ossie clark

Jean Shrimpton – At Home With Fashion

1970s, bus stop, cherry twiss, coopers, janice wainwright, jean shrimpton, jean-loup sieff, ossie clark, sonia rykiel, telegraph magazine

“It is so beautifully cut”. Sabbath Suit by Ossie Clark.

As with so many of my favourite people, I far prefer ‘Seventies Shrimpton’ to her earlier, more famous Bailey-era. This photoshoot is from The Telegraph Magazine, April 1973, and shows Jean returning to the family farm – decked out in all the best designers of the time.

Jean Shrimpton has gained fame, fortune and glamour through her spectacular modelling career, but she seldom spends much money on clothes – although she will, on occasions, treat herself to an extravagance from Ossie Clark, one of her favourite designers. So we asked her to make her own practical choice from the clothes that are in the shops now. We photographed her at her parents’ home – Rose Hill Farm, Burnham in Buckinghamshire.

“Basically I always choose dark clothes because they are practical and don’t show the dirt. I like fairly simple, well-cut, Forties type clothes with big shoulders. I wear a lot of trousers and long skirts and prefer jackets to coats. If I do wear colour it is usually in tights or shoes”

Images scanned by Miss Peelpants

“I like long skirts and I liked the shape of this sweater with the cuffed sleeves and the lower neckline”. Sweater by Rykiel.

“Super, very Forties, lovely grey colour, loose and easy to move in. Very much the sort of thing I wear”. Suit by Coopers.

“A nice simple dress that could be worn anytime”. Dress by Janice Wainwright

“I like small flower prints and this is a very pretty one”. Dress by Bus Stop.

“Very comfortable, I can wear it anywhere”. Jacket and trousers by Coopers.

All images scanned by Miss Peelpants

Who loves you baby? Ossie, that’s who…

david bailey, marie helvin, ossie clark, ritz magazine, seventies fashion

Ossie Clark and Marie Helvin. Advert scanned from Ritz magazine, No.14 1978.

Incredible, rare late Seventies Ossie advert. It is of the greatest frustration to me that Judith Watt’s otherwise fantastic book cuts off sharply at 1975. I know his final years were difficult, frustrating and ultimately tragic, but he didn’t simply stop designing in 1975 – and I’m sure many of us would like to read, see and understand more about the later years.

The most nostalgic clothes of all…

1930s, barbara daly, barbara trentham, gala, ginger rogers, harpers and queen, hollywood icons, maureen o'hara, mr fish, ossie clark, patrick procktor, rosalind russell

Rosalind Russell wore this soft grey georgette evening dress with cross-draped bodice, for The Velvet Touch.

[Proving that nostalgia is nothing new…]

You are forgiven if you think the pictures on these pages are fashion circa 1971. In a sense, they are; but in fact, these are original Hollywood – the clothes of the stars, people like Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Olivia de Havilland, Jean Seberg, Shirley Temple — worn in their films, coming up for a gala auction at Sotheby’s Pantechnicon in Motcomb Street at 7pm on December 1.

The man who made it possible is Michael Fish — Mr Fish, no less — who bought the whole collection of 30s, 40s and 50s creations from Max Berman & Son of Hollywood, and is putting them to auction in aid of Immigrant Community Services. So you could help to provide a new children’s playground in Brixton, say, while treating yourself to a great fashion original . . . like Jane Russell’s navy pleated chiffon coat over crepe culottes ; Bonita Granville’s pink chiffon dress with Alencon lace and fine pleating; not to mention the original mini worn by Betty Hutton in Annie Get Your Gun. 

Patrick Procktor is contributing to the programme for Mr Fish’s ‘frock fantasy’. Ossie Clark’s sensational model, Gala, will wear some of the clothes, as she did for us in company with Barbara Trentham. Make-up here by Barbara Daly; hair by Smile; location, Mr Paul Hamlyn’s house. 

Harpers and Queen, December 1971. Photographs by Tim Street-Porter

Square-shouldered 40s suits, as worn by Maureen O’Hara and Ginger Rogers.

Agnes Moorehead starred in this vampy black crepe dress with sequins and a matching shoulder cape fastened with jet.

Inspirational Images: Zandra and Ossie, 1970

bill cunningham, ossie clark, seventies fashion, zandra rhodes

Scanned from Zandra Rhodes: Textile Revolution: Medals, Wiggles and Pop 1961-1971

Photo by Bill Cunningham.

Old graces never die

1930s, 1970s, caroline charles, jean muir, nova magazine, ossie clark, Sarah Moon, tuttabankem

Hats from C&A. Racoon jacket (left) by Tuttabankem for Philip Hockley. Furs (centre and right) by Femina Furs.

Dress like a little old lady and bring back a little grace to your life. It takes thin little frocks in fabrics for all season, new or second-hand; warmed up with wooly things next to the skin, cardigans and old furs, all shoulders, or old-looking brand-new furs. Flapper hats, lace-up shoes, fine jewels and a handbag to hang on to for dear life.

Photographed by Sarah Moon. Nova, October 1972

I’m looking to bring back the term ‘second-hand’, or even just ‘old’. Although I realise this is a hard one, given my website name. I liketo wear things that are second-hand and/or old. Thank you Nova and Sarah Moon for such immense beauty…

Left: Second hand dress from Civil Service Stores and cardigan from Charley’s. Centre: Fox cape by Femina Furs, dress by Jean Muir. Right: Jacket and skirt by Caroline Charles. Blue fox boa by Femina Furs.

