1970s

Ooh, it’s Rachel Weisz in Ossie Clark!

1970s, british boutique movement, celebrities in vintage, celia birtwell, ossie clark

The lovely Cherie over at Shrimpton Couture is normally the first to post celeb vintage spots, and I have to admit I’m not normally one to be spotting them (unless they’re Ossies it would seem). So I was interested to see Rachel Weisz over at Gofugyourself, wearing a Celia print Ossie.


Now, I will admit that it looks pretty hacked and the stunning Miss Weisz should NOT be wearing anything with a beige base to it (I speak from bitter experience here, and it looks like she has a similar skintone to mine…) – but I’m going to give her a break because she’s wearing an Ossie and she’s a pretty fabulous girl. Next time I’d suggest stronger colours and a longer length. What sayeth you all?

Pick any dream…..

1960s, 1970s, british boutique movement, Gina Fratini, john bates

…and Gina Fratini has a dress to match. So says the London Fashion Guide of 1975. I can’t help but agree with them. Fratini is a criminally underrated designer. She has her fans, me being one of them, but rather like John Bates has been overlooked in favour of the real exhibitionists of the era.

‘As a child I dressed everything from dolls and Teddy to my dog. I never though about a career – I just did it.’ The words float over a studio that looks like a rainy-day dress-up box, full of Victorian dolls, whimsical plants and miles of lace laid out like a daisy chain.

The London Fashion Guide, Spring 1975

I think this is the reason I adore her clothes. She started out in costume (like myself) and this ‘dressing up box’ approach to fashion lends her clothes a romantic, whimsical and period edge. Her approach is something I can relate to as well.

‘When I design a dress it gets half made, then I add a bit here and there. When I’m working on a dress I’ll rummage and play with the lace all day, and suddenly I can feel it coming together.’

She salvaged a basement full of antique lace from shops which were closing down in the Sixties, and used this and predominantly natural fabrics in her work. Fratini was never about practicality or minimalism, she was truly a girl’s girl. Her motto is as apt for today as it was back then;

‘One works all day, and afterward there should be a time to really take off. That’s why I love doing these fantasy dresses. You’ve got to dream – these days more than ever.’

Above Left: Alice in Vintageland – an adorable gingham smock dress with pierrot collar and huge patch pockets. Right:You’ll feel like a Regency dream in this utterly, unashamedly romantic muslin dress from the late Sixties.

Zandra Rhodes

1970s, fulham road clothes shop, zandra rhodes

I heart Zandra Rhodes. How can you not love someone so vibrant and talented?

In honour of her wonderfulness, I’ve just listed a super duper rare example of her early work (ca. 1971) in moss crepe. I’m such a sucker for moss crepe, and Zandras in moss crepe aren’t all that common at all. Some day I’ll get around to photographing my moss crepe Fulham Road Clothes Shop trousers with the lipstick print. Heck, some day I’ll get around to wearing them. So anyhoo, this shirt dress is wonderfully simple in cut but showcasing her gorgeous Frilly Flower print in red on purple. It’s wearable, timeless and pure Zandra.