to expensive antique plant pots is to buy terracotta ones and again paint with colour and seal with clear polyurethane.

A pegboard livens up a dull wall and when painted and bordered with paper looks as if it’s meant to be there. Half-inch thick insulating board—again cut to required size— is super stuff for pinning notices on.

The bed is covered in brown velvet and scatter cushions. Everyone knows it’s a bed, but it doesn’t have to look like one and this way successfully forms an integral part of the room. An ugly wardrobe can dominate a bed-sitter, but is usually a necessary evil. Given the same treatment —paint, wallpaper trim — it actually looks pleasant and merges effectively with the wall.

Judging by the jumble of sticks and pots in most girls’ bedrooms, storage space for jewellery and make-up is also a problem. Barbara’s cheap, chic and neat answer to this is a tin tool-box, stocked by most hardware shops. Painted and varnished, it looks really effective.

Text by Gwenda Saar.

All items from Biba, unless otherwise stated. Model’s clothes from Biba.

Photographs by Manfred Vogelsanger.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, February 1973.

Bamboo hat-stand from a junk shop. Dried grasses from a selection at Harrods. Tin tool chest, with plastic drawers, from Woolworth or Biba, £1.75, painted with Biba Brown Flat Oil, £1.80 per litre, and coated with clear varnish.
Noticeboard made from half-inch thick insulating board, cut to size, painted with Biba Brown Flat Oil, £1.80 per litre, edged with wallpaper border.

Bare Essentials

19 magazine, 1970s, Abecita, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, che guevara, Derber, Fenwick, Harri Peccinotti, Inspirational Images, janet reger, lingerie, mary quant, platforms, Sacha, shoes, universal witness, Vintage Editorials
Orange and white spotted bra and pants by Mary Quant. Blue leather shoes with sequin encrusted heels and platforms from Derber. / Blue and white spotted bra and pants set by Mary Quant. Black and white spotted peeptoe shoes from Biba. Black patent leather shoes covered with fake diamonds and silver leather shoes with silver sequins on heels and platforms, both by Derber. Blue felt hat with embroidered flower from Universal Witness.

Your poor old great grandma used to wear corsets with lots of complicated lacing and back-piercing whale bones! Fortunately for you, such constricting garments are history, and the accent is now on complete and utter freedom. In fact, you could say underwear has become a second skin – and we prove our point with the following…

It’s nice to know that Harri Peccinotti still has the capacity to blow me away with a new-old photoshoot. Of course, insanely high and sparkly platform shoes and silky underwear plays a large part in that, but the mood he captures is second to none. I wonder if I will ever not believe that this aesthetic is the ultimate?

Photographed by Peccinotti.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, April 1973.

Green silk shorts with leaf print by Janet Reger (matching bra not shown). Blue metallic platform peep toe shoes with silver spot trim by Sacha. / Cream crepe de chine bra and pants, with pink and green cloud print pattern, by Janet Reger. Suede ‘Forties’ platform shoes with beaded sides by Terry de Havilland.
Green, yellow and pale orange striped bra and pants set by Abecita of Sweden. / Gold halter neck bra and shorts set by Abecita of Sweden. Blue felt hat from Universal Witness. Knee socks from Che Guevara.
Both sets by Abecita of Sweden.
Both sets from Fenwick.

Christmas Glitter

19 magazine, 1970s, Antiquarius, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, bus stop, Chelsea Antiques Market, Christian Larroque, Crochetta, erica budd, Essences, Essenses, Inspirational Images, John Craig, kangol, lee bender, Leicester Shoes, marshall lester, mushroom, platforms, Richard Green, Sacha, universal witness, Vintage Editorials
Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Knitted silver lurex halterneck top by Erica Budd. Fox fur cape from Essences at Antiquarius. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave. Knitted silver lurex wrap over cardigan by Erica Budd. Fox muffler as before. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros. Black and glass beaded pendant necklace from a selection at Marie Middleton at Chelsea Antique Market.

Black and silver are this year’s popular Christmas colours. Sweaters are in silver lurex striped in black, black wool flecked with silver and endless other combinations. Shapes are halter-necks, dolmans, or little wrap-over cardigans – almost any shape will do. Accessories are bright and glittery. Add touches, like sticking sequins on your hats, and shoes, and you’re all set to outshine the fairylights.

