johnson and johnson

Left: Green felt hat from Bombacha. Grey crepe top and matching skirt both by Strawberry Studio. Gloves by Tuttabankem. Silk scarf by Eddie Yap for Howie. Right: Navy blue hat by Charles Batten. Green crepe top and matching skirt by Strawberry Studio. Gloves by Tuttabankem. Scarf from Essences. Brooch from Bombacha.

Skirts are big news! They come in soft, pretty fabrics like crepe and flanesta. Looks are soft and sweet too. So go feminine. Wear skirts that are full, and keep warm with chunky sweaters and long, knitted scarves.

Photographed by Arthur Elgort.

Scanned by Miss Peelpants from 19 Magazine, October 1974.

Left: Rust felt hat by Marida. Rust crepe de chine suit by Marie France. Mixed tweedy cardigan by Outlander. Brown leather shoes by Bombacha. Scarf by Eddie Yap for Howie. Bag from Nostalgia. Right: Hat by Edward Mann. Cream blouse and grey crepe de chine suit all by Marie France. Huge grey cardigan by Crochetta. Grey lace up shoes from Sacha. Silky scarf by Eddie Yap for Howie. Brooch from Bombacha.

Left: Hat by Edward Mann. Blouse by Garilee. Wool cardigan by Johnson & Johnson. Skirt from C&A. Shoes from Sacha. Right: Hat from Bombacha. Green blouse by Garilee. Wool v-neck top by Outlander. Cardigan by Johnson & Johnson. Skirt from C&A. Shoes by Sacha. Beads from Bombacha. Brooch by Adrien Mann.

Left: Red and white striped wool tank top and matching cardigan by Outlander. Cream crepe skirt by Mushroom. Right: Flannel beret at Essences. Cream crepe blouse by Jon Elliot. Cream tank top and matching cardigan by C&A. Pale pink crepe skirt by Marie France.

Left: Blue felt hat by Charles Batten. White silk shirt by Carr Jones. Blue cord pinafore dress by Strawberry Studio. Leather shoes from Bombacha. Silk scarf from Essences. Right: Hat from Nostalgia. White Chinese shirt by Carr Jones. Blue tweed hacking jacket by Jenny Hare at Bombacha. Skirt by Inega. Shoes from Bombacha. Bag from Essences. Scarf by Eddie Yap for Howie.

Many thanks to Paul Gorman for the invite to the opening of the superb Lloyd Johnson exhibition at Chelsea Space on Tuesday night. True to my usual form, I found it mighty hard to take any half-decent photos amongst the crowds so I must apologise for the poor quality which lies herein. I’m also definitely planning to return on a quiet weekday, so I can absorb it all properly.

I must confess that menswear is not one of my great areas of expertise, but I do know what I like. And those early Johnson and Johnson printed shirts and jackets are incredibly covetable – I actually cannot resist a novelty print. I know Mr Brownwindsor fancied a few of them, and it is yet another reminder of the tragedy of how dull most modern menswear is. (Snuggling up in a sloppy ‘La Rocka’ jumper, seen below, would also be very desirable!)

The highlight of the exhibition is probably the original ‘Johnsons’ shop frontage from within Kensington Market. Such a hallowed place, formerly full of many of my favourite designers of the Seventies and Eighties, it’s remarkable to see something like that having survived!

For me, La Rocka was just one of those names (like Red or Dead and Joe Bloggs) which stuck in my head during my childhood but which had little contextual information. This exhibition is a terrific insight into one man’s journey through several different eras of street style in London, always managing to stay idiosyncratic but never stalling at the one style. And as someone the other night said to me, you can’t really be different if you look the same as everyone else.

The exhibition runs until the 3rd March, so make sure you make a trip!