Coat by Biba
Top and skirt by Ossie Clark for Quorum
Top and skirt by Biba
Dress by Jean Varon
Dress by Jane Walker at the Royal College of Art
Skirt and waistcoat by Marrian McDonnell
Christopher McDonnell in the South Molton Street boutique. The model wears a blouse and layered culottes in organza, 42 gns.
I love these sparse and splendid boutique insights you can occasionally glean from vintage magazines. A while ago, to my shame, I promised that I would scan the entire of this July 1970 Telegraph Magazine article on London boutiques. Slap my wrist and call me Kate Moss, I clean forgot. I intend to amend, starting with marrian-mcdonnell.
45 South Molton Street, W1 and 80 Sloane Avenue, SW3
The first Marrian-McDonnell boutique opened in Sloane Avenue in April 1966. Christopher McDonnell, who had been a fashion editor with Queen magazine, where he met Mary Ann Marrian, designed clothes that were casual but elegant. A whoesale range was produced soon afterwards to meet the demand from other stores, and now the partners export to the U.S. and Scandinavia, too.
In 1968 the second boutique opened in South Molton Street, and its success emphasises Christopher’s flair for giving a touch of glamour to classic fashion.
(This photo by Guy Cross) Safari jacket, 13 gns, knitted trousers and floor length coat, 19 gns.
Typical Marrian-McDonnell ensemble is this cotton midi-dress with matching sleeveless coat, 20 gns.
Outside the dressing rooms, jersey jumpsuit, 13½ gns, worn with zip-fronted snakeskin jacket, 45½ gns.
Hair by David at Michaeljohn. Photos by Duffy.
She wears top and trousers by Rosalind Yehuda (shoes by Sacha). He wears suit and shirt by Blades (shoes by Chelsea Cobbler).
Well we all need help with that. Sadly, this just means in terms of temperature. Although it is very much on my wavelength about such things. I just don’t see the need to instantly strip off as soon as there is a hint of sunlight.
Still wearing a moderate weight vintage coat, I was being blown along the seafront last weekend and frowning at people walking along in shorts. Do they just have a different inner thermostat to me? Or did they, as I suspect, look out of the window, see the sunshine and feel a steely determination to wear as few clothes as possible and get down to the beach? Chillblains or no chillblains…
Even when it genuinely is rather balmy, I still don’t see any great need to strip off…I like clothes too much.
Anyway, enough of my rambling and on with this superb spread from The Observer Magazine, 3 August 1969. Not only do I love the clothes (both his and hers), but I love the settings and overall feel of the photos by Clive Arrowsmith.
Hot days in sticky cities can be miserable. But there’s no need to take to a beach dress or wear your tie draped round your nabel. Keep morale up, temperature down with cover-up clothes in lightweight fabrics styled simply in cool, clear colours.
Dress by Foale and Tuffin. He wears Cerruti.
She wears Marrian McDonnell (shoes by Shoosissima). He wears suit by Cecil Gee, shirt and tie by Turnbull and Asser.
She wears ensemble by Foale and Tuffin (shoes by Biba). He wears suit by Fex Brothers, tie and shirt by Turnbull and Asser.
She wears dress by Lee Cecil for Jetsetters (shoes by Sacha). Silk scarf by Tony de Celis (the man in these pictures). He wears Gordon Deighton at Trend.
She wears Ossie Clark (boots by Chelsea Cobbler). He wears top and trousers from Feathers.
Liz Eggleston 