Oh we do like to be beside the seaside

1970s, anello and davide, art deco, Bombacha, Bugatti, bus stop, Butler & Wilson, carr jones, chelsea cobbler, Crocker Wilson, Deco Inspired, Diana Doe, Diane Logan, edward mann, Honey Magazine, Inega, Jackie Ross, John Craig, Jon Elliot, kangol, Lawrence Corner, lee bender, Martha Hill, Michael Berkofsky, miss mouse, peter robinson, Ricci Burns, Rosie Nice, Russell & Bromley, Samm, Shelana, Simpson of Piccadilly, Spectrum, stirling cooper, Sujon, Tabu, tuttabankem

LEFT: Spotted cotton baggy trousers, Stirling Cooper £7.95. White cotton boned sun top John Craig £3.50. Cornflower blue shirt with wide turnback sleeves, John Craig £5.50; bobble bead necklace, Corocraft £1-25. RIGHT: Baggy white trousers, Stirling Cooper £9.95. Loose cotton shirt with American Bowling Print design or back, Inega £6.95. Pull-on hat, Edward Mann £2.70; twirly plastic bangle 25p, and thick blue marble bangle 45p, both by Corocraft; shoes, Samm £8.99.

Cotton jackets and blouses, comfortable baggy trousers, skimpy bareback sun tops and neat knee-length shorts. Team them up with saucy felt berets and rope-soled espadrilles —wear them anywhere (or on the prom).

A glorious recreation of 1930s photographs by the late great Mike Berkofsky, but we all know those pups are the real stars of the show!

Photographed by Mike Berkofsky.

Scanned from Honey, May 1974.

LEFT: Striped cotton blouse, Stirling Cooper £6.95, from Ronnie Stirling. High-waisted trousers, Shelana £8.95. Thin patent leather belt, Gay Designs £1.50; authentic sailor’s cap, Lawrence Corner 44p; espadrilles, Samm £3.99. RIGHT: Finely striped jersey halter-neck T-shirt £2.95, and matching cardigan jacket £5.95, both by Bus Stop. Shantung linen Oxford bags, Martha Hill £8.50. Original 40’s canvas percher hat, to hire from Diane Logan.

LEFT: Swirling striped cotton skirt with elasticised waist £15.95, loose white cotton blouse with pintucked front £5.95, both by Stirling Cooper. Sailing ship brooch, Butler & Wilson £2; canvas peep-toe wedge-heeled espadrilles, Chelsea Cobbler £9.99; natural straw hat, Diane Logan £10; denim umbrella, Crocker & Wilson £10-50. RIGHT: White cotton trousers, Jackie Ross at Jon Elliot £9-50. Spotted cotton halter-neck top with rope ties £4, and matching jacket £10.75, both by Diana Doe at Carr Jones. Leather rope-soled espadrilles with ruched front, Samm £8-99. Sunglasses from a selection at Bombacha £2.

Sky blue double-breasted Trevira jacket with shawl collar £6.75, and matching Oxford bags £5.50, both by Spectrum. White cotton piqué fitted halter-neck sun top with buttoned back, Miss Mouse £6.50. Brown and white striped umbrella, Crocker & Wilson £14.50.

Cornflower blue cotton jersey halter-neck top with daisy motif, Tabu £4.90. Cream gaberdine shorts, Tuttabankem £12.50. Silky fine knit cardigan with embroidered pockets from a selection at Bombacha. Blue felt beret, Kangol £1.50. Thin scarlet belt, Peter Robinson 55p. Royal blue canvas wedge-heeled peep-toe espadrilles, Chelsea Cobbler £9.99. Men’s clothes: Striped blazers from £23.50, and Panama hats £1.30, both from Simpsons, Piccadilly, W1. Double-breasted white jersey knit suit £40, striped cotton shirts £7.95, and white bags from £5, all from Bugatti, Kensington Church Street, W8. Black and white correspondent shoes, £12.75 from Anello & Davide, 33 Oxford Street, W1. Brown and cream correspondent shoes, £24.99 from Russell & Bromley. Hair by Trevor at Ricci Burns.

