Snappy Tops

19 magazine, 1970s, Badges and Equipment, Brave New World, Inspirational Images, lord john, Michael Berkofsky, platforms, Sacha, The Pant House, The Rag Machine

Blue T-shirt with very low back and dancing girl motif on front, by Brave New World, £5.50. Old jeans, from The Rag Machine, £5. Pink metallic leather shoes, from Sacha, £12.99. / White cotton hat from Herbert Johnson, £2.75. Faded denim shirt with stud buttons, from The Pant House, £6. Old jeans from The Rag Machine, £5. Shoes and belt are model’s own.

All the couture in the world can’t stop me still getting excited about a long sleeve printed tee, flared jeans and metallic pink platforms.

Photographed by Michael Berkofsky.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1973.

Old blue denim hat, from Badges and Equipment, 80p. Cotton jersey, Alice in Wonderland T-shirt from Lord John, £5.95. Old blue denim jeans from The Rag Machine, £5. / Pin-ball machine patterned cotton jersey T-shirt, from Lord John, £5.95. Old blue jeans from The Rag Machine, £5.

Come up and see me sometime

19 magazine, 1970s, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, Inspirational Images, interior design, interiors, Manfred Vogelsanger, platforms

Wallpaper, 10p. a 2ft. x 3ft. sheet. Each sheet has a border which can be trimmed off with a Stanley knife and steel rule and used for edging. Butterfly mirror from a junk Shop. Plywood boxes, painted with Biba Brown Flat Oil Paint, £1-80 per litre, and edged with wallpaper border, used as table. On table: feathers, 65p. each. Brown velvet shade, with gold bead fringe, £7-50. Gilt lady lamp, £5-05. Lacquered basket, full of beads, from 55p. Brown velvet wastepaper basket, £3-60. Satin and velvet cushions: small £2.10 each, large £2.95 each. Brown velvet used as bed-cover, £2.35 per square yard. Huge terracotta plant pot and dish from any good nursery. Both painted with Biba Brown Flat Oil and Biba Gold, £1.25 a litre, and varnished with clear polyurethane, from hardware stores. Old wardrobe was given a coat of Biba Brown Flat Oil Paint and edged with wallpaper border. Foreground: table and seat both made out of plywood, as before. On table: brass mirror tray, £4-50. Long-lasting candles, 60p. each. Brown mirror glass cigarette box, £5.50. Sundae glasses, £1.15 each. Crockery: cups 35p. each, saucers, 20p. each. Brown felt on floor, 95p. per yard.

How do you turn your bed-sitter into a cosy, welcoming den, with a seductive hint to it, so that a friend would love to come back with you after an evening out on the town? 19 asked Barbara Hulanicki of Biba for her expert advice on this and here are some of her easily imitated ideas to jazz up your pad.

Choice of colour schemes is very much a question of taste, but we chose Biba’s beautiful brown and gold paper and brown paint because they’re warm and intimate to live with and neutral enough to display favourite bits and pieces. Brown floor felt is a cheap alternative to carpet, but it is difficult to keep clean. If you can stand doing it, sanding tt-e floor gives a beautiful surface. pywood pieces, cut to size by your frendly local do-it-yourself shop and glued or nailed together, form excellent boxes for tables and seats. If yoire clever with a screwdriver, you night even manage to hinge one side and use the boxes for storage.

Painted and edged with wallpaper border and then varnished with clear polyurethane. they make effective and decorative furniture, which will tie in beautifully with your room scheme. An alternative to expensive antique plant pots is to buy terracotta ones and again paint with colour and seal with clear polyurethane.

A pegboard livens up a dull wall and when painted and bordered with paper looks as if it’s meant to be there. Half-inch thick insulating board—again cut to required size— is super stuff for pinning notices on.

The bed is covered in brown velvet and scatter cushions. Everyone knows it’s a bed, but it doesn’t have to look like one and this way successfully forms an integral part of the room. An ugly wardrobe can dominate a bed-sitter, but is usually a necessary evil. Given the same treatment —paint, wallpaper trim — it actually looks pleasant and merges effectively with the wall.

Judging by the jumble of sticks and pots in most girls’ bedrooms, storage space for jewellery and make-up is also a problem. Barbara’s cheap, chic and neat answer to this is a tin tool-box, stocked by most hardware shops. Painted and varnished, it looks really effective.

