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.

The Bump

cosmopolitan, dancing, disco, monty coles, seventies fashion

Any child of the Seventies or Eighties, growing up in the UK, will know who Floella is. To anyone else, I’m going to be lazy and link to the Floella Benjamin wiki page. Very exciting to see her doin’ the bump in Cosmopolitan magazine in March 1975. I dare you all to try out the bump tonight, down your local discotheque or just in the comfort of your own kitchen with your loved one(s).

Photos by Monty Coles.

Guy Day: Alan Bates

alan bates, Mensday, menswear, oliver reed, seventies fashion, Vogue

Clothes by Gieves

While Oliver Reed is my declared rugged-actor-of-choice, I must admit that Alan Bates looks pretty hot in this feature from Vogue, September 1973. Not only are the tweedy, wooly clothes damn sexy, but he’s also got a red setter – my dream dog! Perfection…

Photos by John Vere Brown.

Alan Bates, photographed in his native Derbyshire, wearing the kind of country cashmeres and tweeds that the British do so well. He’s now in his first season with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford playing Petruchio in The Taming of The Shrew. He had previously completed over two years in the title role of Butley—first in London, when he won the 1971 Evening Standard Best Actor Award, then in New York where he collected a Tony Award, and earlier this year shooting the film version to be released here after its premiere in the States in October.

Clothes by Burberry

Clothes by Jaeger

Clothes by Jaeger

Vintage Adverts: Strictly for lids

19 magazine, glam rock, Make-up, mary quant, seventies fashion, Vintage Adverts

Aha!! So who really invented eye crayons, eh? Was it Boots or Mary Quant? Mary Quant or Boots? We’ll probably never know, but I’m willing to place a bet that the Boots ones worked better*…

Scanned from 19 Magazine. September 1974

*I speak from experience. My nan worked in the factory where the Quant ones were made and I attempted to use them in my teens. They were, frankly, useless.

Vintage Adverts: It’s a scream!

19 magazine, clogs, Inspirational Images, pirelli, platforms, seventies fashion, shoes, Vintage Adverts

Pirelli advert. Scanned from 19 Magazine, May 1974.

Vintage Adverts: Jourdan by Bourdin

charles jourdan, guy bourdin, Inspirational Images, seventies fashion, shoes, Vintage Adverts

Advert for Charles Jourdan shoes. Photographed by Guy Bourdin, 1974.

Inspirational Images: Harpers and Queen, May 1976

benny ong, francois lamy, harpers and queen, Inspirational Images, seventies fashion, versace, Willy van Rooy, Yuki, yves saint laurent

Knockout, bareback dresses, draped and slung. 

Above, dress by Yuki. Below, dress by Benny Ong.

Photos by Francois Lamy. Harpers and Queen, May 1976.

Body-hugging dresses on tiny straps. 

Above, dress by Gianni Versace for Genny. Below, dress by Yves Saint Laurent.

The Colour Craze

barbara hulanicki, Barbara Hulanicki, biba, caroline arber, didier duval, hair, Make-up, mary quant, seventies fashion, steven hiett, vanity fair

Green says Biba. Photo by Caroline Arber.

All the top beauty talent is currently colour-crazy – and we’re very much for it; it’s a fabulous enlivener of the grey winter scene. Your party look could be a variant of any of the gloriously off-beat ideas you see here – and anyone who considers green lips unnatural might dwell, briefly, on the knock-you-down naturalness of bright plum or orange ones.

Vanity Fair, December 1971

Violet says Pablo – Elizabeth Arden’s ebullient young creative director.

Rainbow hair says Michael at Crimpers. Photo by Steve Hiett.

Any colours you like says Vanity Fair, using Mary Quant’s crayons. Photo by Didier Duval.

Guy Day: J. Antony Redmile

harpers and queen, haute naffness, Mensday, seventies fashion, Vintage Adverts

Would you buy ‘objects’ from this man? Is this the worst advert of all time, or the best? My answers would be ‘yes, indeed’ and ‘the latter’, but clearly my taste cannot be trusted where the Seventies are concerned (judging by a few snarky comments I’ve had regarding my blog over the past year…). J. Antony Redmile, I like your style (but not your beard).

Scanned from Harpers and Queen, October 1974.

Legs and Co

Anita Mahadervan, Eighties Fashion, flick colby, Gill Clarke, haute naffness, legs and co, lps, Lulu Cartwright, Patti Hammond, Rosie Hetherington, roxy music, Sue Menhenick

This is actually one of my most favourite things in the whole world right now. When I found it the other day, I texted Mr Brownwindsor to gloat that I had found the best LP ever. I still stand by that statement, although with adjustment to the best LP cover ever. Because the songs contained swing from sublime to ridiculous; from Roxy Music to Phil Collins, from The Teardrop Explodes to Bucks Fizz.

I love the haute Eightiesness; the hair, the bacofoil clothes, the clumsy crotch shots, the make-up, the headbands! Absolutely the best £1 I’ve ever spent.

(for the uninitiated, Legs and Co were Flick Colby‘s follow up to Pan’s People and Ruby Flipper…)