White linen tie-waisted jacket with wide elbow-length sleeves, Rosie Nice £17.95, from Rosie Nice, 12 Clifton Road, W9. Tangerine, green and white map-printed cotton boned sun top with shoestring straps, John Craig £3.50. White cotton sun hat, Edward Mann £2.70; leather rope-soled espadrilles, Samm £8.99; thin emerald green patent belt, Gay Designs £1-50.

LEFT: Cream, navy and scarlet checked madras cotton shirt, Carr Jones £8.50. Pale blue linen Oxford bags with tie waist and patch pockets, Martha Hill £8-50, from Martha Hill, 39 Marylebone High Street, W1; blue beret, Kangol £1-50. RIGHT: White cotton loose pintucked shirt and matching Oxford bags, Sujon £16. Sunshine yellow cotton jersey halter-neck, Tabu £4.50, from Nouvelle, Kensington Church Street, W8 ; umbrellas from Crocker & Wilson.

Softly Softly

1970s, Alain Walsh, Angela at London Town, Bata, biba, bus stop, Butler & Wilson, Chelsea Antiques Market, gillian richard, Honey Magazine, Inspirational Images, Jayne Swayne, lee bender, liberty, liberty's, Martha Hill, miss selfridge, Russell & Bromley, Sujon, Vintage Editorials

Dove-patterned dress with cap-sleeved bolero, £10.75 from Biba, Kensington High Street, W8. Suede patchwork shoes, Russell & Bromley, £6.95; sheer tights, Wolford, 40p ; carved bangle, Butler & Wilson, £1.50 ; plastic bangles, Biba, 55p each. Right : Wool-jersey gymslip dress, Sujon, £9.99, from Liberty, Regent Street, W1 , mail order 25p extra ; Image, Bath. Grey suede shoes, Russell & Bromley, £9.95 ; tights, Mary Quant, 75p ; bangle, Butler & Wilson, £1.50 ; bluebird brooch, Biba, 60p.

Daytime dresses in pretty prints and purely simple plains – warm and practical for everyday but special enough for best.

Photographed by Allan Walsh*.

Scanned from Honey, January 1972.

*Usually credited as Alain Walsh, I think it must be the same photographer.

Royal blue and bright pink spider-. knit Acrylic tiered smock, £4.50, from Martha Hill, 39 Marylebone High Street, W1 , mail order 20p extra. Multi-coloured beaded necklace wound round wrist, Paul Stephens, 80p ; antique green compact, Butler & Wilson, £4.15. Right : Flowered black, lemon and cream short Acrylic smock with pleated front, Gillian Richard, £9.95, from Peter Robinson, Oxford Circus, W1 , mail order 20p extra. Lime green bow brooch, Biba, £3.

Biscuit and plum flower-printed wool dress with fluted cap sleeves, Gillian Richard, £8.25, from Way In, Harrods, Knights-bridge, SW1 ; I Spy, Oxford Street, W1 ; ’27’, King’s Road, SW3. Mulberry flower-carved elasticated bangle, Butler & Wilson, £1.50 ; plain round plastic bangles, Biba, 55p each. Right: Bright yellow and pink sunflower dress in Liberty wool with scalloped neck, Gillian Richard, £11.25, from Liberty, Regent Street, Wl, mail order 25p extra ; I Spy, Oxford Street, W1 ; ’27’, King’s Road, SW3. Ivory brooch, Biba, £3; bangle, Butler & Wilson, £2.

Dusty-blue jersey dress with flared skirt and flouncy cap sleeves, Angela at London Town, £9, from all London branches of Neata-wear ; Sacha, Bridgend. Multi-coloured butterfly brooch from a selection at the Chelsea Antique Market, cream elasticated bracelet, Butler & Wilson, £3. Right: Scarlet wool jersey dress with yellow batwing sleeves and rainbow inset neckline, Jayne Swayne, £8.40, from Bata International, 151 Oxford Street, W1, and main branches including Newcastle, Sheffield, Swansea and Ipswich. Metal pretty-polly brooch, Butler & Wilson, £3.50.

