1970s

New at Vintage-a-Peel: Loungerie!

1960s, 1970s, Bruce Oldfield, charnos, grace coddington, jane birkin, janet reger, janice wainwright, legs and co, ossie clark, rudi gernreich, website listings

Legs and Co

You may, or may not, have noticed that I frequently post scans of favourite underwear shoots on this here blog. I aspire to the level of lounging glamour demonstrated by ladies of the past; no tracksuits or slankets chez Miss Peelpants – oh no no no… I also feel as limited and uncomfortable in a lot of modern underwear as I do in a lot of modern clothing, so it seems only logical to buy and wear vintage pieces.

Grace Coddington

So I am delighted to announce the launch of Loungerie at Vintage-a-Peel. The name is inspired by a spread from Honey Magazine which I posted a while back, and the stock is inspired by all my very favourite underwear photoshoots and saucier source material I may encounter. If vintage underwear isn’t your thing, that’s totally understandable, but for anyone else – I do hope you find something to tempt you (and your lover…).

Jane Birkin

And with names like Ossie Clark, Janice Wainwright, Rudi Gernreich, Bruce Oldfield and Janet Reger, this is certainly no ordinary lingerie section!

Bruce Oldfield for Charnos

Ossie Clark for Charnos

Janice Wainwright for Golden Charm

Rudi Gernreich for Exquisite Form

Janet Reger

St Michael

Charnos

Charnos

 

Vintage Adverts: Grooviest Radial Yet

1970s, Illustrations, psychedelia, sunday times magazine, Vintage Adverts

Scanned from The Sunday Times Magazine, February 21st 1971

It never ceases to amaze me just how widespread the influence of psychedelia was in the advertising world. Who would have thought that it would be used to sell tyres?

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.

British Design Hero: Tommy Roberts

1960s, 1970s, british boutique movement, carnaby street, City Lights, glam rock, Inspirational Images, king's road, kleptomania, mr freedom, pop art, Tommy Roberts

Mr Freedom interior. Photograph: JON WEALLEANS

The lovely Paul Gorman very kindly sent me some sneaky peeky previews of his much-awaited new book about Tommy Roberts (Kleptomania, Mr Freedom, City Lights etc). From what I’ve seen and read so far, this is going to be quite a ‘must have’ book for anyone interested in Sixties and Seventies fashion – and specifically, the British Boutique scene in London at the time.

Cheeky and freaky, Mr Freedom clothes are amongst my very favourites of their kind. The bright, brash shapes, colours and logos have long since moved beyond pop-art irony and into the realms of the iconic themselves. This is the first, and I’m sure will remain the only, definitive look at the life of Roberts and his various other boutiques and projects … and I actually cannot wait to have a hard copy in my hands! I will give it a full review eventually, but until then…

Rock on Tommy, rock on…

You can pre-order Mr Freedom direct from Adelita for a mere £20.

Mr Freedom hotpants, 1970. Photo: Stephen Markeson (The Sun/NI Syndication)

Derek Morton suit for City Lights, 1973. Photographed by David Parkinson

Inspirational Images: Dress to decorate summer evenings

1970s, bus stop, caroline arber, celia birtwell, Gill Hutchings, Inspirational Images, lee bender, ossie clark, Pierre Elegante, quorum, radley, Simon Ellis, Sujon, Vintage Editorials, Vogue

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

Vintage Adverts: Don’t be vague

1970s, hair, Inspirational Images, sunday times magazine, Vintage Adverts

Scanned from The Sunday Times Magazine, June 1971

Personally, I need absolutely no encouragement…

Mild Sauce: Wrap up well

1970s, celia birtwell, Inspirational Images, Meriel McCooey, mild sauce, quorum, Shirley Beljon, sunday times magazine, terry de havilland, Vintage Editorials

“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.

Vintage Interiors: G-plan, 1972

1970s, G-Plan, Inspirational Images, interior design, sunday times magazine, Vintage Adverts

Scanned from The Sunday Times Magazine, March 1972

Phwoar. Such a sexy sofa. In fact, I want everything in that photo. The outfit she’s wearing, the dog, the shagpile carpet, the sofa, the glass doors and so on…

One day, it will be mine!

Inspirational Images: Bright girl’s guide to open air dressing

1970s, Alan Rodin, annacat, biba, british boutique movement, Buckle Under, edward mann, elisabeth novick, Ian Batten, Inspirational Images, karl lagerfeld, Leslie Poole, Pierre Elegante, stirling cooper, Vintage Editorials, Vogue

Bird’s egg blue and white spotted shirt and striped trousers at Pierre Elegante. Hat by Edward Mann.

Photographed by Elisabeth Novick, from Vogue, April 1973.

If I could spend most of my springtime dressed like this, I would be happy. Sadly, I am currently living in thick black tights and long sleeves while the entire country shivers its way into May.

Curses!

Dungarees by Leslie Poole at Annacat. Hat from Liberty.

Left: Top by Alan Rodin, trousers by Ian Batten for Stirling Cooper. Umbrella from Biba — Right: Top by Karl Lagerfeld for Timwear, trousers same as left. Turban from Buckle Under.

Vintage Adverts: Nuts about Biba

1970s, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, Inspirational Images, sunday times magazine, Vintage Adverts

The Sunday Times Magazine, March 24th 1974

Those with a long memory might remember this as a Biba dress worn by Paula Wilcox in Man About The House (and also by Miss Peelpants occasionally around the house, as well as out of it…). I’m always inexplicably delighted to spot pieces I own or recognise in adverts of the time, although I think one for nutty chocolates has got to be a first…