Let Yourself Go

1970s, 2007, alistair cowin, corocraft, David Finch, gillian richard, Inspirational Images, just looking, Lena Stengard, petticoat magazine, Pinet, Pourelle, Sacha, Shelana, Sue Hone, Vintage Editorials, way in, Xanthe leathers

Voile skirt, Pourelle, (with matching blouse), £18.18s., from Sidney Smith, S.W.3., Spotlight, W.1. Peasant blouse, by Alistair Cowin, £5.15s., Peter Robinson, W.I., Fifth Avenue, S.W.3. Thonged sandals, £2.2s., Xanthe Leather, N.W.3.

If there’s one time in the year when a girl can really let herself go—it’s on a hot summer holiday evening, And what better clothes to let yourself go in than these? Be a bit flamboyant with your fabrics, now’s the time for chiffon and clinging velvet and the styles that only need a suntan for company!

Model is Lena Stengard.

Styled by Sue Hone.

Photographed by David Finch.

Scanned from Petticoat, 18th July 1970.

Printed midi dress with long fringing, Gillian Richard, £10 10s., from all branches of Irvine Sellars, Just In, and Marshall and Snelgrove, W.I. Roman sandals. £2.2s., from Xanthe Leather, and Pussy Cat, Cambridge. Beaded belt, Way In, S.W.1.

Cotton voile dress. Shelana, £4.19s.6d., from 2007, W1., and Manchester. Biba brooch, £4.5s., worn on a chain.

Pourelle voile jacket and pants, £16.16s.. from Just Looking, S.W.3. Miss Pinet sandals, £4.19s.11d. Corocraft watch, £14.10s.

Midi velvet halter-neck dress, Shelana, £10.19s.6d., from 2007, W.1. Corocraft silver and amethyst necklace, £1.5s., and ring, 7s.9d. Sacha sandals, £9.9s.

Midi cotton jersey dress with printed hem, with scarf, by Gillian Richard, £5.10s., from all branches of Irvine Sellars. Consortium belt, £2.10s. Booty silver bangle; £12.10s.

Inspirational Images: Cool-Cut Hot Raspberry

1960s, british boutique movement, clive arrowsmith, georgina linhart, Inspirational Images, just looking, Vogue

Cleverly-cut bra top, just tied in a knot in burning hot pink, with loose low trousers of the ame. By Georgina Linhart, 91/2 gns, at Just Looking.

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

Inspirational Editorials: Maybe I was just born liberated

1970s, alice pollock, british boutique movement, Celestia Sporborg, Foale and Tuffin, Frank Horvat, Inspirational Images, just looking, kurt geiger, ossie clark, radley, ritva, stirling cooper, vanity fair

celestia sporborg by frank horvat vanity fair 1971 6

Stirling Cooper

This photoshoot, featuring the brilliantly named Celestia Sporborg, is another one of my all-time favourites, and one I have put off scanning for a long while because Vanity Fair is actually a rather painful magazine to scan. The gummed spine, with age, does not enjoy being flattened so it requires extra effort to maintain some kind of structural integrity. I couldn’t NOT scan though. I love these images. I love the blurriness, her natural facial expressions, the very domestic backdrop and, of course, the completely mind-blowingly fabulous clothes. I don’t know where to start. That Stirling Cooper above is just so modern. And the Radley playsuit, so very Glam. And the Ossie… Plus Alice Pollock, Foale and Tuffin and a Ritva sweater I sold on Vintage-a-Peel a few years back…

It also identifies the shots from Vanity Fair’s Guide to Modern Etiquette, ‘Nice Girls Do’, which I posted about before. To contextualise this shoot, the entire June issue is dedicated to feminism and liberation. Certainly one of the main reasons I love Vanity Fair almost above all other magazines of the period is the fact that they would theme all the contents of an issue, including the fashion spreads.

Celestia Sporborg is now a casting director herself, with over a hundred film credits on IMDB. She married theatre and film producer Robert Fox (brother of James and Edward) in 1975 and they had three children together.

Photographed by Frank Horvat.

Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Vanity Fair, June 1971

celestia sporborg by frank horvat vanity fair 1971 3

Foale & Tuffin

celestia sporborg by frank horvat vanity fair 1971 4

Radley

celestia sporborg by frank horvat vanity fair 1971 5

Ossie Clark

celestia sporborg by frank horvat vanity fair 1971 1

Ritva

celestia sporborg by frank horvat vanity fair 1971 2

Alice Pollock

Inspirational Editorials: Put them together and what have you got?