Spider-knit Acrylic puff-sleeved smock, £4.50, from Martha Hill, 39 Marylebone High Street, Wl, mail order 20p extra. Blue bead choker, Paul Stephens, 75p ; antique poppy brooch, £2.50, ivory elasticated bracelet, £3, beaded bag, £4.50, all from Butler & Wilson. Right: Electric-blue jersey dress, Sujon, £9.99, from Liberty, Regent Street, W1 , mail order 25p extra ; Just Looking, King’s Road, SW3. Spotted cotton kerchief, Herbert Johnson, 25p ; sheer blue tights, Mary Quant, 40p.

Scarlet and white confetti-spotted zipped jersey dress, £9.95, from Bus Stop, 3 Kensington Church Street, W8, and all other branches, mail order 15p extra. Plain plum and rust plastic bangles, Biba, 55p each. Wooden bead bangle, from a selection at Miss Selfridge. Right: Spotty silver-grey and white button-through jersey shirt dress, £9.95, from Bus Stop, 3 Kensington Church Street, W8, and all other branches, mail order 15p extra. Rose-carved bangle, Butler & Wilson, £2.

Because it’s Christmas (part III)

1970s, chelsea cobbler, clobber, Feathers, Frank Horvat, George Malyard, Inspirational Images, jeff banks, kensington market, Malyard, Therèse, Titfers, vanity fair, Vivvy

Model is Therèse.

Photographed by Frank Horvat.

Scanned from Vanity Fair, December 1970.

Velvet in various guises tunic, Clobber; trousers and suede belt, Feathers; hat, Malyard; lace-up boots, Chelsea Cobbler; neckband, Vivvy at Kensington Antique Market.

How hand-me-downs become pick-me-ups

1970s, Antiquarius, Camden Passage, Carla Sklan, Chelsea Antiques Market, David Tack, Diane Logan, Essences, Essenses, Honey Magazine, Inspirational Images, Orange Box, Portobello Road Market, Vintage Editorials

Admittedly it takes a good eye, the sort that can look over a pile of old garments and see what you can make of them, and they of you. Then it needs a little adventure, to team old clothes with improbable but right accessories. It may also demand scissors and a needle and thread, but it’s the perfect way to beat imitation—and inflation.

Photographed by David Tack.

Scanned from Honey Magazine, November 1974.

I’m always delighted and fascinated by articles like this, somehow proving that certain interests are just innate in some people, and some things simply never change. Fifty years later, new generations are still discovering the joys of second hand clothes as though nobody ever thought of it before.

There was a storm in a Tiktok teacup earlier this year when someone declared that resellers were the Landlords of the Millennial generation. In what felt like a heady mix of inverted snobbery and undiluted envy at some people’s eye for a bargain, they declared second hand clothes were only for the poorest people and it was immoral to be making money out of them. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that it must be one of the oldest jobs in the world. In centuries gone by, the finest clothes were left in wills, given to servants, resold, remodelled and recycled until they were practically rags – which is why we have so little left in completely original condition.

On top of this long history, here in the Seventies (and then right up until the present day) you can see the glamourising of second hand clothes as a perfect counterbalance to the ever-expanding, and ever-cheapening, fashion industry. I also can’t help noticing that the belted sack dress (see further down) and bangle combination looks like something you might have seen in Topshop in the early 1980s. Proving that secondhand is often more fashion-forward than what you find in the shops.

A new look at dressing gowns: Soft cotton or silky wrapover dressing gowns can easily be found at jumble sales and markets. Fastened with a pretty brooch or with a scarf tied round the waist, they’re much nicer to wear around the house than that tatty old quilted thing your mum gave you! A bonus is that they can double as a dress or even a coat over jeans for the daytime. Paisley print robe £1, from Portobello Road Market. Painted bone fan with slotted blue ribbon, Chimera.

A little colour goes to your head: To follow the 20s,30s look which has become hot fashion for the evening, why not add a little glamour to a crocheted or knitted beret by sewing on tiny bugle beads (they’re the cylindrical ones). A geometric or floral design can look good—or a motif on one side if you haven’t got the patience to cover the whole of the beret. Antique beaded beret from a selection starting at about £10 from Carla Sklan at Antiquarius, 135 King’s Road, SW3.

The soft touch pulled into shape: Most of the prettiest second-hand dresses to be found have waist measurements which are really enormous and the idea of darting and reshaping them can offset the low price. To combat this we cut a strip from the hem about 3in wide, cut it in half width-wise and doubled it over to make two strips to tie round the back. Even easier would be to attach two narrow ribbon ties. Our dress from a selection at Orange Box, Camden Passage, N1.

