Make-up Inspiration: Yardley, 1966

1960s, Make-up, moyra swan, Vintage Adverts, yardley

Guy Day: Getting shirty

1960s, granny takes a trip, Honey Magazine, Illustrations, Mensday, menswear, wendy buttrose

Illustrations by Wendy Buttrose. Honey magazine, September 1966

In lieu of Mensday, here’s my occasional Whoops-I-forgot-Mensday feature, Guy Day. Especially appropriate since one of the shirts comes from a shop called ‘Guy’. Amazing illustrations by none other than Wendy Buttrose*, and what I wouldn’t give to get hold of some of those incredible shirts!

Wendy, if you ever come across this blog please do email me and let me know more about you. Your illustrations are wonderful!

Wet Stuff

alligator, che guevara, christopher mcdonnell, gordon king, Honey Magazine, monty coles, topshop, way in
No, no mild sauce prefix (arf arf!). It’s been rather damp in dear old Blighty lately, which has actually done the unthinkable/unbearable and forced me into actual shops where you buy actual new clothes (I needed some kind of trench-y raincoat thing and was starting to think I would have to wait forever to find the perfect vintage one I wanted) and obnoxious people push you away from the full-length mirrors and waft a disdainful hand at you (I kid ye not, my expression was pretty much the same as the photo immediately below…). Anyway, I’ve been meaning to scan this frankly awesome shoot from Honey magazine for simply ages. And given the current climate, it finally seemed very appropriate. 
Photos by Monty Coles. Honey magazine, February 1974

It’s a striking shoot. Rather modern-feeling (which just goes to prove that modern is rarely as modern as it seems…) and really affecting. Not emotionally, but physically. I can almost feel the models’ pain…

Biba: A conundrum for you…

1960s, barbara hulanicki, biba, john french, paulene stone

If this dress was so damn popular, and sold in such vast numbers that Barbara and Fitz struggled to keep up with orders, then why on earth have I never seen it outside of these photos by John French? Does anyone own it? Do any museums possess it? Does anyone remember owning it? Anybody??

Inspirational Images: The lady is a vamp

1970s, bill gibb, cosmopolitan, ika hindley, Inspirational Images, richard imrie, twiggy

Photo by Richard Imrie. Cosmopolitan. Cosmo Tells All. July, 1972

Ika Hindley is the twenty-three year old temporarily red-haired model who out-acts Bernhardt or Garbo on the catwalk. Give her a dress and she gives it soul. When wearing Bill Gibb’s vamp dress at his headline-making launch collection, BBC cameramen filmed a three-minute take of Ika doing her number. “I’m hoping it will get me into films. Underneath all this pink paint there’s a frustrated actress,” says Ika who takes voice, dancing and singing lessons. All of which give her catwalk appearance extra oomph. And oomph is what Bill Gibb’s clothes have in plenty. Film star Twiggy and actress Irene Worth are favourite customers of the shy Scottish lad with the special fashion flair.

Swimming over the Moon

biba, meriel mccooey, Sarah Moon, seventies fashion, sunday times magazine, swimwear
Sunday Times Magazine. June 15th, 1975

Another classic, beautiful shoot by one of my favourite photographers, Sarah Moon. I now possess the Moon-photographed Pirelli calendar and am dreaming of the day when I have a large wall to decorate, and money to spend on getting them all framed. She manages to enter dreamworld and photograph it for us; utterly inspirational! 

Sunday Times Magazine. June 15th, 1975
Sunday Times Magazine. June 15th, 1975

Inspirational Images: Brigitte Bardot in Cannes, 1953

1950s, brigitte bardot, cannes, headscarves, Inspirational Images

Brigitte and companion in Cannes, circa 1953

Brigitte rocking the headscarf look here, in an unusual candid shot.

I can’t help but love her as a brunette. Her very early period (seen here) and her later Sixties, early Seventies looks are my favourites. I resisted the Bardot love for a long while because it seemed such a cliché. I mean, who doesn’t cite her as an inspiration? But she’s a hard one to fight…

Scanned from Woman’s Mirror, May 1962

Shameless

david silverman, harold ingram, jean varon, john bates, polly peck, radley, wallis, website listings
John Bates for Jean Varon
Yes dear readers, tis that time again. Time for shameless self-promotion (which is basically the point of a blog, right?) and to show you what’s new at Vintage-a-Peel this week. We gots John Bates for Jean Varon (a recorded piece, no less…), Radley, Wallis, Polly Peck, Harold Ingram and David Silverman. Names aside, they’re all beautiful pieces and I want them to go to appreciative new homes (i.e to all of you dear readers). Please do go and check them out at www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk

David Silverman
Wallis
Harold Ingram
Radley of London

Polly Peck by Sybil Zelker

Mild Sauce: The Ostentatious Orgasm

1970s, cosmopolitan, Illustrations, mild sauce, wendy buttrose

The Ostentatious Orgasm by Wendy Buttrose. Cosmopolitan Magazine, July 1972

Possibly the finest, sexiest illustration I’ve ever encountered. And, just to add to the sheer sauce, the illustrator is called Wendy Buttrose. I can’t help but think of the gorgeous Wendy Brandes and her beloved ‘Ass Flower‘ dress.

Inspirational Images: Ossie Clark for Quorum, 1970

1970s, flair magazine, Inspirational Images, michal james-ward, ossie clark, quorum, steppenwolf

Ossie Clark for Quorum, £19 10s. Photo by Michal James-Ward. Flair, June 1970

I can only fantasise about a carefree life spent lounging in my fabulous apartment, in my beautiful Ossie Clark dress, with my gorgeous wavy hair and hilarious telephone conversations. But in the words of my beloved Steppenwolf, fantasy will set you free…