Arabella Churchill and violet velvet choker: Bead in flower and loop, £3 at Thea Porter (her ribbons have butterflies too). Gibson Girl hair by Patricia of The Cadogan Club, Sloane St.
Photographed by Richard Imrie.
Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Vogue, April 1970.
More about Bibette here.
Indian glass bead choker, clever pretty patterns and tinkling fringe. One wide and black and white, £12, one narrow and yellow and orange, £6. By Bibette, at Thea Porter, 8 Greek Street.
Crepe zipper upper dress with patent belt by Gordon King. Jersey trousers by Concept. Patent high-tongue shoes by Ronald Keith. Hearts and flower power satin top by Downtown. Red cotton trousers by Slimma.
British Birds hip it, add ribbon round foreheads squaw-style, and dress-over-pants. Slip into pull-on jersey dresses over matching tights and way out shoes. Hair a-fuzz, English looks are a-buzz with interest…
Photographed by Monty Coles.
Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Honey, April 1969.
Slinky little print wrapover by Bus Stop. Jersey pants by Concept.
Vest dress in jersey by Gordon King. Peasant shirt smock in jersey by Gordon King. Jersey trousers by Concept.
Samba dress by Quorum. Sandals by Sacha.
Photographed by Sacha.
Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Cosmopolitan, June 1976
Further adventures in Midnight Blue…
You may, or may not, remember my earlier posts about Peter Burden’s Midnight Blue shop of 186 Fulham Road. Here is a superb shoot by Clive Arrowsmith of a young Greta Scacchi wearing Midnight Blue clothes from 1978. Looking at Peter’s email again, I can’t help but wonder if the ‘Carol Lee’ he mentions might be the same Carole Lee who designed this exquisite silk top (still available to buy) at Vintage-a-Peel?
Photographed by Clive Arrowsmith.
Assisted by Bo.
Model Greta at Models One.
Styled by Catkin & David.
Hair by Leonard.
Shoes by Saxone. All jewellery available from Graff.
All clothes available from Midnight Blue.
Cameraman, Camera and Microphone by courtesy of Thames Television.
Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Ritz, Issue 18 1978
Chunky fake fox Borg jacket with orange satin lining and shiny satin trousers both from Wallis Shops. Feather embossed crepe de chine shirt by Ronnie Stirling at Stirling Cooper. Dog brooch by Corocraft. Rings by Adrien Mann. Flocked peaches and cherries both by Adrien Mann.
Add a bit of extravagance to your life with freaky shaggy jackets in flamboyant fur fabrics — everything from bold plaids and curly poodle wools to mock animal prints. Dress up everyday skirts and trousers with short boxy boleros and bottom-skimming jackets with wide 40s shoulders. Best of all, go vampy with shiny satin trousers or shorts and add a final sparkling touch of diamante.
Photographed by Brian Downes.
Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Honey, November 1971
Long haired brown Acrylic jacket with plain straight from by Gordon King. Scarlet satin trousers from Wallis Shops. Black and white orchid print blouse by John Craig. Diamante comb by Adrien Mann. Musical note brooch and doggy brooch by Corocraft. Other jewellery by Bus Stop.
Scarlet and navy Courtelle plaid bolero jacket and black satin shorts both from Martha Hill. Cherry red and multi coloured cotton voile shirt by Jasper from Stop the Shop. Sheer tights by Sunarama. All jewellery by Bus Stop.
Furry tiger printed Courtelle bolero jacket and pale lemon, coffee and white coin spotted cotton satin Oxford bags, both from Martha Hill. Rust and black confetti spotted blouse by John Craig. Cherries and bangles by Adrien Mann.
Boxy Borg jacket with scarlet satin lining and satin trousers both by Sujon. Bubble printed silk shirt by Jasper. Cherries and other jewellery by Adrien Mann.
Shaggy Courtelle jacket by Maudie Moon from Che Guevara. Slinky satin trousers from Wallis Shops. Crepe de chine blouse by John Craig. Star brooches by Adrien Mann. Diamante musical note brooch by Corocraft.
Square shouldered shaggy jacket by Sheridan Barnett for Simon Massey. Slippery sati shorts from Martha Hill. Floppy crepe de chine by John Craig. Butterfly brooch by Adrien Mann. Other jewellery by Bus Stop.
Left: Fluid white Celon jersey twisted round the neck, falling through an embroidered belt in turquoise and tangerine. By Susan Small. Silver and gold shoes by Richard Smith for Chelsea Cobbler. Right: Devonshire cream chamois halter top, sashed over skirt of creamy wool sunray pleats by Jean Muir. Shoes in Liberty Tana Lawn by Manolo Blahnik for Zapata.
Photographed by Bailey.
Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Vogue, March 1972.
Navy chiffon pleats, sashed with navy ribbon, by Roland Klein at Marcel Fenez. Black leather shoes by Mary Quant.
Embroidery from top to toe – pitch black design worked in panels on a natural calico shirt and knee length skirt, narrowly piped with scarlet; £24, Thea Porter. Natural canvas boots embroidered to match; 15gns to order, Chelsea Cobbler.
Excitement and anticipation is – quite rightly – building for the opening of the Fashion and Textile Museum’s new Thea Porter exhibition (6th February – 3rd May 2015). Guest curated by the lovely Laura McLaws Helms, who has also written the accompanying book, it is surely set to be the exhibition of the year. My Thea gypsy dress is somewhere in there, but having got a sneaky peek last week I can safely say that it will be blown out of the water by the extraordinarily beautiful pieces which have been gathered from a wide variety of sources (as well as ephemera from the archive and a recreation of her glorious dining room).
So to whet your appetite, here’s my dream Thea outfit (well, one of many…) — complete with matching embroidered Chelsea Cobbler boots.
Photographed by Just Jaeckin.
Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Harpers Bazaar, April 1970.
Short sleeved pale lilac sweater by Beckol from Chelsea Girl. Silvery-grey cotton pedal pushers by Antony Price from Che Guevara. Red, white and blue tartan shoes from Zapata. Wide red elasticated belt by Otto Glantz.
Alright, your curves are generous, and your behind is big, but hooray! This is the look for you. We’re back to the era of pneumatic sweater girls, when clothes fitted like the skin of a peach, waists were pulled in with firm wide belts and everyone teetered on high, high heels. Now it’s all camped up with bright plastic jewellery, headscarves and colourful wooly sox (Twiggy-types will just have to resort to falsies and push up bras ‘cos, baby, it’s our turn now!)
Intriguingly, after all that copy about curves, the model is credited as wearing a padded bra with plastic air-filled falsies by Berlei…
Photographed by David Montgomery.
Photographs by courtesy of the Piccadilly Bowling Centre, 30 Shaftesbury Avenue.
Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Vanity Fair, January 1972
Short sleeved sewater by Beckol from Chelsea Girl. Satin pedal pushers by Gillian Richard. Red suede platform shoes by Chelsea Cobbler. Red leather belt from Bus Stop.
Red dolman sleeved sweater by Erica Budd. Pedal pushers made by rolling up footless tights by Mary Quant. Red leather belt from Bus Stop. Black snake platform shoes from the Chelsea Cobbler.
Cleverly-cut bra top, just tied in a knot in burning hot pink, with loose low trousers of the ame. By Georgina Linhart, 9½ gns, at Just Looking.
Photographed by Clive Arrowsmith.
Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Vogue, April 1969
I was always curious about what Alice Pollock got up to in her post-Quorum days. Now I know a little more, although of course this is the only reference to Circus I’ve ever seen.
Photographed by Tony McGee.
Scanned from Harpers and Queen, January 1977.
Liz Eggleston 