Two for the top:Hats are still one of the most important accessories you can buy or make, and they look especially good if they’re bedecked with feathers or trimmings. If your purse demands you try your own hand at millinery, we’ve come up with an idea for trimming a plain felt beret. Just make two small incisions approximately one inch apart and add a natty trio of brightly coloured feathers. This smashing felt cloche with painted applique flowers and leaves is more of a good investment at £10 from Diane Logan, 40 Chiltern Street, WI.

Best suited: Ladies’ tailored suits abound for a mere pittance in most second-hand haunts and, if you accessorise them well, they can become the mainstay of your wardrobe. But nothing ruins the line of a tailored jacket more than out-of-shape shoulders. If you carefully unpick the lining around the armhole and search about, you’ll find it’s probably the fault of deflated shoulder pads. Buy a new pair of foam ones (from haberdashery departments of large stores); enclose each pad in a little square of plain fabric and it’s easy to tack them into place. Another idea to liven up a plain crepe jacket is to add some contrasting fabric on the pocket flaps or, if you have the patience, embroider your initials on a breast pocket. Authentic tweed costume courtesy of Mrs Kilford. Collarless green crêpe embroidered jacket, Orange Box £4.50. Feather-trimmed felt hat, to hire from Diane Logan ; long crêpe-de-chine patterned scarf, Essences £2: belt from a selection at Fenwick ; cane, Biba ; fox fur, Orange Box £4.50; green earrings and double bird brooch, Medusa’s Heirlooms. All Orange Box clothes from Camden Passage, 33 Islington Green, London N1.

Taking your nightie to a party: It doesn’t have to be a choice between a jewelled gown or your old jeans for a party. A long old-fashioned satin nightie is just about the prettiest and sexiest thing you could wear—and you won’t look too dressed up or contrived. And if you do get home late and tired you’re dressed for bed as well. Ankle-length cap-sleeved embroidered pink satin nightdress £5, from Bombacha, 104 Fulham Road, SW3.

Anything goes: To prove that even the most ordinary old dress can look bang up to date with just a little attention, we found this pleated black sack dress and re-vamped it. Pulled in at the waist with a wide red belt, with lots of red and black glass jewellery, black seamed stockings and your hair up, it soon becomes a show-stopper. Dress from a selection of oldies at Martha’s Market, Martha Hill, 39 Marylebone High Street, W1. All jewellery from Chimera, Antiquarius.

For the good sport in you: Smart dresses and feminine bits and pieces are easier to find than casual sporty outfits, but here’s one solution to show the tomboy in you, and it’s a great way to use that too-big sweater or cardigan you’ve discovered. Team it with striped cut-off men’s summer trousers and a shirt or blouse and flat shoes—the whole outfit could easily cost you less than a fiver. For a more feminine touch, appliqu6—or even sexier, inset—your own lace motif on a blouse. You can buy one at a haberdashery store or cut out a bit of lace from an old petticoat. Hip-length baggy hand-knitted cardigan £1, striped cotton men’s shorts 50p, both from Portobello Road Market. Short-sleeved cream lace-inset Rayon blouse, Essences £3.50. Thin red leather and hessian belt, Fenwick. Huge perspex initial, Mid Twentieth Century at Antiquarius. See-through plastic tube bracelets, £1.50 each from Reflection and Light at Antiquarius. Socks and shoes, model’s own.

Two for the price of one: Above and below : Along with casual clothes, skirts are about the most difficult things to buy secondhand. Here’s a way to solve the problem and gain a matching blouse and skirt from a dress. First remove the side zip (if there is one), then carefully unpick the waist seam. Run a row of gathering round the top about 4″ in, then gently ease it up to fit your waist measurement plus 2″. Attach a strip of petersham about 14″ wide to the outside edge, turn in and finish off the side opening. For the blouse, turn up 1″ of the bottom edge, and thread with a narrow strip of elastic. Yellow and black floral-printed cotton dress, Portobello Road Market £1. Floppy cream silky blouse with elasticated waist and lace-trimmed collar and insets, shown with skirt, £3.50 from The Orange Box, Camden Passage, 33 Islington Green, London NI. Bangles and necklace from a selection at Chimera ; earrings from Medusa’s Heirlooms.

