Top Marks

1970s, Inspirational Images, Jane Cattlin, Karl Stoecker, Over 21, Simpson of Piccadilly, Vintage Editorials

Soft loose blouse hand-printed with flowers £24.50. Floaty brown trousers £24.

Jane Cattlin deserves them for making a whole clutch of wantable tops in clinging, sexy rayon jersey you wear with pants, long skirts, short skirts and under sober office suits for a straight-on-to-a-rave-up date. Simpsons of Piccadilly have taken the whole beautiful range shown above.

Photographed by Karl Stoecker.

Scanned from Over 21 magazine, August 1972.

Draped lilac top £9.75. Floaty brown trousers.

Hand-printed off-the-shoulder blouse £18.50.

Hand-printed cream and black spotted dress £46.50.

Isadora!

1960s, Clovis Ruffin, giorgio sant'angelo, Henri Bendel, Holly Harp, Inspirational Images, Isadora Duncan, Sibley Coffee, Vintage Editorials, Vogue

Jeanette Vondersaar, moving as the crests of the waves, all in a mist of champagne chiffon—the tunic, crystal-pleated, the ankle-length skirt, a simple, sheer, one layer veiling. $100. By Sibley-Coffee, 331 East 58th Street. . . . The Isadora-ish gold cord sandals at Henri Bendel, 10 West 57th Street.

Isadora Duncan—what a wonderful thing she did for all of us: The way she swept into the world of theatre, of dance, of the world’s eye, bringing with her her great ware of fresh., vital, natural thinking—of movement, of beauty, and of dressing. lsadora really changed a lot of things. Now the movie “The Loves of Isadora” is re-inspiring us all allover again. And it’s so right for right now. Here, some Isadora-inspired clothes, worn and choreographed, right, by a beautiful, young, spirited Jeanette Vondersaar of the Harkness Youth Dancers….

The spirit of Isadora Duncan . . . her wonderful rhythm and movement translated into fabric … what wonderful clothes for as to own right now.

Coiffures by Mr. Chin of Charles of the Ritz

Photographed at The Harkness House of Ballet Arts.

Photographed by Jack Robinson.

Scanned from US Vogue, August 1969.

Jeanette, exuberant, joyful—moving with the freedom of the sea, in a tunic of azure-blue matte jersey, the sleeves loose, flying—only a gold belt clasping it to the body. Tunic, $45. From Holly’s Harp, 8605 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. Belt by Christian Dior for Abbe Creations. . . .

Isadora would have done it this way—the strong extravagant gesture—of wrapping a beautiful silk shawl, printed in the colours of autumn, hemmed deep in bronze fringe. $75. Holly’s Harp, 8605 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. . . .

Glorious. A flow of royal purple Orlon jersey . : . all line and the movement Jeanette gives it . . . the extra, extra long scarf of scarlet jersey. Both designed by Clovis Ruffin. $75. At The Stockyard, 49 Grove Street. . .

The essence of Isadora Duncan’s dressing—Oh! has Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo caught it. And here, Jeanette Vondersaar expresses it, moving as the willow in the wind, the flame of the fire. . . . Black matte jersey flowing to the floor, clasped at the wrists—at the hips with two belts—the head wrapped in black jersey too. $250. . . .

Black suede whipping with flames of fringe, with bold paste diamonds ringing the V neckline. $250. . . . All by Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo. At the Safari Room of Bonwit Teller. . . .

Willow-grey jersey, a tunic twisted around the body, held at the waist with a swath of brilliant pink—the head and arms wrapped again in a long, long scarf of grey. $150. All by Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo. At the Safari Room of Bonwit Teller. . . .

