1970s

The Great Imposters

1970s, anello and davide, aquascutum, Beged'Or, Bermona, Borg, caroline baker, chelsea cobbler, Dada, Feathers, Herbert Johnson, jane whiteside, Jonvelle, kensington market, kurt geiger, laura ashley, Laura Jamieson, Lizzie Carr, Martha Hill, Mexicana, Mog, Morel, nova magazine, peter robinson, Russell & Bromley, Selfridges, stirling cooper, the souk, The Sweet Shop, velmar, Vintage Editorials, Wild Mustang Co.
Tissavel-lined Galaxy coat by Beged’Or approx. £50; cotton blouse by Mexicana, £13; fur fabric jeans by Newmans, 12 gns; hairy slipper boots at Russell & Bromley, £6 19s; velour hat by Bermona, £3 11s; hatband made from an Estonian tie at the Russian Shop, 7s 6d; fur bag at The Souk, £3 5s; wool gloves at Dickins & Jones, 10s:

Leather and fur get more expensive every year. It’s not only the taxes and rising costs of production. It’s just that there aren’t enough good animal skins for leather around to meet the consumer demand. Furs are there in quantity for the fabulously rich. Luckily a good substitute has been found – the nylon-spun, man-made sort. Some, especially in the leather field, are so like the real thing the only way you can tell the difference is by the smell. Take the white coat on pages 46 and 47. It’s fake and costs about £50. It has a double in real fur and leather for £270. Made by the same people who have duplicated most of their collection this way and it takes an eagle eye and nose to tell the difference. Others are just furry, woolly fabrics, obviously not imitating some four-legged friend, which is one of the nicest things about them. This fur fabric is now getting the treatment it deserves. Nairn Williamson (more famous for their Vinyl floor and wall coverings) were the first to see its potential and got six designers to use their Velmar fur fabric in their winter collections. Jane Whiteside for Stirling Cooper (new label getting famous fast for their beautiful jersey co-ordinates) was the cleverest of them all. She used the best sludgy colours, mixed it with needlecord to make a group of jackets and coats to go with trousers, skirts and blouses. Borg (American originated and the pioneers in England of this deep pile fabric) has been around for a long time, mostly on the inside of duffle and raincoats but it’s on the outside as a normal fabric that it looks its best. Next winter there will be a lot more of it around, now that designers are getting less snobby about plastics. Not only is it as warm as fur, it is, of course, much cheaper and you don’t smell like a wet dog when you come in from the rain, either. So you can wear it herding sheep on lost weekends, or in town queuing for the cinema without any guilt feelings about ruining your assets.

Insert obligatory ‘I don’t agree with the thrust of the argument for fake furs as just a financial consideration here’ caveat from me, your content provider. Don’t shout at me, basically. But it’s an interesting insight into the mindset of 1970, and the proliferation of fake furs and skins at that time. It’s also a breathtakingly styled and photographed work of art from Caroline Baker and Jonvelle.

Fashion by Caroline Baker.

Photographed by Jonvelle.

Scanned from Nova, January 1970.