Tighten up: Baggy blouses and shirts may be the most fashionable shape but sometimes it’s nice to show your waist—and with this idea you don’t have to worry about endlessly tucking slippery material back into the waistband of your skirt or trousers. Gather the waist with two rows of shirring elastic, machined close together, remembering to sew a little lower than your actual waistline as the blouse will ride up a bit once it’s gathered. Our candy-striped cotton blouse is from the Portobello Road Market, 60p.

Soft Summer Silk

1960s, belinda bellville, Capriccio by Roter, charles jourdan, Clive, Ferragamo, Glyndebourne, Harpers Bazaar, Inspirational Images, John Claridge, kurt geiger, liberty, liberty's, Nettie Vogues, Richard Allan, thea porter, Vintage Editorials

Transparent silk chiffon dress hand-painted in smudges of soft yellow and prune, sashed with long chiffon scarfs from Liberty, £2 12s 6d each. Dress, £45, Thea Porter, 8 Greek St, W1. Rings from Savita, 30 Lowndes St, SW1. All-in-one bodysuit and tights, £1 5s 6d, Fenwicks, W1. Pumps in beige crepe with jewelled heels, 28gns to order from Ferragamo, 24 Old Bond St, W1.

Glyndebourne in summer where the season opened on May 25th with Massenet’s Werther and Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte. Balls, long, long English summer evenings for wearing fragile chiffon, delicate lace, organdie and brilliant silk; for baring arms and feet and dancing far into the dawn. These photographs were taken in the Organ Room at Glyndebourne.

I worked at Glyndebourne for a few seasons, a few years ago. Whilst it meant I was lucky enough to get to be in the audience several times, and visit the Organ Room, I’m now extremely sad that I didn’t have these dresses to wear!

All the hairstyles, using hair pieces by Toyer Tresses, by Oliver at Leonard, Upper Grosvenor St.

Photographed by John Claridge.

Scanned from Harpers Bazaar, June 1969.

Left: Black organdie dress embroidered with red raffia (fabric, Forster Willi), to order from Clive, 17 St George Street, W1. Red leather shoes; 12gns, Charles Jourdan. Red Mary Quant tights; 13s 11d, Selfridges. Earhoops; £3 1 5s, Paris House, W1. Parasol hired from Bermans, W1. Right: Black silk organza dress and shawl with white and red flowers; Bellville Couture, 95 Cadogan Lane, SW1. White Twiggy tights ; 16s 11 d, Galeries Lafayette, W1. Embroidered satin shoes ; 15gns, Kurt Geiger, Gilt earhoops; £3 1 5s, Paris House, W1.

Black nylon chiffon dress tiered in lace —a truly grand opera gown — with shoulder-wide scalloped neckline, tight bodice, satin sash; Capriccio Collection by Roter, about £35 10s, Harvey Nichols, SW1. Fan hired from Bermans, W1. Embroidered satin shoes; 15gns, Kurt Geiger. Nude tights by Berkshire; 11s 6d, John Lewis W1. Jet and gold ring from the Chelsea Antique Market.

Shirtdress splashed with flowers in brilliant Liberty silk ; Nettie Vogues, about £45, Fortnum & Mason, W1. Silk scarves ; Richard Allan, about £1 12s 6d each, Fenwicks, W1. Sheer Cling Tights Cantrece by Elbeo ; 15s, Selfridges, W1. Red shoes; 12gns, Charles Jourdan. Jet beads in hair ; Adrien Mann, £17s 6d, Dickins & Jones, W1.

Red and white flocked nylon dress — the prettiest of the Season —with gathers from neckline to waist, wide navy belt: Nettie Vogues, about 22gns, Dickins & Jones, W1. White Twiggy tights; 16s 11d, Galeries Lafayette, W1. Red shoes; 12gns, Charles Jourdan.