1970s, Adrian Mann, aquascutum, Dannimac, Herbert Johnson, Inspirational Images, just looking, Malyard, mary quant, Mulberry, oliver goldsmith, Over 21, Russell & Bromley, simon massey, Sujon, Vintage Editorials, Weathergay, Willie Christie

Put them together - Over 21 - September 1972 - Willie Christie 1

No excuse for looking a wash-out with these rainy-day separates. Showerproof three-quarter length Dannimac cotton jacket. Black Simon Massey shirt. Keep-the-worst-off cotton hat by Malyard. Bouncy beads by Adrien Mann. Bumper sunglasses by Oliver Goldsmith.

Photographed by Willie Christie.

Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Over 21, September 1972

Put them together - Over 21 - September 1972 - Willie Christie 2

Fabulous shaggy acrylic jacket by Weathergay – believe it or not it’s showerproof. With a pure silk crepe de chine Sujon shirt. Cream wool trousers by Mary Quant. Splash-happy PVC hat from Herbert Johnson. Wet=grass green leather clutch bag by Mulberry Company.

Put them together - Over 21 - September 1972 - Willie Christie 3

Casual-as-they-come trench coat in cotton and polyester from Aquascutum. Lined wool bags by Sujon from Just Looking. Silk shirt from Aquascutum again. Bringing-back-the-sun clutch bag by Mulberry Company. Shoes from Russell and Bromley. Antelope felt hat from Herbert Johnson.

Inspirational Editorials: Knockout Knits

1960s, Adrian Mann, alice pollock, biba, Bobby Cousins, british boutique movement, charlotte martin, Clarks, clobber, eric clapton, george harrison, Inspirational Images, Ivor Wahl, Jimmy Page, just looking, McCaul, petticoat magazine, quorum, ravel, Richard Shops, roger stowell, Rosalind Yehuda, Russell & Bromley, Sharcleod, Vanessa Frye, Vintage Editorials, way in

Knockout Knits Roger Stowell Petticoat March 29th 1969 Sweater and skirt by McCaul from Way In, SW1 Ribbed sweater and skirt by Bobby Cousins — Sweater and skirt by McCaul from Way In, SW1. Ribbed sweater with matching skirt by Bobby Cousins.

Featuring iconic model Charlotte Martin (who had romances with Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Jimmy Page). and some of the sweetest knits I’ve ever seen.

Photographed by Roger Stowell.

Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Petticoat, March 29th 1969

Blue-green knobbly suit by Clobber from Girl. Beige sling back shoes by John Smith. Dusty pink knitted dress with patterned from by Rosalind Yehuda from Vanessa Frye.

Knockout Knits Roger Stowell Petticoat March 29th 1969 Angora dress from Mary Farrin Boutique 67 South Molton Street Shoes from Russell and Bromley Two tone angora dress by Jandy Lesser Sandals Ravel — Angora dress from Mary Farrin Boutique, 67 South Molton Street. The 69 shoe from Russell and Bromley. Knee socks by Pex. Two-tone angora dress by Jandy Lesser. Sandals by Ravel.

Knockout Knits Roger Stowell Petticoat March 29th 1969 Cardigan by Things at Morley Skirt with matching waistcoat by John Craig — Cardigan by “Things” at Morley. Skirt from Richards Shops. Ravel sandals. Gored skirt with matching waistcoat by John Craig. Cream shirt from Ivor Wahl. Clarks shoes.

Both dresses by Clobber at Just Looking. Bracelet by Adrien Mann.

Apple green knitted waistcoat by Sharcleod, from Girl, Kings Road. Cream shirt and skirt by Ivor Wahl.

Cardigan with belt by Biba. Check wool skirt from Richard Shops.

Caridgan by Alice Pollock at Quorum. Richard Shops skirt. Shirt by Sharcleod. — Cardigan by Alice Pollock at Quorum. Richard Shops skirt. Shirt by Sharcleod.