Mediaeval velvet applique dress by Laura Jamieson at The Sweetshop, 20 gns; Tissavel and Galaxy waistcoat by Beged’Or, £22.
Velmar jacket and needlecord trousers by Stirling Cooper, £8 10s., £5 1Gs; leggings by Chelsea Cobbler, to order, 10 gns; cotton shirt from selection at Dada, Kensington Antique Market from 2 gns.
Acrilan jacket by Lizzie Carr approx. 24 gns; suede trousers by Morel, 17 gns, tied with leather strips from John Lewis Haberdashery Dept, 1s 10d per yard; wellingtons at Russell and Bromley, £3 19s; woven sash wrapped around neck at Herbert Johnson, 25s; velour hat by Bermona, £3 11s; wool gloves at Selfridges, &s 11d
Velmar and Courtelle trousers by Martha Hill, approx. 8 gns; poncho at Peter Robinson, £7; wool shirt by Stirling Cooper, £4 5s; studded wristlet by Knees at Kensington Antique Market, 1 gn; suede moccasin boots by Anello & Davide, £8 15s; velour hat by Bermona, £3 11s; sheepskin rug from The Souk from £3 19s 6d to £6; flask from Kensington Antique Market.
Velmar fur fabric floor length coat trimmed with canvas by Mog, £20, over long cotton nightgown by Laura Ashley, £5; knitted wool socks at Feathers, £1 1s 6d
Velmar coat with needlecord and zipper trims (top left) by Stirling Cooper, 18 gns; pale suede and leather lace-up boots by Kurt Geiger, 35 gns; wool gloves at Selfridges, 8s 11d; leather belt by The Wild Mustang Manufacturing Co., approx. £3 12s 6d; fur shepherdess hat, bag and drinking flask from a selection at Kensington Antique Market
Velmar jacket and needlecord trousers (top right) by Stirling Cooper, £12 19s 6d, £5 10s; big polo-neck ribbed Shetland wool sweater at Aquascutum, £6 15s; corrugated leather lace-up boots at Russell and Bromley, £29 19s; knitted Aran mitts at Selfridges, 16s 11d; velour hat by Bermona, £3 11s, furry bag from a selection at Kensington Antique Market.

Party Lines

1970s, anello and davide, Angela at London Town, biba, Bo Riddley, Britannia Land of Plenty, bus stop, Crochetta, Diane Logan, Dolcis, edward mann, Feathers, fotheringay and hepplewaite, gillian richard, harriet, Hope and Eleanor, jeff banks, lee bender, liberty, liberty's, petticoat magazine, Richard Green, Roger Charity, Russell & Bromley, Saxone, stop the shop, Sue Hone, Sujon, Travers Tempos, van der fransen, way in
Satin pants and superstar jacket, £17, Angela at London Town. Flower print chiffon blouse, £7.50, at Bus Stop. Quant tights, 75p. Saxone suede peep-toe shoes, £4.99. / Satin cut-off pants, £4.95, and sequined satin jacket, £6.95 at all branches of Bus Stop. Biba diamante star, £1.50. Edward Mann velvet beret, £3.85. Quant sheer tights, £1.25. Suede bar shoes, Dolcis, £5.50.

Party wear for the getogether season takes all the best of blazers and pants and sleeks them up in satins and velvets… or cools off with the prettiest dresses ever.

Clearly Christmas 2020 is going to be a uniquely muted season as far as partying is concerned, but I often avoid the throngs of people anyway. Years of working in theatre over the festive season meant that when I had downtime I would prefer to lounge around in satins and velvets in the comfort of my own home. I’m just glad you’re all finally catching up with how nice it is! In all seriousness though, sometimes the smallest things can make us feel the nicest – so even if you don’t feel like getting togged up in satin and velvet, I highly recommend doing something you would normally find ridiculous for sitting around at home. Sparkly hair clip, red lipstick or those skyscraper platforms you can’t walk in.

Photographed by kind permission of Mecca Dancing at the Empire Ballroom, Leicester Square, WC1

Fashion by Sue Hone.

Photographed by Roger Charity.

Scanned from Petticoat, 4th December 1971.