Taking it on the run

1970s, Architecture, Brutalism, Converse, elisabeth novick, Inspirational Images, Janice Peskett, Jim O'Connor, mr freedom, Pringle, South Bank, Tommy Roberts, Vogue

Taking it all away from complications, planned decorations, many of the clothes you know, into a new world of white — where the action is. Clean-limbed clothes, marvellously young and free. Like this worksuit, above, red buttoned, red stitched white canvas jumping ahead into the sportslight. Jim O’Connor at Mr Freedom, £9.90. Pink suede cap, blue spotted visor. Janice Peskett at Mr Freedom, about £3.90. White cashmere sweater, by Pringle, £11, at Hills’ Cashmere House. Running shoes, Converse All Star sneakers, red flash and white, £4.99½, at Jack Hobbs, 56 Fleet St, E.C.4. Take it from here. Get clean away.

I do love a bit of South Bank Brutalism with my boutique clothing!

Photographed by Elisabeth Novick.

Scanned from Vogue, April 15th 1971.

Biba’s getting bigger

1960s, anello and davide, art nouveau, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, chelsea cobbler, Deco Inspired, Inspirational Images, interior design, interiors, James Fox, kensington high street, Liz Smith, Mensday, menswear, observer magazine, Steve Hiett, steven hiett

Lampshade, 12gn. Small satin cushions, 16s. 11d. each; large, 27s. 11d. Tablecloth, 70in. diameter, 5gn. Ostrich feathers, 18s. each. Satin material, 36in. wide, 9s. 11d. a yd.; thick felt, 54in. wide, 53s. 6d. a yd ; thin felt, 70-72 in. wide, 27s. 6d. a yd. Fringing : plain cotton, 5s. 6d. a yd ; in Biba colours, 8s. 9d. a yd. Glass goblets, 21s. 6d. each. Steak knife, steak fork, dessert knife, 33s. 6d. each; soup spoon, dessert spoon, 37s. 6d. each; bread knife, £2 10s.; carving set, 1Ogn. Soup cup, 14s. 6d. ; egg cup, 3s. 9d.; 7-inch plate, 4s. 9d.; 81-inch plate, 7s. 6d.; 10-inch plate, 9s. 6d. Satin night-dress, £3 15s. 6d. Mock ivory bead necklace, 34s.; rings, 1s. 3d. each.

Now there’s hardware and haberdashery, furnishings and fabrics, cosmetics and mens-wear, all carrying the Biba label. Their brave transition from dolly boutique to department store was made last week when Biba opened in Kensington High Street. Although a baby store compared with neighbouring Barker’s, Biba does boast marble floors, a carved gallery from the old St Paul’s school, and a commissionaire at the huge glass doors.

Faithful customers can still find among the familiar palm fronds clothes to wear themselves or put on their children, but everything is on a much bigger scale. Colour-matched underwear and tights are on sale in a special conservatory-style department, and there’s a complete range of Biba makeup and cosmetics, and many more accessories.

But what’s really new, are the clothes for men, and the things for the house.

There’s nothing simple or austere about a Biba home life. The girl whose idea of some-thing comfortable to wear around the house is a slinky satin dress chooses a plush back-ground and hardware that’s softly elegant. Cutlery is rich-looking in gilt and mother of pearl, or silver and ebony. China is white and gold, glasses are chunky goblets. Specially printed wallpapers and furnishing fabrics, plain satins, felts, braids and trimmings, have carefully matched emulsion paints, lamp-shades and cushions, all in a range of 15 colours. Biba are selling the raw materials so that you can make what you want of them. The clue to their own style is Art Nouveau, but the way you choose to use them will be your own.

Biba men’s clothes are worn in these pictures by James Fox, who can currently be seen in ‘Isadora’ and whose new film, ‘Performance’, in which he co-stars with Mick Jagger, comes out next month.

Mr Fox is long and slender and can have little problem kitting himself out elegantly, but the clothes he wears here, plus others by Biba in velvets and tweeds, all come in a size range bigger than most. So fatter men can have fun with clothes too, and at a reasonable price.

By Liz Smith.

Photographed by Steve Hiett.

Scanned from The Observer Magazine, 21st September 1969.

Biba 3 is definitely the Biba I’m most captivated by, I think possibly because it was edged out so quickly by the much bigger (and more Deco) Big Biba and yet was, I think, the perfect encapsulation of the aesthetic and the first time the ‘department store’ ideal was manifested. Basically, I wish there were more photos so I do try and scan them when I find them! It’s also nice to see the menswear getting a bit of attention for once.