Inspirational Editorials: Winter Weathering

1970s, biba, chelsea cobbler, Elgee, Graham Hughes, Honey Magazine, Inspirational Images, just looking, Mary Graeme, Ronnie Stirling, Sheraton, Vintage Editorials, wallis

Coat by Elgee, boots by Biba

It seemed appropriate, for some reason…

Photographed by Graham Hughes. Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Honey, December 1974

Coat, skirt, hat and boots by Biba / Coat by Wallis, hat by Biba, boots by Chelsea Cobbler

Coat by Stephen Marks, hat by Biba, boots by Mary Graeme / Coat by Elgee, hat by Biba, boots by Chelsea Cobbler

Coat by Sheraton from Ronnie Stirling, hat by Fenwicks, boots by Mary Graeme

Cape by Elgee, boots by Mary Graeme

Coat by Wallis, hat from Fenwick, boots by Chelsea Cobbler / Cape from Just Looking, hat and boots from Biba

Guide to Feminine London

1970s, biba, Boston-151, british boutique movement, carnaby street, countdown, crowthers, Emmerton and Lambert, Foale and Tuffin, Illustrations, Janet Ibbotson, just looking, laura ashley, marrian mcdonnell, Michael Farrell, mr freedom, rowley and oram, stirling cooper, stop the shop, Suliman, thea porter, universal witness, yves saint laurent

Illustrated by Michael Farrell. Click to enlarge.

Oh I do love a good map. Especially a fantastically illustrated map of all my favourite shops in London in 1971. It is the nearest I will ever come to being able to walk around them. Sadness ensues…

Scanned from Vanity Fair, July 1971.

Something To Cling To

1970s, biba, bus stop, david hurn, Foale and Tuffin, georgina linhart, just looking, petticoat magazine, Sacha, Vintage Editorials

Stretch towelling midi dress from Foale and Tuffin. Cotton velour tie-front dress from Phase One. Armband from Biba. Hats from The Shop.

It’s such a shame that towelling has been so roundly bastardised and rendered unwearable by the likes of Juicy ‘Pepto Bismol’ Couture and consequent high street replicas. Even Ossie was using it in the late Sixties!

“High summer towelling” feature scanned from Petticoat, August 1970. Photos by David Hurn. Scanned by Miss Peelpants.

Jacket with belt and long skirt by Bellino. Stretch dress with matching trousers from Foale and Tuffin. Sandals by Sacha. Crochet hat from The Shop.

‘I love you’ top by Clobber

Top, shorts and skirt by Just Looking. Hat from Bus Stop. Sunglasses from Biba. Shoes by Sacha.

Top by Mr Freedom. Shorts by Georgina Linhart.

Bagged!

1970s, aristos, art of bags, biba, british boutique movement, chelsea girl, countdown, crowthers, irvine sellars, jean varon, john bates, just looking, king's road, laura ashley, mr freedom, ravel, stop the shop, take 6

Aristos © John Hendy

I couldn’t resist following ‘Tagged!’ with ‘Bagged!’. The art of the carrier bag seems even less appreciated than the art of the hang tag, despite its importance in the history of advertising and consumerism.

On Simon Hendy’s incredible website “My Dad’s Photos“, Simon has scanned a mountain of original photos that his father took across six years of fashionable (and not so fashionable) people on the King’s Road in the late Sixties and early Seventies. It is truly a delight to sift your way through them. They are a true time capsule of ‘real’ people wearing ‘real’ clothes in a period where photo opportunities were frequently engineered and crafted (as brilliant as Frank Habicht’s ‘In The Sixties’ is, it’s a very well-crafted form of ‘candid’ photography). I will definitely post about them again, not least because I recognise so many bits of clothing from designers I love.

However, today’s post is about the carrier bag. For, as I was sifting through and starting to get a bit dizzy with the amazingness of it all, I started to notice the bags people were carrying. Biba, Aristos, Stop the Shop, Crowthers… These are truly ephemeral items. How many people bother to keep a plastic bag? You might, if you were lucky, have wrapped something up in one and plonked it in your loft for the past forty years. But these examples are few and far between. The iconic design of the original Biba bags has ensured that they are the most regularly found on eBay, but few of any other kind have slipped through the net.

I did, however, find a ‘Jean Varon’ bag on eBay very recently, which has now taken its place in my collection of weird and wonderful ephemera.

Simon has kindly allowed me to link to his photos from my blog. I know it’s hard to keep such things under control in this age of tumblr etc, but I would appreciate if you would also ask him if you would like to repost his images somewhere else. He has spent many hours scanning these photos, photos which (unlike magazine scans) would not be available otherwise – from anyone else. Thank you!