A glint in the eye and in her garb

biba, bill klein, flair magazine, frank usher, gillian richard, miss mouse, seventies fashion, vidal sassoon

Left: Striped lurex top and pants by Frank Usher, £28.25. Right: Lurex blouse, £11.50 and brocade Oxford bags, £13.50 by Miss Mouse

Scanned from Flair Magazine, October 1972.

Photographed by Bill Klein. Hair by Howard of Vidal Sassoon.

“We photographed at The Club, the latest offering from those well-known restauranteurs Mario and Franco, who have branched out with this exclusive membership club in Belgravia.”

Left: Sequin wrap jacket by Biba, £20. Right: Wrapover jacket by Biba, £18. Satin Oxford bags by Gillian Richard, £5.60.

Man’s eye view of The Midi

flair magazine, maxis, midis, minis, seventies fashion

Hilarious two-page spread from Flair Magazine, January 1971.

It’s easy to forget just how ludicrously over-hyped the whole mini, midi, maxi debate was as it “raged” through the United Kingdom in the late Sixties, early Seventies. Rather like similarly ludicrous ‘debates’ and ‘trends’ of the here and now, although I suspect I will feel more queasy when, in my Sixties, I’m re-reading articles about the merits of wearing pyjamas in public, skinny jeans (yes, they suit everyone…no, wait, they don’t suit everyone. Bring back the flare!) and the whole harem pant (a.k.a Poo-catcher) debacle. Actually, wait, they all make me feel queasy now anyway.

I wish modern newspapers would always make sure to get the opinion of a ‘freaked out hippie’, a ‘pipe smoker’ and a ‘retired boozer’, it would make life far more enjoyable.

Who’s Right?

Mensday: Americana Sportswear

Mensday, menswear, mild sauce, Vintage Adverts, Vogue

Scanned from Vogue, December 1977

Both Mensday and Mild Sauce in one go. Who says I don’t spoil you?

Inspirational Images: Oh, for a friendly milkman!

Inspirational Images, jean varon, john bates, marie helvin, seventies fashion, vanity fair

"How abandoned can you get?"

Dresses by John Bates for Jean Varon. Scanned from Vanity Fair, December 1971.

Vintage Adverts: Hairsprays and Dressing Tables

blakes 7, hair, haute naffness, interior design, servalan, seventies fashion, Vintage Adverts

Advert for Wella. Scanned from Flair, October 1972.

This advert pleases me on so many levels. Her hair, her décor, her artfully jumbled dressing table, the Russian doll, the giant die, the solitary stick of chewing gum….

Best of all, I have that mirror! I occasionally see it in vintage/antique/charity shops for anything between £20 and £50. Mine was a charity shop score many, many years ago for a mere fiver. It currently resides elsewhere on semi-permanent loan (due to my having a beloved Thirties walnut dressing table with integral mirror) but it is still a treasured piece of Seventies haute naffness.

It’s not the first time I’ve spotted it though; a near identical one appears in Blakes 7 as a mirror-come-communicator and is used suitably flamboyantly by the great Jacqueline Pearce. I must admit that I have never managed to contact anyone through it, so I cannot guarantee its efficiency. Ha!

Inspirational Images: Charlotte Rampling, 1974

charlotte rampling, ewa rudling, Inspirational Images, seventies fashion

Photographed by Ewa Rudling, 1974. Domaine du Cap, South of France.

Scanned from Charlotte Rampling: With Compliments.

Who loves you baby? Ossie, that’s who…

david bailey, marie helvin, ossie clark, ritz magazine, seventies fashion

Ossie Clark and Marie Helvin. Advert scanned from Ritz magazine, No.14 1978.

Incredible, rare late Seventies Ossie advert. It is of the greatest frustration to me that Judith Watt’s otherwise fantastic book cuts off sharply at 1975. I know his final years were difficult, frustrating and ultimately tragic, but he didn’t simply stop designing in 1975 – and I’m sure many of us would like to read, see and understand more about the later years.

Noosha Fox: Cheap at the price

interesting record sleeves, lps, noosha fox, seventies fashion

The vinyl hunting continues; I am currently having most luck in East Anglia, so thank you very much East Anglia! Six quid seems steep for a 12inch, unless you know who Noosha Fox is. In case you have never heard the song before, here’s a rare Noosha performance: