The wondrous Affendaddy, over at Flickr, has uploaded lots and lots of amazing street photos from his visit to London in 1976. Inadvertently, he has also captured the immediate aftermath of the death of Big Biba on Kensington High Street. These photos make me want to weep a little…
As a great lover of milk, peanut butter, cream and raisins (and as a complete sucker for being sold something through the medium of vintage glamour and sex) I feel I must try this drink soon. I wonder if I can insert some rum somewhere along the way as well?
Advert from 1979.
It’s one of those slightly lost concepts, which must seem bizarre to modern eyes. The government protecting and promoting a basic product like milk or eggs, without it being for a particular brand? Madness! My godfather even worked for the Milk Marketing Board, which is now sadly defunct (although The Dairy Council still exists). I still covet a replacement set of ‘Gotta Lotta Bottle’ glasses, which were a staple part of my childhood. Needless to say, all the heavy advertising must have worked well on my impressionable young mind, because I still drink far too much of the stuff.
Hunting around for an example advert, I discovered that the gorgeous Legs and Co were in one and, of course, I simply have to post it here.
Spotting old Joanna Lumley modelling shots could become an addictive pastime, and yet I keep forgetting to scan them in when I see them. No longer! From October 1968.
I’m not sure I know anyone who has inhibitions about jersey, but perhaps it was a big social problem in the 1960s?
By Biba, £6 10s
By Veronica Marsh for Hunt & Co., 5½ gns
By Veronica Marsh for Hunt & Co., 79s. 11d.
By Angela Gore, 39s. 6d.
Ahhhhhh. Another dose of fabulous from the same great Youtube uploader who gave us the Ossie, Biba, Mary Quant and Mr Freedom (and then a whole other bunch) ‘London Aktuell’ videos. Mr Fish introduces his own collection, filmed in a deserted street with creepy mannequins and perfectly dressed dandies…
Oh lordy. I cannot believe how long it’s been since I last blogged, nor how sporadic my blogging has been. It’s been one of the most all-consuming jobs I’ve done in a long while, and left me more than a little numb inside. Only the thought of getting back to blogging and vintage-ing has kept me going!
So I’m easing myself back in gently (I finish tomorrow night, thank goodness) with a little toe-in-the-water blog post.
I like to think of myself as someone who is developing a nice collection of tasty vinyl (mainly Roxy Music and Fox recently…I’m moving on to Living in a Box next, just to maintain the rhyme), of course. But occasionally I simply have to buy something just for the amazing cover. Everyone knows the Top of the Pops albums, and their variations, so I try to scout out the more unusual ones. Although it’s hard to justify beyond ‘it’s for the blog’ and then I forget to scan them in. Like this one. Someone had obviously had a major Wunderlich clearout, but I couldn’t justify buying a whole bunch of dodgy-looking Seventies women at £1.50 a pop. So I picked my favourite, and she’s definitely the least dodgy-looking. She’s pretty incredible, to be honest, and I just couldn’t get over the pinkness. Enjoy!
You no longer need time on your hands and London on your doorstep to keep slightly ahead of fashion. Now many of the brighter boutiques sell their clothes by post, and it is as easy to dress well in the Hebrides as in Kensington. For example, Ossie Clark’s screen-printed silk skirt and flowing smock (above) can be ordered separately from Just Looking, 88 King’s Road, London SW3 and 5-7 Brompton Road, SW3. The smock costs £34.10, the skirt £56.65 (plus 25p post and packing).
Browns, 27 South Molton Street, London W1, will send the red and white Indian cotton slip dress (left) for £25, plus 55p post and packing.
The Sonia Rykiel collection at Browns includes the maribou jacket, £28, sweater, £16, and waistcoat, £15. The pleated skirt, £21, is also from Browns.
The yellow trouser suit of Missoni's knits (right) costs £65 from Browns. Shoes by Pierre Cardin, £17.50, from Charles Jourdan.
French knickers, £3.70, and bra, £3.70, in pink silk are by Janet Reger. By post only from Bottom Drawer, 4 bouverie Place, London W2.
Mr Freedom, 20 Kensington Church Street, London W8, post this gaberdine trouser suit designed by Kim Lew. The price is £28, plus 25p post and packing. Walter Albini halter neck top, £18 from Browns.
Just because I love the photo. Brian is wearing Celia-print Ossie Clark gear, for which I adore him. Even Icky Micky looks acceptable. All-round thumbs up and gurgles from me…
Scanned from A History of Fashion.
Simply beautiful photo by Sarah Moon from Vogue, June 1974.
In my teenage years, I developed a bit of a weird thing for cricketers. It was much ridiculed by my peers, but there was just something about the smart trousers, jumpers and lazy, peculiarly English feel of a cricket match which was like some kind of catnip to me.
It has lessened dramatically over the years, but I definitely think it was some kind of reaction to how horridly many men dressed in the town where I grew up. As I met more well-dressed men, I realised I was simply craving smartness, an effort, something ‘different’. So I’m very taken with the snazzy Seventies take on the look in the Aquascutum advert above. The beautiful illustration doesn’t hurt either…
Scanned from the Sunday Telegraph Magazine, May 1977.
Liz Eggleston 