Masque behind the face

1960s, diana rigg, Inspirational Images, jean varon, john bates, peter cook, Queen magazine, Simone Mirman, Stanley Donen, Vintage Editorials

The Flirt: She has a flower-like quality, fair and pretty with an innocent air. Without regard to her maturing years, she plays the part of a child. Her dresses are innocent and fluffy. She wears bows in her hair and her man sees her as his good angel. He feels she is his pure heroine. He wants to shelter her. She smiles a lot. She smiles mostly at important and rich men. She be-guiles them into givirig her compli-ments — also the spotlight. Bewitched, her man doesn’t realise his friends find her dull. Her education is nil, her contribution to conversation non-existent. Her knowledge has been limited to an intense study of her personal appearance. Her important man has an important engagement. She does everything to delay him. She is maddeningly self-centred. She cries a lot if rebuffed, or if she doesn’t get her way. She wants all the attention. Skilfully, she keeps him unaware of a lack of reality in their love-making. She is too tender for passion. Her real interest lies elsewhere. Her desire and satisfaction is bound up, not in tender concern for him, but for his bank account. **Hat by Simone Mirman**.

Masques are not new. The Greeks used them in their classical theatre to represent various stereotyped parts such as ‘The Happy Lover’, ‘The Jealous Wife’ and ‘The Benign Father’. Today, most people assume personae to hide their real personalities, though the very characteristics they try to keep hidden, are often quite obvious to others. What is more, it is easy for people to become identified with their masque to the point that it is difficult for them to discard it. The basic reason for assuming a masque is to play a role and, hopefully, to make oneself more attractive than one actually is. It doesn’t always work.

Played by Diana Rigg and Peter Cook

Written by Adelle Donen

Photographed by Stanley Donen

Scanned from Queen, 5th July 1967.

I have been on something of a break from here and social media recently, for personal reasons, but had always planned to post this on Diana Rigg’s birthday so here I am, back a little earlier than intended.

When I found this copy of Queen magazine, appropriate because Diana was and will always be my Queen, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen most of the images before – especially as they were taken by one of my favourite film directors. There’s always a part of me that wants to keep things like this to myself, but the bigger part wants to share the beauty with everyone. So I hope you enjoy!

The Goddess: Her beauty captures the admiration of men. She is aloof, which captures their imaginations as well. Stripped of ancient gods, men long to find modern symbols. For some she is Aphrodite, the sexiest of them all. Others see her as purity. She is mysterious. The poor girl has to keep quiet. She does not dare expose her pedestrian qualities. She retreats be-hind a nondescript personality. She may or may not have much in the upper storey, but she has twigged the fact that she will always get in free, as long as she does nothing but exist. Gorgeous girls do not have to do much to enhance their looks, so they have to learn little about style, unlike their less fortunate sisters. She dare not change, and remains locked up behind her lovely iron mask. She uses what judgement she has to choose the plushiest suitor. He is swindled. He has married a statue. She has learned how to get what she wants and not give anything. She is frightened and frigid. **Dress by Jean Varon.**

The Femme Fatale: She is dark, full-blooded and passionate. When she enters a room she has a brooding air. She is convinced she is irresistible to men; that she alone among women can experience real love (be it ever so exhausting). It is easy to see her idea of herself behind her slinky siren ap-pearance, but this can be agonising to the plain matron who would be ridiculous acting this part. She has an air of assurance with men, snaky and confidential. She doesn’t bother with women. Surprisingly, a man may accept her idea of herself and find her dramatisation agreeable. It flatters him. Then the fun begins. With all stops out, she throws her emotions at him. She is emotion itself — hysterical, furious, desperate. There is no moderation. She is devouring, unremitting. If the man survives, he may feel relief at having such a torrential release of his feeling. Or he may be frightened — and run. The whole play is usually brief and limited because of its intensity. The amount of unreality is prddigious. It is of these women that Kipling said: ‘The female of the species is deadlier than the male’. **Dress by Jean Varon**.

