Inspirational Images: How a Continental Sees You

1970s, Bernshaw, celia birtwell, cosmopolitan, Daniel Hecter, edward mann, Inspirational Images, Just Jaeckin, katharine hamnett, Kayser, laura ashley, ossie clark, Pierre Elegante, radley, Russell & Bromley, tuttabankem, Vintage Editorials

Time for a little flirtation. Dress by Ossie Clark for Radley.

Possibly one of my favourite, most lush photoshoots of the period by the legendary photographer (and filmmaker) Just Jaeckin. Scanned from Cosmopolitan, February 1974. That Ossie dress? I am largely speechless with desire… except for occasional gurgling sounds.

Lunch can be the nicest meal of the day... Dress and jacket by Daniel Hechter. Hat by Edward Mann. Russell & Bromley shoes. Photographed at Drones, 1 Pont Street, London SW1.

Be a liberated lady. Slip by Kayser.

Staying at home can be more fun that going out. Top and skirt from Laura Ashley. Man’s clothes all from Simpson’s, Piccadilly.

The lady loves to dance. Dress by Bernshaw, shoes by Russell & Bromley. Photographed at Bertie’s, 86 Brompton Road, London SW3.

Inspirational Images: How to make it happen on holiday

1970s, alice pollock, brian duffy, bus stop, clobber, cosmopolitan, Crochetta, deborah and clare, Deirdre McSharry, Diane Logan, Escalade, Gordon Deighton, harold ingram, Inspirational Images, lord john, Lucienne Phillips, miss mouse, Suliman, Tom Gilbey, Vintage Editorials

Dress by Elle. Shirt by Deborah and Claire.

Always happy to bring you another ‘lost’ shoot by the late, great Brian Duffy. Since Duffy destroyed his own archive, we are left to piece together a career from what was published in magazines or retained in other people’s archives. I try to scan and share whenever I can… I covet both Alice Pollock pieces in this spread, and love the man’s style. Definitely how all men should dress, always.

Photographed by Duffy. Fashion by Deirdre McSharry. Modelled by Greta Norris and Cyril Hartman.

Scanned from Cosmopolitan, July 1972.

As an aside, apologies for sporadic blogging at the moment. There are a few changes afoot and it is distracting me a little from my usual magazine scouring and scanning. I will tell you when everything, hopefully, falls into place in the next few weeks.

Silk dress by Suliman, crepe shirt by Deborah and Clare.

Jacket by Alice Pollock, shoes by Sacha

Her skirt by Miss Mouse, blouse and scarf at Lucienne Phillips. His shirt by Lord John.

His and hers Harold Ingram sweaters

Her dress by Clobber, hat by Diane Logan and shoes by Samm.

Her top by Crochetta, trousers by Gordon Deighton. His sweater by Harold Ingram and trousers by Tom Gilbey.

T-shirt by Escalade. Hat from Bus Stop

Blue silk ‘intimate’ dress by Alice Pollock with bird print by Frances Ronaldson. He wears an Indian shirt from Crocodile.

Pat Cleveland in Cosmopolitan, 1973

1970s, coopers, cosmopolitan, david montgomery, Inspirational Images, pat cleveland, Walter Steiger

The wondrous Pat Cleveland from the spread which has already given us Ika Hindley and Gabrielle Drake. Pat is wearing shoes by Walter Steiger and a canvas suit from Coopers which ‘flaunts her amazing bottom’.

“Dressing up is for joy. Colour brings me out of my depression. Red makes me feel like a flower ready to be plucked, green is peaceful. I can feel yellow … A man can recognise the smell of his woman wherever she is.”

Cosmopolitan, June 1973. Photographed by David Montgomery. Scanned by Miss Peelpants.

Ika Hindley in Cosmopolitan, 1973

1970s, annacat, chelsea cobbler, cosmopolitan, david montgomery, ika hindley, Inspirational Images, pierre la roche, sarah frearson

From the same spread in Cosmopolitan as the Gabrielle Drake post, and eagle-eyed readers might recall that we have seen Ika Hindley before… There are still a few beauties to come, but I decided they were all worthy of their own post.

The spread was styled by Deirdre McSharry and she is really speaking my sartorial language. Dress by Annacat, shoes by Chelsea Cobbler and hat by Sarah Frearson. Make-up is by Pierre LaRoche (Bowie’s make-up artist and also for the Rocky Horror Picture Show) for Helena Rubenstein.

Cosmopolitan, June 1973. Photographed by David Montgomery. Scanned by Miss Peelpants.

“She arrived in the studio like an early Garbo, plain and drab. One hour and much make-up later she is fashion’s own superstar”.

Ouch.

Portrait of a Generation – Levis and Honda

1970s, cosmopolitan, levis, Vintage Adverts

Kelly and Lars Bolander

Portrait of a generation. Advertisement feature from Cosmopolitan, June 1973.

Photographer unknown. Scanned by Miss Peelpants

Sheila Richardson and Mark Williams

Liz Forster and Robert Lacey

Linda Kelsey and Fernando Iturbide

We are not the first, and we will not be the last…

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1960s, 1970s, biba, bill gibb, british boutique movement, bus stop, catherine buckley, cosmopolitan, ossie clark, yves saint laurent, zandra rhodes

I think it is safe to say that I love old clothes. I dream them, I live in them and I covet the ones I don’t have. But I am under no illusion that there is anything inherently unique or radical about this. The uniqueness comes from the impression of your personality in whatever you choose to wear. The fabrics, the colours, the shapes, these are the expression of my inner self in one, superficially superficial, way.

It is important to remember this: each generation thinks it invented sex, and I fear the same goes for ‘vintage’ clothing. This article makes for fascinatingly familiar reading. Commercialisation is the death knell each time, but in turn becomes the coveted piece of history for the next generation of disillusioned people (see the mention of Catherine Buckley’s old jacquard fabrics in the text of the article. My Buckley skirt is one of these pieces). The irony does not escape me; I wear clothes by Ossie Clark, Biba, Bus Stop… all of who were creating clothes heavily inspired by their own childhoods.

Just wanting a period look is not the important part, anyone can buy a reproduction and plenty of people will, the expression comes from the colours, fabrics, shapes and accoutrements you pick. There is absolutely nothing wrong with new clothing taking influence from old, although my thoughts on direct duplication are well known, but why would you limit yourself to the prints they have chosen this season? There are limitless possibilities when you look around you and take inspiration from a variety of sources other than from conventional fashion magazines or ‘how to’ guides.

That is partly the aim of this blog, and I hope to continue in such a vein for a long time yet…

The Cosmo Girl’s Guide to the Cast-Offs Cult… Cosmopolitan, August 1974.

Inspirational Images: Value Added Fashion

1920s, 1930s, 1970s, cosmopolitan, nostalgia, rolph gobits

Everyone is looking back in nostalgia – especially in fashion. But authentic Twenties and Thirties clothes can be expensive to buy so sew your own and save money. Use crêpe de chine and bias-cut voiles and leave out the linings for an authentic swing and flair. Choose eau de Nil, bois de rose and the pale sorbet shades for pure, undiluted nostalgia.

Cosmopolitan magazine, June 1974. Photos by Rolph Gobits. Scanned by Miss Peelpants.