Left: Second hand dress and cardigan from Charley’s. Centre: Skirt by Sheilagh Brown for Coopers. Blouse and fur cape second-hand from Charley’s. Right: Cardigan by Carroll at Joseph, second-hand dress and handbag from Virginia, blue fox boa from Femina Furs.

Left: Crepe wrap-around dress by Ossie Clark for Quorum, thermals by Damart, stockings at Donald Davies. Centre: Second hand blouse at Virginia, panties by Lux Lux. Right: Cardigan by Lil at Josephs, crepe skirt by Pierre Elegant, antique handbag at Virginia.

Legendary Beauty

alice pollock, bus stop, celia birtwell, fashion mouse, janice wainwright, john kelly, ossie clark, pre-raphaelite, quorum, seventies fashion, simon massey, vanity fair, wightwick manor

By Alice Pollock at Quorum*, 19gns. The settee is covered in the original William Morris Bird Design.

There’s a marvellously romantic feeling about the Pre-Raphaelite look. It starts with your hair…soft, natural, framing your face in a ripple of tiny waves. It touches your skin…pale, delicate, un-made-up looking. It colours your clothes…crepe, chiffons and satins in rich hues. Start wearing this great, romantic look today – who knows, he might just start being very romantic to you!

Scanned from Vanity Fair, May 1970. Photographed by John Kelly at Wightwick Manor.

*This is a misattribution, the dress is actually an Ossie.

Dress by Simon Massey, £15. Photographed against a Burne Jones tapestry.

Dress by Fashion Mouse, £22. Photographed against the Kempe stained glass windows.

Dress by Bus Stop, £5. Photographed against a painting by Rossetti pupil Treffry Dunn.

Wild about prints

1960s, angela gore, celia birtwell, georgina linhart, kleptomania, ossie clark, paul misso, petticoat magazine, quorum

Jacket by Kleptomania

The season of mists gets shattered into life in the riot of autumn’s wide-awake prints in all the colours of the rainbow.
Petticoat, October 1969. Photographed by Paul Misso.

Dress by Georgina Linhart from the Victoria and Albert Boutique, W.8. Silk printed scarf by Kleptomania.

Patchwork print trousers and tie top by Clobber. Blue and white print dress by Quorum.

Black and white flowery dress by Angela Gore. White boots by Sacha. Red and orange cord dress and scarf by Angela Gore. Jacket by Kleptomania.

Dress by Sujon.

The Latin Look in English Clothes

1960s, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, cherry twiss, jean varon, jean-loup sieff, john bates, marrian mcdonnell, ossie clark, quorum, telegraph magazine

Coat by Biba

Scanned from The Telegraph Magazine, October 1969.
Photographed by Jean-Loup Sieff. Edited by Cherry Twiss.

Top and skirt by Ossie Clark for Quorum

Top and skirt by Biba

Dress by Jean Varon

Dress by Jane Walker at the Royal College of Art

Skirt and waistcoat by Marrian McDonnell

Shrimpton Supernova

celia birtwell, Foale and Tuffin, jean muir, jean shrimpton, nova magazine, ossie clark, seventies fashion, thea porter

Dress by Thea Porter

Absolutely breathtaking spread from Nova, December 1970, featuring Jean Shrimpton in some mouth-watering pieces by Ossie Clark, Jean Muir, Foale and Tuffin and Thea Porter.

Photos by Hans Feurer.

Dress by Ossie Clark with print by Celia Birtwell

Blouse by Laura Jamieson at The Sweetshop

Blouse by Jean Muir, gaucho pants by Foale and Tuffin.

Stamp of Chic

cherry twiss, janet reger, missoni, mr freedom, norman eales, ossie clark, seventies fashion, sonia rykiel, telegraph magazine
Stamp of Chic
Daily Telegraph Magazine, May 5th 1972

You no longer need time on your hands and London on your doorstep to keep slightly ahead of fashion. Now many of the brighter boutiques sell their clothes by post, and it is as easy to dress well in the Hebrides as in Kensington. For example, Ossie Clark’s screen-printed silk skirt and flowing smock (above) can be ordered separately from Just Looking, 88 King’s Road, London SW3 and 5-7 Brompton Road, SW3. The smock costs £34.10, the skirt £56.65 (plus 25p post and packing).

Fashion Editor: Cherry Twiss. Photographer: Norman Eales.

Browns, 27 South Molton Street, London W1, will send the red and white Indian cotton slip dress (left) for £25, plus 55p post and packing.

The Sonia Rykiel collection at Browns includes the maribou jacket, £28, sweater, £16, and waistcoat, £15. The pleated skirt, £21, is also from Browns.

The yellow trouser suit of Missoni's knits (right) costs £65 from Browns. Shoes by Pierre Cardin, £17.50, from Charles Jourdan.

French knickers, £3.70, and bra, £3.70, in pink silk are by Janet Reger. By post only from Bottom Drawer, 4 bouverie Place, London W2.

Mr Freedom, 20 Kensington Church Street, London W8, post this gaberdine trouser suit designed by Kim Lew. The price is £28, plus 25p post and packing. Walter Albini halter neck top, £18 from Browns.