The Perfect Mother Awash with sentimentality, she is all concern and sacrifice for her children. She is a good sport. She is athletic with her sons, and like a big sister to her daughters. She has become one of the children — with corresponding loss of adult objectivity. There is no nonsense in her clothes.They are classic and tailored, with no frills. Having abdicated, she has given up competing with attractive women and denigrates their frivolousness. Her desires and ambitions are fastened onto her offspring — whether suitable or not. She enjoys every vicarious mo-ment of their successes. She is very busy — ali those duties to fulfil and amusements to organize for the family. Her husband has found that his business keeps him away from home a lot. He does not much enjoy going to bed with his ‘Girl Guide’ wife. She blames him vituperatively for his defection. She is jealous and possessive. He is trapped by her tricky appeals to his loyalty. What he and the children need is a woman around the house.

The No-Good Guy: He is attractive and sexy. Women by the dozen have found him so. That makes him irresistible. He is cool, a little sinister and . . . dan-gerous. A sharp dresser on the far-out side. He probably has an eye-catching car. He gets his kicks from furore and anything that adds to it is welcome. He has a fine understanding of his own problems, and says that he is ‘walled-up inside himself’. He tells you: `It’s a challenge to you to break through.’ He is misunderstood and lonely. He has had a tough time (he means to keep it that way). He says he wants to find the right woman. He warns you that no woman alive can love him. You mean to try and he means you to try. As soon as you are hooked, he tortures you. He is unreliable. He double-deals. He exploits your feelings. In any situation possible, he grabs the centre of the stage. He creates a lot of drama over everything. You wonder if there is anyone behind that wall. And what’s more you finally have the audacity to complain. He then points out to you how true it is that no one can love him. He’s sad. He’s sadistic.

The Intellectual Stands on a pedestal. He is admired for his ‘dedication and self-sacrifice’ to the good of mankind. Vague about details and delightfully unaware of his appearance — although seeming to follow a curious fashion of his own which he refers to as ‘comfort-able’ — the intellectual usually wears stained pullovers, corduroys and jackets with worn elbows. His eyes have that middle-distance look, of mere practical matters having yielded to things of the spirit. He is, of course, unaware of problems near to home. In his zeal and tireless work to improve the human condition, the intellectual is inspiring, provided no one comes close enough to him to expect an im-provement in himself. For all his intelligence, he is disarmingly vulnerable. Women long to devote themselves to him — look after him and see that he eats his meals. . . Fuzzy thinking flatters them that they too are pur-suing lofty ideals. They yearn to serve faithfully at the altar of truth, and are satisfied just to admire his high-minded goings on. But the intellectual is blind about females. His occasional dash for a curvy, but empty-headed blonde is humiliating to the would-be intellectual soul mate, especially when she sees him being led around by the nose. Basically he belongs in his ivory tower … without women.

The Charming Boy: He is neat, well-mannered and lovable, playing the perennial juvenile lead. He oozes good fellowship. He picks up the bill. He ex-pands in his own popularity. He is modest about himself, but never lets an opportunity pass to further his career, social or professional. He is impeccable in his appearance — on the conservative side. He sends flowers and thank-you notes. He is sweet. He ap-preciates you more than anyone ever has. You believe in him. Before you know it, you are working for him. He is Chairman of the Board to promote himself. You are pressed into service. He looks after himself like a baby. Why shouldn’t you? Behind that coy, guileless exterior is ruthless ambition. You are an accessory in his search for power. Things run smoothly as long as you donate your all. If you have needs — forget them. The perfection of his image, and his rise to eminence, cannot be interrupted. This boy is, in short, a fraud.

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.

Ossie invents summer… Patti wears it.

1960s, celia birtwell, david bailey, Inspirational Images, ossie clark, Pattie Boyd, pre-raphaelite, quorum, Vintage Editorials, Vogue

Yellow vibrations, sun crepe printed with black and green, cut out at shoulders, frilled like a waterfall down tight sleeves; 15 gns. All clothes by Ossie Clark at Quorum, 113 King’s Rd.

Look at summer through new eyes. Ossie Clark sees you in shepherdess smocks of voile, in long crepe dresses, reed-thin red or printed by Celia Birtwell. Pattie Boyd looks at it her way. All at Quorum.

Photographed by David Bailey.

Scanned from Vogue, June 1969.

I think this editorial might be one of the first I ever scanned, back in even my pre-blog days. I may have posted it on MySpace (don’t judge me, I feel ancient enough as it is). I’ve been meaning to properly rescan for years, but finally the time seemed right. It is the perfect combination of designer, model, photographer and a stunning use of Pre-Raphaelite imagery.

Cloud white voile, left, with apple green and peach, a shepherdess shirt, about £8 14s. 6d, matching skirt, about £10 8s. 6d to order.

Gentle beige smock, below, with crepe yoke, half sleeves above long voile cuffed sleeves; body beige, too, with olive and orange; 142 gns.

Flame red crepe dress, below, wrapped round and tied behind, with dragon fin sleeves, long and slender, a potent mixture of enchantment; 12 gns. Scarf by Celia Birtwell. High collar, £3 5s, from selection at London Docks, Munro Terrace.

Lingerie de Luxe

1970s, Aurore Clement, Inspirational Images, Liliane Dreyfus, lingerie, meriel mccooey, Meriel McCooey, Sacha, sunday times magazine, underwear, Vintage Editorials, Vog

Some of the sexiest women in films are buying underwear like this. It is wildly expensive (the items cost from about £16 to £90), but Liliane Dreyfus, who designed it for Vog, Paris, says that her customers don’t seem to mind the price; with pay-cheques like the ones that Brigitte Bardot, Ursula Andress, Juliette Greco and Jackie Bissett pick up, why should they? On these pages her silk, satin and lace concoctions are worn by Aurore Clement, one of the new stars of Louis Malle‘s most recent — and some say finest — film, Lacombe Lucien. If you have the money and are still interested, they are available to order from Harrods.

Styling and words by Meriel McCooey.

Photographed by Sacha.

Scanned from The Sunday Times Magazine, March 31st 1974.

Put yourself in the picture

1970s, alice pollock, Angela Salmon, Bill King, Chichi, cosmopolitan, Inspirational Images, janet reger, jean varon, john bates, mild sauce, Penny Graham, quorum, The Prop Shop, Vintage Editorials

Despite the distractions, Chichi hangs on to her hat and her colouring book, wears a lucky tarot card print poncho top, £25, and mid-calf skirt, £20, by Alice Pollock at Quorum. Bangles chosen from a selection at Adrien Mann.

In clothes we dare you to wear!

Make a name for yourself in 1974. Be an inspiration, a focal point, an innovator. Paint a positive future and make January a beautiful time. Experiment with colours. Branch out and try some totally different styles. Don’t go along with the rest of the girls—start up your own school, you’ll soon have plenty of followers. Begin by studying your best points, then set about accentuating them. If your skin gleams, show it off; if your waist is small, cinch it; if your legs are great, make certain that they are seen. The clothes here are not cheap, but like every good artist it’s vital to invest in good materials for long-lasting results. They will be appreciated for a long time to come ...

Styling by Penny Graham.

Photographs by Bill King.

Scanned from Cosmopolitan, January 1974.

I do love some equal opportunities Mild Sauce. These clothes are amongst some of my most coveted pieces, especially that outrageously plunging back John Bates dress. If you thought that McQueen invented the ‘bumsters’, remember that someone else has always got there first!

Make a strong statement. Frame your back with this year’s most dramatic scoop. Chichi in a clinging dress with pointed mediaeval sleeves—by John Bates for Jean Varon, £62.95.

Between sittings is no time to collapse. Chichi slips into something small and adds a rope of pearls for that Ritz- y finish. Camiknickers by Janet Reger, £15; pearls from Ciro.

Chichi makes the perfect portrait in a spider’s web dress dangerous enough to trap any hot-blooded male. Dress by John Bates for Jean Varon, £39.

A switch of scenery, a new source of inspiration. Chichi wrapped romantically in a glamorous film star dressing gown by Janet Reger, £48.