Velvet jacket, £23 and satin pants, £9 by Sujon. Richard Green voile shirt, £6.50. Feathers beret, £7.50. Dolcis shoes, £5.50. / Cotton pants and battle jacket, Travers Tempos, £12. Richard Green flower print shirt as above. Diane Logan knit hat, £2.75. Anello and Davide bar shoes, £3.50.
Purple lurex painter’s smock, Gillian Richard, £8. Pink and purple satin skirt, Biba, Kensington High Street, W8, comes with matching jacket, £12.50. Brocade skull cap, Diane Logan, £8.50. Black and purple shoes, £5.50 at Dolcis.
Check taffeta bermudas, £8 with jacket by Angela at London Town from Stop the Shop. Bo Riddley tie, 15p. Bead ring at Britannia Land of Plenty, 50p. Biba tights, 55p. Anello and Davide bar shoes, £3.50. / Long check taffeta skirt, £8.50 and blouse, £5, Angela at London Town from Just Looking, SW3, 2007 W1. Feathers pewter pendant, £5. Hope and Eleanor bead purse, £4.75.
Printed chiffon skirt, £8 with matching short top, £7 by Jeff Banks at Fotheringay and Hepplewaite, P.R. Top Shops. Bead rope, Bo Riddley, 15p. Leaf choker at Van der Fransen, £1.25. Dolcis shoes, £5.95 / Silky dress with sailor collar, £8 at Van der Fransen, SW6. Silky short-sleeved jacket Fotheringay and Hepplewaite, £5.75. Dolcis shoes, £5.50.
Long satin dress, Gillian Richard, £10 at Way In. Clobber blouse, £8 at Stop the Shop. Feathers hat, £6.50. Russell & Bromley suede and snake shoes, £12.95 / Liberty print dress, Sujon, £17 at Fifth Avenue, W1. Fringed shawl at Britannia Land of Plenty, £12.50. Bus Stop diamante slides, 99p. Dolcis shoes, £5.50.
Black cotton dress with red buttons and piping, Harriet, £9 at Just Looking, SW3. Red suede belt, embroidered from Feathers. Red and blue ties with beads, Bo Riddley, 15p. / Lilac and green puffed sleeved dress, Harriet, £13.25 at Harrods, SW1, Bentalls Kingston. Feathers choker, £2.50. Fringed knit shawl, Crochetta for Knits and Leathers, £6. Dolcis shoes, £5.50.

“Whatever she selects has taste…”

1970s, alice pollock, british boutique movement, cosmopolitan, ossie clark, quorum, Random Ossies in Adverts, Vintage Adverts

Obviously I do not condone the message as regards the product being advertised here, but what an amazing, ephemeral capture of the Quorum boutique window with Ossies on both the model and the mannequin (‘Bridget’ and ‘Cuddly’ respectively). I also think that might possibly be the ghostly figure of Alice Pollock in the background.

Scanned from Cosmopolitan, November 1973.

Biba Cosmetics

1970s, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, Hair and make-up, Honey Magazine, Make-up, Vintage Adverts

Sorry for the protracted absence over the past month. I realise I’m not the only one, but I have been experiencing serious fatigue from the events of the past year and I think the loss of Diana Rigg was some kind of final straw for me. I could see I was almost at the point of burning out and decided to take my foot off the pedal for a bit. But I get itchy fingers if I don’t scan for a while so I am gently starting up again, although it’s unlikely to be the same frequency as before. I’ve enjoyed the downtime too much and need to be careful with my mental health – as do we all!

I hope you’re all hanging in there ok, and that at the very least my archive has been of some distraction and enjoyment to you.

Biba cosmetics advert scanned from Honey, October 1971.

Clothes for the Adventurers

1970s, bill gibb, clive arrowsmith, Jacob Schlaepfer, manolo blahnik, Piero de Monzi, Vintage Editorials, Vogue, zandra rhodes, zapata
Bill Gibb’s mixture of sequins, leather and silver chrysanthemums. Sequin hood and cowl, dolman blouse glistening under leather waistcoat, leather skirt flared from basque, printed with chrysanthemums. £54, £30, £86 at Lucienne Phillips. Sequined fabric by Jacob Schlaepfer.

The wilder shores of fashion

I was mainly scanning this spread because I’ve just listed a Zandra Rhodes dress which I think must be from the same collection over on Etsy, but thought I might as well put them here too – especially because of that iconic Bill Gibb photo (used for the cover of Iain R. Webb’s definitive book about Gibb, seemingly fetching a pretty penny on Amazon these days). These top-stitched jerseys were a signature look for her in this period and mine also has the Piero de Monzi label. Marc Bolan had a top version in various colours and levels of frilly extravagance.

(If you’re interested in the Zandra Rhodes dress, click here to view it on Etsy.)

Photographed by Clive Arrowsmith.

