Inspirational Images: Le Mepris, 1963

1960s, brigitte bardot, films, Inspirational Images, jean luc godard

Michel Piccoli and Brigitte Bardot in Le Mepris (1963)

Inspirational Images: Blowing bubbles

1970s, clogs, hotpants, Inspirational Images, platforms, Vintage Adverts

Vincel advert, 1972

I basically want to look like the girl on the left, but I’m dubious about my ability to ‘pull off’ the whole over-knee striped socks and hotpant ensemble. Might just stick with the make-up and hair…

Inspirational Images: The lady is a vamp

1970s, bill gibb, cosmopolitan, ika hindley, Inspirational Images, richard imrie, twiggy

Photo by Richard Imrie. Cosmopolitan. Cosmo Tells All. July, 1972

Ika Hindley is the twenty-three year old temporarily red-haired model who out-acts Bernhardt or Garbo on the catwalk. Give her a dress and she gives it soul. When wearing Bill Gibb’s vamp dress at his headline-making launch collection, BBC cameramen filmed a three-minute take of Ika doing her number. “I’m hoping it will get me into films. Underneath all this pink paint there’s a frustrated actress,” says Ika who takes voice, dancing and singing lessons. All of which give her catwalk appearance extra oomph. And oomph is what Bill Gibb’s clothes have in plenty. Film star Twiggy and actress Irene Worth are favourite customers of the shy Scottish lad with the special fashion flair.

Inspirational Images: Brigitte Bardot in Cannes, 1953

1950s, brigitte bardot, cannes, headscarves, Inspirational Images

Brigitte and companion in Cannes, circa 1953

Brigitte rocking the headscarf look here, in an unusual candid shot.

I can’t help but love her as a brunette. Her very early period (seen here) and her later Sixties, early Seventies looks are my favourites. I resisted the Bardot love for a long while because it seemed such a cliché. I mean, who doesn’t cite her as an inspiration? But she’s a hard one to fight…

Scanned from Woman’s Mirror, May 1962

Inspirational Images: Ossie Clark for Quorum, 1970

1970s, flair magazine, Inspirational Images, michal james-ward, ossie clark, quorum, steppenwolf

Ossie Clark for Quorum, £19 10s. Photo by Michal James-Ward. Flair, June 1970

I can only fantasise about a carefree life spent lounging in my fabulous apartment, in my beautiful Ossie Clark dress, with my gorgeous wavy hair and hilarious telephone conversations. But in the words of my beloved Steppenwolf, fantasy will set you free…