Photographed by Christian Laroque.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, December 1972.

What a year. It’s hard to summon up a great deal of enthusiasm for the Christmas we’re about to have, but I’m looking backwards to look forwards, as I often do. I still seem to find joy and solace in art and aesthetics and I hope my posts have given you the odd moment of enjoyment and inspiration this year. Thank you for your support and to everyone who has bought vintage from me or liked/shared/commented on my blog and Instagram posts. Sending you my love and best wishes for a better year ahead.

Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Wool halterneck sweater with thin silver lurex stripes by John Craig. Black satin skirt from Bus Stop. Fox fur muffler from a seletion at Essences at Antiquarius. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave. Silver lurex sweater with thin black stripes by Marshall London. Fox fur muffler as before. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros. Christmas decorations from Woolworths.
Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Lurex cardigan with long sleeves from Biba. Long black satin skirt from Bus Stop. Fox fur muffler from a seletion at Essences at Antiquarius. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave. Black and silver lurex striped sweater from Biba. Black satin Oxford bags by Richard Green. Black suede shoes with silver snakeskin trim by Leicester shoes. Fox muffler as before. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros. Necklace from a selection at Marie Middleton at Chelsea Antique Market.
Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Green wool lurex flecked sweater from Universal Witness. Black satin skirt by Mushroom. Black suede shoes with silver snakeskin trim by Leicester shoes. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros. Glass and amber dress clip from a selection at Marie Middleton at Chelsea Antique Market. Charcoal grey lurex sweater with heart-shaped neck and lurex trims by John Craig. Black satin skirt from Bus Stop. Fox fur muffler from a seletion at Essences at Antiquarius. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave.
Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Black, gold and silver striped lurex sweater by Crochetta. Black satin skirt by Mushroom. Black suede shoes with silver snakeskin trim by Leicester shoes. Long yellow chiffon scarf from a selection at Essences. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave. Necklace from a selection at Marie Middleton at Chelsea Antique Market. Black angora halterneck sweater, striped with silver lurex, by Crochetta. Black sequin jacket from Essences at Antiquarius. Black satin skirt from Bus Stop. Gold shoes from Sacha. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros.

Biba Cosmetics

1970s, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, Hair and make-up, Honey Magazine, Make-up, Vintage Adverts

Sorry for the protracted absence over the past month. I realise I’m not the only one, but I have been experiencing serious fatigue from the events of the past year and I think the loss of Diana Rigg was some kind of final straw for me. I could see I was almost at the point of burning out and decided to take my foot off the pedal for a bit. But I get itchy fingers if I don’t scan for a while so I am gently starting up again, although it’s unlikely to be the same frequency as before. I’ve enjoyed the downtime too much and need to be careful with my mental health – as do we all!

I hope you’re all hanging in there ok, and that at the very least my archive has been of some distraction and enjoyment to you.

Biba cosmetics advert scanned from Honey, October 1971.

Summer at Source

1970s, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, celia birtwell, Emmanuelle Khanh, gerald mccann, Herbert Johnson, ingrid boulting, Inspirational Images, norman parkinson, ossie clark, Suliman, Vintage Editorials, Vogue
Tiger lily silk dress 31gns at Biba.

Following Gaudi’s thought “to be original, return to the origin”, following it down to Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire where William Fox Talbot invented the camera, Norman Parkinson photographed eight dresses conjured from pure air and gauze.

This is like an album where every song is a certified banger. From the model, to the frocks, to the photographer, to the photographer he’s referencing, everything is flawless. Except that I don’t own all these dresses.

Photographed by Norman Parkinson.

Modelled by Ingrid Boulting.

Photographed at Lacock Abbey.

Scanned from Vogue, July 1970.

Silk gauze in pale straw with green and mauve. By Ossie Clark, Celia Birtwell print, about 25gns.
Silk chiffon dress in Celia Birtwell print by Ossie Clark, £40. Cap at Herbert Johnson.
Flower garden dress of crisp muslin. By Gerald McCann, £16 5s. 6d.
Black printed Indian cotton dress 10gns at Suliman.
Blackberry on black Indian cotton dress by Gerald McCann, £16 5s. 6d.
Silk chiffon dress in Celia Birtwell print by Ossie Clark, £40.
Fish finned cotton dress by Emmanuelle Khanh, about £30 to order.