Scanned from Vogue, September 15th 1972.

Zandra Rhodes’s waterfall of unfinished jersey. Dolman sleeved, with lettuce edges and ruching stitched in turquoise, blue and scarlet. To order from Piero de Monzi. Cream leafy leather shoes by Manolo Blahnik for Zapata.
Zandra Rhodes’s firebird chiffon decorated with satin lilies, frilled seams, the skirt many yards of lightest jersey gathered up here and there. At Piero de Monzi. Jersey by Racine. Bill Gibb’s curves of ivory jersey, gathered and split skirt and dolman blouse pinned with flowers, ribbons and ostrich feathers. £76 at Liberty. Sandals, £14.50, Manolo Blahnik for Zapata

In The Mood

1970s, charnos, cosmopolitan, james wedge, lingerie, Sarah Moon, Vintage Adverts

Stunningly photographed advert for one of my favourite lingerie brands Charnos, who collaborated with Ossie Clark and Sally Tuffin on ranges in the Seventies.

Photographer sadly uncredited but I’d say James Wedge or Sarah Moon are likely candidates.

Scanned from Cosmopolitan, November 1976.

Anjelica Huston by David Bailey

1970s, anjelica huston, david bailey, elizabeth arden, Hair and make-up, Inspirational Images, leonard, Piero de Monzi, Vogue, zandra rhodes

Make-up by Elizabeth Arden. Hair by Oliver at Leonard.

Print silk dress by Zandra Rhodes at Piero de Monzi.

Photographed by David Bailey.

Scanned from Vogue, 15th September 1971.

How to look 1970

19 magazine, 1960s, 1970s, Illustrations, michael roberts, way in

Before you write off last year’s wardrobe as being out of date, or get depressed because you have nothing to wear and no money to spend … take a few minutes off and let your imagination wander like we did here. For instance, have you ever thought of:

Cutting down the sleeves of shirts and dresses to the new elbow length, adding old lace cuffs and collars and, perhaps, a heart pocket or two?

Adding a stunning button trim right down the sleeves of sweaters, cardigans and plain dresses?

Cutting up pieces of odd fabric and making patchwork pockets, shoulder insets and long scarves?

Ripping off existing collars and cuffs and replacing them with a lovely floral print with tie or scarf to match?

Adding a fake fur trim to the inside of cuffs, collars, pocket flaps and front openings to give a luxurious new look to a tired jacket or coat?

Adding fake fur pockets, shoulder yokes, collars and cuffs?

Cutting down trousers that are too short to four inches below the top of your boots? (test the length first so you don’t cut them too short).

Knitting yourself a long, long scarf and fringing the ends, or buying a long length of material and doing likewise?

Wearing your trousers inside your boots to promote a sleeky, sporty look?

Wearing a Sam Browne belt? (Available from Way In or Army Surplus Stores.)

Plaiting your hair and winding it around your ears, or wearing it in a plaited bun at the nape of your neck.

There are endless possibilities. All it takes is a bit of patience and some rummaging around.

Illustrated by Michael Roberts.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, September 1969.

Chelsea Cobbler à deux

1970s, chelsea cobbler, Robin Saidman, Vintage Adverts

Photographed by Robin Saidman.

Scanned from Cosmopolitan, October 1979.

Hot Stuff

1970s, andrea pfister, christian dior, Inspirational Images, platforms, tessa traeger, Vogue, yves saint laurent
Extras of every kind that make the look, the day, the night Saint Laurent’s black ribbed roll-neck cashmere and lambswool sweater, £15. Satin shorts, £15.95. Beret with passementerie crown, £17.50. Suede clutch bag with brogued leather edge, £35.10. Suede rope belt thick with diamante, diamante disc, £30. Pins, one or many where you please. All at Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. Dior’s red plastic heart necklace, £10. Andrea Pfister’s green satin t-straps on a wedge of red glitter plastic frames, hot stuff.

Photographed by Tessa Traeger.

Scanned from Vogue, September 15th 1971.