Silk dress by Jap
Photographed by Francois Lamy. Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Harpers and Queen, May 1976
Chiffon dress by Ossie Clark
Jersey dress by Rose Bradford for Quorum
Silk chiffon dress by Zandra Rhodes
Loose top with huge sleeves tucked at the wrist in orange, blue, green and red silk chiffon print designed by Celia Birtwell; £164. Matching knee length skirt with tucks at the hips and tie waist; Ossie Clark £164, Quorum 54 Radnor Walk, SW3. Art deco necklace in green bakelite and chrome; £20, Butler & Wilson, 189 Fulham Road, SW3
Photographed by Terence Donovan. Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Harpers and Queen, January 1976.
Left: Jersey diamond by Hans Metzen. Red patent platforms by Bata. Hat by Brosseau. / Right: Black and white batwing by Hans Metzen. Platforms by Antonio at Bata International. Sailor hat by Brosseau.
How about that sleeve? Striped jerseys and white silks wider than they’re long.
Satin skirts, all pictures, by Screaming Mini at Reflection, Kensington High Street.
Photographed at Mr Chow’s Montpelier, Knightsbridge. Chess set with fake fur board at Harrods.
I’m always excited to see Alice Pollock anything, anywhere, but this spread features a blouse I have (except mine is in black) in the second image. There’s a good reason why vintage blouses get snapped up so quickly, and this photoshoot proves it…
Photographed by Barry Lategan. Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Vogue, April 1972
Blouse by Alice Pollock, with fine faggoting instead of seams, at New Quorum and Che Guevara
Blouse by Alice Pollock, at New Quorum and Che Guevara
Blouse by Alice Pollock, at Boston 151
Photograph by Richard Davis
Alice Pollock is twenty-seven. She and Ossie Clark are regarded as one of the most inspired pairs of designers in England. Their Quorum range can uually be counted on for style, originality and incredible appeal. Yet it wasn’t such a long time ago that they’d never even heard of each other and she had never even dreamed about designing clothes.
“Before Quorum I’d done lots of things but I suppose could mainly be called a film assistant. I worked with Tony Richardson and Orson Welles. I had this ambition to own my own company, so I formed one to make chairs. They weren’t very successful so I started designing clothes. I suppose they seemed more lucrative.
“That was when I got my first break. I’ve had several. All of them were terribly important. I couldn’t have done at all well without them. But the first break was getting the first range of clothes photographed by Queen. There were ten garments. It was marvellous publicity. It helped us get established and was tremendous. The next great break was meeting Ossie.
“A friend of a friend suggested we meet one day. He just walked through the door, a quiet, dark little man, nothing like the Ossie Clark we know today. I thought he was too much. We were like twins. That was incredible. But for ages we were living hand to mouth. Though Quorum had a good reputation we weren’t making it financially. But we were really lucky. Last year Ossie made a deal with Radley Fashions who took us over. that was another break. Things have been marvellous since then.”
Scanned from Petticoat, February 1970
Please do check out Vintage-a-Peel for pieces by Alice and Ossie.
Crepe dress by Simon Ellis, £8 15s
Photographs by Caroline Arber. Vogue, June 1970.
I wish summer would come. I wish my entire wardrobe consisted of these clothes. I wish every day could be a Caroline Arber kind of day…
Blouse by John Craig, £3 16s. Skirt by Pierre Elegante, £7.
Poppy red moss crepe dress with print by Celia Birtwell, by Ossie Clark for Radley, 11 gns at Quorum.
Dress by Gill Hutchings for Fair Lady, £4.
Blue-grey voile midi dress by Sujon, 7gns.
Rose and green jersey midi dress from Bus Stop, £6 15s
“Every designer has long scarves this season – decorating waists, flung over shoulders, slotted through necklines. Celia Birtwell, whose famous screen prints for Quorum enlivened some of their prettiest garments, has produced a new and imaginative collection of exotic zebra and tiger-printed chiffon fantasies which hide a multitude of flesh – even on our bonny pneumatic model. (In real life, Marinka works as a London barmaid.) The scarves come in three sizes, 44in. sq., 22in. sq., and 14in. sq., and cost £10, £6.50 and £4.50 respectively; they are obtainable from Quorum, Radnor Walk, Chelsea, London SW3, and also from their branch at Heath Street, Hampstead, London NW3.”
By Meriel McCooey. Photographed by Shirley Beljon. Mules by Terry de Havilland.
The Sunday Times Magazine. March 20th 1977.
By Alice Pollock at Quorum*, 19gns. The settee is covered in the original William Morris Bird Design.
There’s a marvellously romantic feeling about the Pre-Raphaelite look. It starts with your hair…soft, natural, framing your face in a ripple of tiny waves. It touches your skin…pale, delicate, un-made-up looking. It colours your clothes…crepe, chiffons and satins in rich hues. Start wearing this great, romantic look today – who knows, he might just start being very romantic to you!
Scanned from Vanity Fair, May 1970. Photographed by John Kelly at Wightwick Manor.
*This is a misattribution, the dress is actually an Ossie.
Dress by Simon Massey, £15. Photographed against a Burne Jones tapestry.
Dress by Fashion Mouse, £22. Photographed against the Kempe stained glass windows.
Dress by Bus Stop, £5. Photographed against a painting by Rossetti pupil Treffry Dunn.
Jacket by Kleptomania
Dress by Georgina Linhart from the Victoria and Albert Boutique, W.8. Silk printed scarf by Kleptomania.
Patchwork print trousers and tie top by Clobber. Blue and white print dress by Quorum.
Black and white flowery dress by Angela Gore. White boots by Sacha. Red and orange cord dress and scarf by Angela Gore. Jacket by Kleptomania.
Dress by Sujon.
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
Black ciré jumpsuit (£14 12s) by Harriet
So instead of getting into a frenzy of bikinis I’ve been able to concentrate on the way to look this autumn. Black and rather Dietrich. Masses of sequins; velvet, chiffon, moiré. And shiny, slinky ciré, like satin come out from under a shower. To wear this black sheer tights; to spark up with silver, jet and diamond.
Culottes and matching jacket (27gns) by Alice Pollock at Quorum.
Black moiré suit and white moss crepe cravat (£19 13s) by Sybil Zelker for Polly Peck
Sequined skirt (£19 13s) and chiffon shirt (£7 12s) by Sybil Zelker for Polly Peck
Ciré dress (£12 13s) by Harriet
Liz Eggleston 