I will hopefully be back to normal blog programming soon, lots to share as always, but I’m in a ‘listing zone’ right now so I’m making the most of my prolificacy. Enjoy! There’s Foale and Tuffin, Jeff Banks, Jean Varon, Lulu and a superb unlabelled 1930s crepe bolero…..scrummy!!!
The other day I promised to show my Sandie Shaw dress. It’s a navy wool crepe with a very nifty little double layered collar (the top layer being in white moss crepe).
I can’t promise this will be a terribly long or informative blog post, because there’s so little information out there about the label. It opened in 1967 and, needless to say, Sandie didn’t design the dresses and shoes (although she had full ‘approval’). I suspect it didn’t last very long, much like Twiggy and Cathy McGowan’s boutique labels. Perhaps there was deemed a conflict of interests when she married designer Jeff Banks in 1968?
Sandie opening her boutique in 1967
I will make Sandie one of my Fashion Icons at some point, whereupon I shall write more comprehensively (if I ever do such a thing) about her and her style. But if any of you are not familiar with our girl, I should probably tell you that her trademark was to sing barefoot. So much was made of the fact that her label was producing shoes!
The images have been taken from footage shown in the BBC’s Queens of Pop programme.
Yes Sandie, I’d be grimacing if they put me in a wig like that!
A screengrab cannot truly capture the seriously groovy Sixties dancing going on at this point.
Ouch, bunions ahoy!
I must admit, I’ve never really understood the whole Veruschka ‘thing’. I mean, clearly she’s never encountered the ugly stick in her life but I find her looks to be a bit….well……blahhhhhh. I like unusual, quirky looking people and she is frequently described as ‘amazonian’ and exotic but I simply cannot understand or see this.
Anyway, I slightly changed my mind when I saw this gorgeous spread in The Telegraph Magazine (something of a Seventies boutique bible at times) from 1972. Touted as “The price of looking like Veruschka is less than you think” and showing her in inexpensive British Boutique clothes, she actually looks quite cute for once…..and I really love the background of Woburn Abbey.
The front cover in a Jeff Banks smock is my joint favourite with the window shot of her in Bus Stop cheesecloth. But they’re all pretty fabulous……enjoy!!
From top: Blue Bus Stop cheesecloth dress; Issey Miyake pedal pushers; Anthony Price for Che Guevara top and pedal pushers; Biba print dress
Liz Eggleston 