Only last year we were into the 30s and 40s and next (seems like we just can’t help it) fashions will take us on to the 50s. With high-heeled shoes and Munro [sic] cleavages and undulating bottoms squeezed into the tightest, most provocative drainpipes you’ve ever seen. They’re already available in a few London shops, so watch out. It’s going to be a sexy cutie-pie look, the teeny-boppiest, greatest bubble-blowing clothes yet.
Photographed by Roy A. Giles.
Scanned from Honey, January 1972.
A strenuous day’s sightseeing deserves some-thing more than a cold Campari. In such an idyllic scene you’ll want to look exotic as a jungle flower, cool as that shimmering, irresistible pool. Playsuits—trousers or shorts, halter-necks or wrapovers—blossom bright, beautiful and shamelessly sexy.
Photographed by Roy A Giles at the Club Las Hadas, Manzanillo, Mexico.
Scanned from Honey, June 1973.
The sexiest way you can hit the waves this summer is in a skimpy, second-skin suit in finely striped stretchy cotton or softly clinging wool that hugs every curve and leaves little to the imagination. And if the thought of a dip in the sea so early in the year makes you shiver, don’t forget that now is the time to buy – before everyone else dives in and beats you to it.
Photographed by Roy A. Giles in Sri Lanka.
Scanned from Honey, May 1973.
Get ready for a gorgeous full-blown rosy. summer. Everything is covered in roses: long floaty `tea dresses’, short and sweet frocks, soft gathered blouses, crisp cotton shirts—roses are even screen-printed onto angora sweaters. In fact, there’s sure to be a rosy outlook ahead for everyone!
Photographed by Roy A. Giles.
Scanned from Honey, April 1973.
If you can’t tango, simply steal into the spotlight in these flamboyant rumba dresses. The slipped shoulder strap, the bared midriff and the full-blown flouncy skirts all spell out the sexiest numbers for summer.
The main difference between the content of a magazine like Honey, as opposed to Vogue or Queen, is that the designers tend to be the more intriguing and less well-known of the period. If you want names like Miss Mouse, Granny Takes a Trip or Antony Price, these magazines should always be your first port of call. This shoot alone features one of my Holy Grail pieces by Granny Takes a Trip: the ruffled tie front top and skirt ensemble designed by Dinah Adams. Previously a designer for two other cult London boutiques, Mr Freedom and Paradise Garage, painfully little is known about Dinah Adams (misattributed as ‘Diana’ in the original credits). Which is why it’s always lovely to see her work represented anywhere.
Also shown here is a frothy, frilly delight of a frock by Miss Mouse, a.k.a Rae Spencer-Cullen. A personal favourite of mine, the Miss Mouse aesthetic is precisely why this early Seventies period is my favourite for fashion. Her work was heavily Fifties-inspired, quite ahead of the curve in the scheme of things, but always with a novel twist. Spencer-Cullen is yet another designer whose life remains something of a mystery, despite being a part of a hugely influential circle which included artists Duggie Fields and Andrew Logan. It seems that this anonymity was (at least initially) intentional, as an article from the Glasgow Herald in 1976 declared.
“At first, six years ago, when presenting her quirky designs on fashion, she seemed shy and utterly retiring. Miss Mouse could not be contacted easily by the press. She was elusive, hazed in shadows, a real mouse about publicity in fact. The only evidence of her entire existence was her clothes.”
In a world where we are so used to having information at our fingertips, there is something quite enchanting about this; tiny scraps must be stitched together to create a flimsy silhouette of a creative genius.
Photographed by Roy A Giles.
Scanned from Honey, July 1973.
(Please note – this blog originally appeared in 2016 on Shrimpton Couture’s ‘Curated’ blog project which has since been removed. It seemed a shame to let the posts disappear completely so I hope to eventually repost all my work here.)
Poppy field morocaine dress with drawstring neck by Ossie Clark for Radley. Plaited suede sandals by Bata.
Flirty little crêpe dresses so irresistibly feminine you’ll never be alone for long.
Anyone who knows me at all will know that *I* cannot resist crêpe, never mind what a fella thinks. This is a stunning editorial, with a model I’m not sure I recognise from anywhere else – so do comment if you can identify her. Featuring two covetable dresses by Ossie Clark but also featuring two by the mysterious ‘Boobs’ boutique label (by designer Linda Warren). I have found mention of a ‘Boobs’ boutique in Edinburgh, but I think it might just be coincidence. Again, holler if you know anything!
Photographed by Roy A. Giles.
Scanned from Honey, November 1971.
Daring slash necked lemon and lime striped Dicel crêpe dress with paste brooch by Linda Warren at Boobs. Suede plaited shoes by Bata. Tights by Mary Quant.
Chocolate brown Dicel crêpe dress with wide accordian pleated sleeves gathered into deep buttoned cuffs by Linda Warren for Boobs. Scarlet and black scalloped shoes by Ravel. Red art deco compact from Universal Witness.
Skimpy jet black halter neck bonded moss crêpe dress with pink and black polka dot fluted bolero jacket by Rosy Bradford for Quorum. Scarlet glacé leather peep toe shoes from Zapata. Flocked red cherries by Adrien Mann.
Button-through bow-scattered gently flaring crêpe dress from Bus Stop. Black sude sandals by Bata.
Slippery satin dress with palm tree printed bodice by Ossie Clark for Radley. Scarlet leather peep toe shoes by Zapata.
Liz Eggleston 