Pure wool herringbene tweed trousers cut to curve over the foot 6gn.; matching buttoned jerkin, £5 10s. Pure silk shirt and tie, 6gn. Art Nouveau statue, £7 10s.; necklace, 34s.; veiling, 2s. a yd. Marbled patent shoes, 12gn., from the Chelsea Cobbler, 33 Sackville Street, W1. Vanilla coloured Imperial Russian cigarettes by Sobranie, 11s. 3d. for 25. Carved ivory cigar holder, £21 ; ivory chess men, part of a set, £80; both from W. Barrett, 9 Old Bond Street, W1.

White worsted wool jacket with safari pockets and belt, 15gn.; matching trousers shaped over the foot, 8gn. Brown and cream printed rayon shirt, 5gn.; matching tie, 39s. 6d. Co-respondent shoes, £5 15s. from Anello & Davide, 30 Drury Lane, London, WC2. Teacup, 5s. 6d.; saucer, 3s. 3d.,2) All Biba prices here are approximate.

New Suede Shoes

1970s, alkasura, british boutique movement, hans feurer, Inspirational Images, king's road, let it rock, Malcolm McLaren, manolo blahnik, pat cleveland, Screaming Lord Sutch, stirling cooper, sunday times magazine, Valerie Wade, vivienne westwood, zapata

Satin dresses, £8 from Let It Rock, 430 King’s Road, London SW3. Suede shoes with crepe heels, £17.75 (with green dress) and £17.50 (with black dress), both by Zapata, 49 Old Church Street, London SW3. Screaming Lord Sutch dresses by Let It Rock: 12in.-bottomed jean drains, £2.50; Lurex shirt, £3.95; waistcoat, £3.95. Full skirt and off-the-shoulder blouse (right), £8 and £5 from Alkasura, King’s Road, London SW3. Fifties stilettos and wide belt, £2 and £2.40; silver heart locket, £4.10.

If fashion revivals keep accelerating at the current rate, last year’s hot-pants are going to be a cult by the end of the decade. Who would have dreamed that a Fifties teenager’s wardrobe would be back in fashion by his late twenties? In 1958 Teddy Boys were practically extinct now crowds of Teds and Rockers cram the Fishmongers Arms at Wood Green to hear rock groups like Screaming Lord Sutch and the Houseshakers (above). There are now an estimated 20,000 revivalist Teddy Boys in England, and the drainpipe-trouser trade is booming. These pictures show some of the clothes that you’ve only just managed to forget.

A new and influential shop in the King’s Road is run by an original Ted called Malcolm McLaren. Walking into Let It Rock is like walking into a flashback from the Fifties. James Dean and Elvis posters line the walls; period showcases are filled with hair-cream, plastic combs and sweetheart lockets; the juke-box belts out some of the best rock ever recorded, and the clothes on sale would be a credit to Gene Vincent, Presley, Eddie Cochran or anyone else who made the recordings. Boxes of 45s and old fan magazines litter the floor next to genuine valve radios with a three-month guarantee.

Designers like Stirling Cooper and Mr Freedom have been manufacturing Fifties-inspired clothes for some time, but Let It Rock is the only shop selling the real thing. This particular revival is so premature that there is still a large amount of the original stock around; dirndl skirts, stiletto-heeled winkle-pickers, cotton sweaters and plastic jewellery, not to mention 12in. drainpipe trousers and jeans, bootlace ties, luminous socks and blue suede shoes. This is the only place where Teds can buy off-the-peg ‘drapes’ — their mid-thigh Edwardian velvet-trimmed jackets. The phenomenon of Let It Rock is that it is situated in the heart of Chelsea, which Teds regard as ‘enemy territory’; now they’re selling to the newly converted ‘natives’.

The clothes in Let It Rock are inspired by two groups, the Teddy Boys (and girls) and Rockers (and birds). According to McLaren, Teds like the updated rock styles, whereas the Rockers, especially the girls, prefer ‘strong’ ideas like the characteristic shaggy mohair sweater-dresses and winklepicker boots. ‘Chelsea people’ go more for the authentic stuff . . . if you endorse a revival, you might as well get the real thing Fashion can thank the Fifties for some of the most unglamorous and unflattering clothes we ever knew. That is what makes their unmodified rebirth so difficult to understand.

