Pop Pop Pop

1960s, fulham road clothes shop, jean varon, john bates, lloyd johnson, mr freedom, pop art, seventies fashion, sylvia ayton, zandra rhodes

John Bates for Jean Varon crepe panelled dress

I have finally found a moment to blog about the Pop Art exhibition at The Lightbox in Woking, which is only open for a short while longer. The Lightbox is a tremendous space; airy and light, quiet and tranquil, and it has been transformed (briefly) into a repository of incredible Pop Art paintings, sculptures and….things. The ‘things’ are what I’m most interested in; as the exhibition draws you into the central space in the gallery, you are shown the influence of Pop Art on everything from clothes, to homewares, right down to the groceries you could buy from Sainsbury’s in the Sixties.

The fabulous Katherine Higgins has co-curated Pop Art, and very kindly got in touch with me about loaning some pieces. Well now, I can’t resist an exhibition and I can’t resist a good rummage in my personal collection and so I delivered four pieces (and a bonus extra which I just happened to have on me at the time). The fourth and final has only just been put on display this very day, and so I do hope you are able to go along to The Lightbox and have a look. It really is an incredible collection of works by some undeniably iconic British Pop artists; including Pauline Boty, Allen Jones, Peter Blake and, now rather poignantly, Richard Hamilton.

Mr Freedom halter neck skater outfit with hidden surprise...

Saucy! (I'm allowed to do this because it's mine, but you might get told off!)

Fulham Road Clothes Shop trousers with Zandra Rhodes lipstick print (please note the perfect pattern placement on the crotch)

Foale and Tuffin 'Chrysler' mini dress c.1966

Last minute addition: Original plastic lip sunglasses

There are some covetable clothes (as well as mine, of course), including the legendary Mr Freedom baseball suit, several Ritva sweaters, a superb Lloyd Johnson jacket and the most adorable novelty print Mr Freedom dungarees loaned by Jan De Villeneuve. Who, I’m afraid, has now been scuppered in her alphabetical superiority because of my earlier omission. Sorry Jan!

 

Pauline Boty

Richard Hamilton: 'Swingeing London'

Sweaters by Ritva

Jacket by Lloyd Johnson

Allen Jones

Grocery packaging

Mensday: Chick-Appeal Pants

1970s, just men, ken scott, Mensday, menswear, mr fish, nova magazine

Nova, December 1970. Photo by David Reed.

I didn’t know Mr Fish did undercrackers as well! I have to agree with Caroline Baker about the unpleasantness of the bikini pant for a man. My preference (which is all that matters, of course) is for tight boxers. Can’t be dealing with too baggy, or too skimpy!

“And when he pulls his frilly nylon panties right up tight, He feels a dedicated follower of fashion.”

Too bad you’re so beautiful…

Duran Duran
Real bassists sweat

Two years ago, I doubted I would ever actually want to see Duran Duran live again. Not because they were any kind of disappointment, quite the opposite. I simply doubted that I would ever see them so ‘up close’ again, and I’m no fan of the stadium rock gig. Then Simon Le Bon came down with a very scary-sounding throat infection this summer. It postponed all of their UK gigs, but luckily for me it meant that they decided to ease themselves back into gigging with a handful of small, intimate gigs in some slightly obscure venues.

My ladies Senti and Charley were my trusty companions for the third, and penultimate, gig at the Trinity Centre in Bristol; a venue so unassuming it was almost unbelievable. I can safely say that I NEVER thought I would EVER see Duran Duran in a tiny, grubby, sweaty little venue in a dodgy part of Bristol. Sweaty, seriously sweaty. As Le Bon himself said when he came blinking onto a tiny stage, which was once the altar of this former church, they haven’t played gigs like this since 1981!

He tries to hide, but I finally managed to get a photo of Roger!

As a largely fan-orientated and populated gig, it was also an almost unique experience of people actually wanting to hear the band’s new music. Of course you could almost sense people wetting themselves at the performance of obscurities like Tiger Tiger, Shadows Are on Your Side, Secret Oktober and [the less obscure but I’d never heard it live…] Union of the Snake, but everyone seemed to know and love their new album, All You Need is Now, which is a definite return to form under the producership of Mr Mark Ronson.
Despite standing still most of the time, this was the only non-blurry Nick shot I got. I apologise. He has also attempted to blend completely with the background. Perhaps to avoid being attacked with badges and shoes…

As much as I wished to coo over my third favourite man in the world, John Taylor, I was also aware that the poor guy has some seriously scary fans and I feared for the safety of my hair and my eyes. So I opted to stick with my girls over on the right hand side of the stage. We decided that it was right and proper that Nick Rhodes had three stylish girls to look out at (although Charley and I were still talking about attacking him with badges and shoes as revenge for our whole Lovebox experience) and we ended up being right at the front, bags and coats on the stage. No barriers? At a Duran gig? Are you serious?

Rowr. Etc….
Actual view without zoom and without flash.
Proximity to Duran equipment and slight Bowie-fangirl moment…

It was definitely one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to and I’m praying that they decide small warm-ups are worth continuing with. I feel very fortunate.

Sweaty Le Betty

Inspirational Images: Portrait of a self-portrait

1970s, Hot Shoe, james wedge, terry de havilland

Photo by James Wedge. Scanned from Hot Shoe magazine, November 1979.

The boots are by Terry De Havilland. How do I know? Because I have a pair in blue which I will be selling on Vintage-a-Peel very soon!

Short and Sweet

19 magazine, 1970s, alistair cowin, bus stop, gillian richard, gladrags, Illustrations, lee bender, medusa, michael roberts, mr freedom, stirling cooper

I feel sad for the summer which never quite came to these shores. We had some nice days early on, but nothing consistent. I’m no sun worshipper, and I freely admit to preferring autumn, but it would have been nice to have been out and about a little more frequently in a little less clothing. I’m considering a little seaside jaunt in October, so I’ll just have to wear this kind of gear with some thick tights, hat and a coat over the top.

Stunning illustrations from 19 Magazine, May 1971, by Michael Roberts. I did a little reading up on Roberts, and he seems like a fascinating, Renaissance-style man. I pay far more attention to the names of illustrators these days, for obvious reasons, and it’s always nice to discover something about these all-too-often unsung artists.

I come to lay flower dresses on the grave of Biba

biba, british boutique movement, kensington high street, london, seventies fashion

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…

Gotta Lotta Totty

legs and co, seventies fashion, Vintage Adverts

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.

Before they were famous: Joanna Lumley

1960s, joanna lumley, Vintage Adverts

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?

We are the dreamers of dreams

1960s, angela gore, biba, david hurn, Honey Magazine, Inspirational Images

By Biba, £6 10s

We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
Arthur O’Shaughnessy
I’ve been having incredibly vivid, bizarre dreams lately, and I’m in the middle of watching Twin Peaks, so anything dream-related is fascinating to me. Some beautiful, dreamlike images from Honey Magazine, August 1968. Photos by David Hurn.

By Veronica Marsh for Hunt & Co., 5½ gns

By Veronica Marsh for Hunt & Co., 79s. 11d.

By Angela Gore, 39s. 6d.

But in a dream the other night
I saw this coastline from the sea
And felt the breakers plunging white
Their weight of waters over me.
Greenaway by John Betjeman                           

Mensday: Mr Fish

london aktuell, Mensday, menswear, mr fish

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…