The painted lady. Chichi switches roles and dances a wild tarantella. The sleeves are pulled off the shoulders for an abandoned gipsy look. Silk dress by Angela Salmon for The Prop Shop, £85.

Landscape with clothes

1970s, dorothee bis, Escalade, Inspirational Images, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, paris, sonia rykiel, vidal sassoon, Vintage Editorials, yves saint laurent

Two pretty girls on the steps of the Troccadero. The sweaters and flared, spotted skirts are by Dorothee Bis and are available to order in Britain from Escalade, 183-190 Brompton Road, London S.W.1

Jacques-Henri Lartigue, now aged 81, took his first photographs in 1902, the year that his father gave him a camera which he describes in his diary as “made of polished wood with a lens extension of green cloth with accordion folds”. He took these pictures of clothes’ from the Paris Ready-to-Wear collections last month when he revisited his old haunts — the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne and the Trocadero — where years ago he took his first evocative and tender pictures of the beautiful, fashion-able, eccentric and ridiculous women who caught his eye. Wrapped in his father’s splendid checked brown-and-beige overcoat he worked with surprising speed : totally sure, extremely agile once he flung himself to the ground to capture the angle he wanted. His wife Florette worked with him — pacing, standing in for the models and carrying his few items of gear which included one small leather box in which he once kept his first camera; it’s gone now, but his wife said he likes to carry the box “for good luck”. The results make the model girls look like part of the landscape instead of self-conscious cardboard figures.

Photographed by Jacques-Henri Lartigue.

Scanned from The Sunday Times Magazine, March 18th 1973.

Black crêpe dress, decorated with butterfly bows, by Dorothée Bis.

Beauty in the Bois : spring 1973. The model is wearing Yves St Laurent’s black crepe suit with harem pants and distinctive gold jewellery. These are available here from St Laurent, Rive Gauche, 113 New Bond Street, London W.1 : so are the sandals.

Strolling along the broad, tree-lined boulevards from the Etoile : the shirts, button-through woollen sweaters, long-pleated skirts, well-cut head-scarves and matching bracelets by Chloe are available from Fortnum & Mason, Piccadilly, London, W.1.

Two black crêpe dresses, decorated with butterfly bows, by Dorothée Bis.

Heavy wool sweater, with a new rolled sleeve, and shorts by Sonia Rykiel, whose clothes are sold here at Vidal Sassoon, 44 Sloane Street, London S.W.1

Smocked dresses in Liberty-printed fabrics with off-the-shoulder necklines and bodices of shirred elastic. From Yves Saint
Laurent’s Rive Gauche collection. The same styled dresses, in silk or cotton, are also available with floor-length skirts.

Something to slip into

1970s, Adrian Mann, alice pollock, Antiquarius, bus stop, Butler & Wilson, C&A, che guevara, Deco Inspired, edward mann, Gilles Ben Simon, Glynn Manson, Honey Magazine, Ian Batten, Inspirational Images, Jackie Ross, Jon Elliot, lee bender, outlander, quorum, Roger Nelson, stirling cooper, Susie Craker, Vintage Editorials

Beige cotton swagger-back jacket with contrasting collar and turn-back cuffs £12 ; beige short-sleeved cotton button-through shirt £6-50; extra wide cotton Oxford bags £8, all by Ian Batten for Stirling Cooper, from 94 New Bond Street, W1 ; Stirling Cooper shops at branches of Peter Robinson. Bug brooch, Butler & Wilson £4-50; thin gilt snake neck chain, Miss Selfridge 75p; ivory bangles £5 each from Butler & Wilson.

Something like these easy-to-wear, soft crêpe or finely knitted swing-back duster jackets, teamed with wide lounging trousers or slit pencil skirts. They’re cool, casual and chic—easily the most comfortable outfits around.

Photographed by Gilles Ben Simon.

Scanned from Honey, May 1973.