Text by Gwenda Saar.

All items from Biba, unless otherwise stated. Model’s clothes from Biba.

Photographs by Manfred Vogelsanger.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, February 1973.

Bamboo hat-stand from a junk shop. Dried grasses from a selection at Harrods. Tin tool chest, with plastic drawers, from Woolworth or Biba, £1.75, painted with Biba Brown Flat Oil, £1.80 per litre, and coated with clear varnish.

Noticeboard made from half-inch thick insulating board, cut to size, painted with Biba Brown Flat Oil, £1.80 per litre, edged with wallpaper border.

Bare Essentials

19 magazine, 1970s, Abecita, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, che guevara, Derber, Fenwick, Harri Peccinotti, Inspirational Images, janet reger, lingerie, mary quant, platforms, Sacha, shoes, universal witness, Vintage Editorials

Orange and white spotted bra and pants by Mary Quant. Blue leather shoes with sequin encrusted heels and platforms from Derber. / Blue and white spotted bra and pants set by Mary Quant. Black and white spotted peeptoe shoes from Biba. Black patent leather shoes covered with fake diamonds and silver leather shoes with silver sequins on heels and platforms, both by Derber. Blue felt hat with embroidered flower from Universal Witness.

Your poor old great grandma used to wear corsets with lots of complicated lacing and back-piercing whale bones! Fortunately for you, such constricting garments are history, and the accent is now on complete and utter freedom. In fact, you could say underwear has become a second skin – and we prove our point with the following…

It’s nice to know that Harri Peccinotti still has the capacity to blow me away with a new-old photoshoot. Of course, insanely high and sparkly platform shoes and silky underwear plays a large part in that, but the mood he captures is second to none. I wonder if I will ever not believe that this aesthetic is the ultimate?

Photographed by Peccinotti.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, April 1973.

Green silk shorts with leaf print by Janet Reger (matching bra not shown). Blue metallic platform peep toe shoes with silver spot trim by Sacha. / Cream crepe de chine bra and pants, with pink and green cloud print pattern, by Janet Reger. Suede ‘Forties’ platform shoes with beaded sides by Terry de Havilland.

Green, yellow and pale orange striped bra and pants set by Abecita of Sweden. / Gold halter neck bra and shorts set by Abecita of Sweden. Blue felt hat from Universal Witness. Knee socks from Che Guevara.

We Gotta Whole Lotta Sole

1970s, Honey Magazine, platforms, Russell & Bromley, shoes, stockings, Vintage Adverts

Yes please x 3

Advert for Russell & Bromley scanned from Honey, October 1972.

Christmas Glitter

19 magazine, 1970s, Antiquarius, barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, bus stop, Chelsea Antiques Market, Christian Larroque, Crochetta, erica budd, Essences, Essenses, Inspirational Images, John Craig, kangol, lee bender, Leicester Shoes, marshall lester, mushroom, platforms, Richard Green, Sacha, universal witness, Vintage Editorials

Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Knitted silver lurex halterneck top by Erica Budd. Fox fur cape from Essences at Antiquarius. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave. Knitted silver lurex wrap over cardigan by Erica Budd. Fox muffler as before. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros. Black and glass beaded pendant necklace from a selection at Marie Middleton at Chelsea Antique Market.

Black and silver are this year’s popular Christmas colours. Sweaters are in silver lurex striped in black, black wool flecked with silver and endless other combinations. Shapes are halter-necks, dolmans, or little wrap-over cardigans – almost any shape will do. Accessories are bright and glittery. Add touches, like sticking sequins on your hats, and shoes, and you’re all set to outshine the fairylights.

Photographed by Christian Laroque.

Scanned from 19 Magazine, December 1972.

What a year. It’s hard to summon up a great deal of enthusiasm for the Christmas we’re about to have, but I’m looking backwards to look forwards, as I often do. I still seem to find joy and solace in art and aesthetics and I hope my posts have given you the odd moment of enjoyment and inspiration this year. Thank you for your support and to everyone who has bought vintage from me or liked/shared/commented on my blog and Instagram posts. Sending you my love and best wishes for a better year ahead.

Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Wool halterneck sweater with thin silver lurex stripes by John Craig. Black satin skirt from Bus Stop. Fox fur muffler from a seletion at Essences at Antiquarius. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave. Silver lurex sweater with thin black stripes by Marshall London. Fox fur muffler as before. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros. Christmas decorations from Woolworths.

Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Lurex cardigan with long sleeves from Biba. Long black satin skirt from Bus Stop. Fox fur muffler from a seletion at Essences at Antiquarius. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave. Black and silver lurex striped sweater from Biba. Black satin Oxford bags by Richard Green. Black suede shoes with silver snakeskin trim by Leicester shoes. Fox muffler as before. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros. Necklace from a selection at Marie Middleton at Chelsea Antique Market.

Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Green wool lurex flecked sweater from Universal Witness. Black satin skirt by Mushroom. Black suede shoes with silver snakeskin trim by Leicester shoes. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros. Glass and amber dress clip from a selection at Marie Middleton at Chelsea Antique Market. Charcoal grey lurex sweater with heart-shaped neck and lurex trims by John Craig. Black satin skirt from Bus Stop. Fox fur muffler from a seletion at Essences at Antiquarius. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave.

Hats on both models by Kangol. Sequins stuck on by hand. Black, gold and silver striped lurex sweater by Crochetta. Black satin skirt by Mushroom. Black suede shoes with silver snakeskin trim by Leicester shoes. Long yellow chiffon scarf from a selection at Essences. Black leather gloves by F. G. Shave. Necklace from a selection at Marie Middleton at Chelsea Antique Market. Black angora halterneck sweater, striped with silver lurex, by Crochetta. Black sequin jacket from Essences at Antiquarius. Black satin skirt from Bus Stop. Gold shoes from Sacha. Black leather gloves from Moss Bros.

Hot Stuff

1970s, andrea pfister, christian dior, Inspirational Images, platforms, tessa traeger, Vogue, yves saint laurent

Extras of every kind that make the look, the day, the night Saint Laurent’s black ribbed roll-neck cashmere and lambswool sweater, £15. Satin shorts, £15.95. Beret with passementerie crown, £17.50. Suede clutch bag with brogued leather edge, £35.10. Suede rope belt thick with diamante, diamante disc, £30. Pins, one or many where you please. All at Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. Dior’s red plastic heart necklace, £10. Andrea Pfister’s green satin t-straps on a wedge of red glitter plastic frames, hot stuff.

Photographed by Tessa Traeger.

Scanned from Vogue, September 15th 1971.

Five for the road

1970s, bally, charles jourdan, harpers and queen, Kenneth Griffiths, Mary Graeme, Miss Holmes, platforms, Rayne, shoes

l-r Bally, Charles Jourdan, Mary Graeme, Bally and Charles Jourdan.

August on the steps of the Albert Memorial…

And shoes for the coming season..

Plum and conker coloured with a hint of sobering black for the first days of autumn.

I know nobody likes to hear THAT word in August, but it seems appropriate on a day when I’ve been forced back into brogues by the miserable weather.

Photographed by Kenneth Griffiths.

Scanned from Harpers and Queen, August 1974.

l-r Charles Jourdan, nMiss Holmes, Rayne, Rayne.

Hotfoot!

1970s, bill klein, petticoat magazine, platforms, Russell & Bromley, Samm, shoes

Top: Green canvas slingback espadrilles on rope, Russell & Bromley. Left to Right: Pink, white and green patent slingbacks, Samm. Pink patent peep-toe shoe with black cork wedge, Russell & Bromley. Pink and navy patent sandals on wedge, Russell & Bromley. Pink sandals, Russell & Bromley.

Soopah doopah shoes to stride you through summer days, to lounge you through sunset, to get hot nights on the move. This summer you really can make footwear go a long way because the nicest styles are stout enough for strolling yet manage to look sophisticated and elegant too.

Fashion by Marcia Brackett.

Photographed by Bill Klein.

Scanned from Petticoat, 2nd June 1973.

Happy Legs

1970s, charles jourdan, cosmopolitan, Inspirational Images, platforms, shoes, Vintage Adverts

I don’t know about my legs, but my feet would certainly be happy to be wearing those incredible shoes which, after a bit of squinting, I have established were made by the legendary Charles Jourdan.

Scanned from Cosmopolitan, April 1973