I’m not sure I can say much more about Vivienne Westwood’s body of work which hasn’t already been said. I always think the best quality in a designer is idiosyncrasy, and Westwood had that by the truckload. Her work didn’t stagnate, but it often referenced her own past and continued to translate the wider cultural past into her own language – and yet never tried to be anybody else. Given my magazine collection covers mainly the Sixties and Seventies, I thought it best to celebrate her by doing what I do best, which is trying to go back and show you the starting point for the things we just take for granted decades later. The origins of what she’s best known for are ultimately in the Teddy Boy revival of the early Seventies and her work for ‘Let It Rock’ with Malcolm McLaren, and this captures that early spark – despite the fact that they don’t mention her at all.

I’ve also been meaning to scan this for a while so, now seemed like a good time. I mean, Pat Cleveland and Screaming Lord Sutch photographed by Hans Feurer? What more could you ask for?

Report by Valerie Wade.

Photographed by Hans Feurer.

Scanned from The Sunday Times Magazine, May 14th 1972.

Top left : short fringed dress, £7, from Let It Rock. Bottom left: short mohair dress, £12. Black winklepicker boots, £12. Centre top: V-necked cotton sweater in Fifties fabric, £2; genuine pearlised belt, £2.50; all from Let It Rock. Above: black jean drains, £2.50, and luminous socks, 30p; both from Let It Rock. Off-the-shoulder sweater, £3.95, Stirling Cooper Shop, Peter Robinson, Oxford Street, Vl. Tartan shoes, £16.50, Zapata, 49 Old Clurch Street, SW3. Right: crepe skirt, £6, Let. It Rock. Scarf, 35p, at Woolworth’s

Soft and Pretty

1970s, biba, clobber, David Finch, Dolcis, Feathers, gillian richard, Inspirational Images, petticoat magazine, Pourelle, ravel, Rosie Nice, Sacha, Sue Hone, Vintage Editorials

Gillian Richard dress, £17.10s., Miss Selfridge, W.1. Biba tights, 10s.6d. Biba choker, £1.2s. Ravel shoes, £6.19s. 11d.

Softly, softly, ever so gently, it’s velvet— printed! It’s as pretty as a picture—so cling to it

Styling by Sue Hone.

Photographed by David Finch.

Scanned from Petticoat Magazine, 3rd October 1970.

Pourelle midi with laced-front jacket, 131.10s., Fifth Avenue shops, Quant tights, 15s.11d. Biba butterfly, Dolcis shoes, £4.19s.11d. Pourelle short-sleeved top and skirt, £21., Fifth Avenue, W.1. Biba tights, 10s.6d., suede belt, £2.10s. Sacha shoes, £7.19s.6d. 36 Panne velvet is expensive we know — but worth it!

Knickerbockers with short-sleeved top, Pourelle, £18.18s., from Tracy, W.1., Biba canvas boots, £7.10s. Feathers cotton hat and scarf, £2.7s.6d. Clobber midi, £13.13s., Girl, W.1. Quant patterned tights, 16s.11d. Rosie Nice scarf, £1.15s. Browns ring, £3. 3s. Ravel spats, £5.5s.

Brighten Up

19 magazine, 1970s, anello and davide, Anne Cossins, Dolcis, Feathers, Fenwick, Inspirational Images, John Stember, just looking, mr freedom, Pourelle, Rosie Nice, sally levison, stirling cooper, Vintage Editorials

Red hat in soft felt, from Feathers, 40s. Short crossover woollen top with navy trim has short sleeves, by Anne Cossins for Mr. Freedom, 6gns. Plain black jersey midi skirt, by Stirling Cooper, 90s. Blue and red choker, from Fenwicks, 10s.

Beautiful and gay knits are 19’s answer for post-summer blues; dazzling bright and eye-catching in an array of primary colours. The styles are the simplest possible—tiny tops with cross-over fronts and, for those who prefer the classic, pullovers in cleverly co-ordinated stripes. This style of knitwear is best worn with toning jersey skirts, preferably in a midi length, and trousers. To complete the kaleidoscope look, add brightly coloured shoes, stockings, a scarf or a choker.

Photographed by John Stember.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, October 1970.