Inspirational Images: Alice Ormsby-Gore in Bill Gibb for Baccarat

1970s, Alice Ormsby-Gore, bill gibb, Inspirational Images, patchwork, tessa traeger, Vogue

In the great rainbow garden of patchworks, patchworks to wear and for eating and sitting on. The suit, a maxiskirt of caramel suede soft as chamois, a chamois suede jacket appliqued with patent and leather piece over piece, with leather thongs and Indian beads sewn together to decorate the sleeves.

The shape is mediaeval, trumpet sleeved and tiny bodiced there’s a matching kepi with five-foot leather streamers. Bill Gibb designed this; it’s made to order at Baccarat. Lady Anne Tree’s patchwork tablecloth is a giant circle of hexagons in a thousand and one rose, red and pink prints—bandanas, polka dots, checks and cherries—made in traditional manner with paper cut to the hexagons, stitched, then the basting removed to release the paper. Lined and edged with a heavy woollen fringe. The multitudes of patchwork crochet cushions are in multitudes of sun and chrysanthemum colours, some knit or enormous needles. 3½ gns each, at Women’s Home Industries

Photo by Tessa Traeger.

Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Vogue, “Fashions in Living”, January 1970.

Mensday: Joan who?

arrows, glam rock, joan jett, Mensday, menswear

Sisters aren’t always necessarily doing it for themselves. Joan Jett is forever associated with I Love Rock and Roll, but it was originally a minor hit for British Glam Rock group Arrows. Mmmm, pretty boys with pretty hair in pretty clothes – it must be Mensday!!

Inspirational Images: Ossie Clark and Annacat, 1967

anello and davide, annacat, burt glinn, cherry twiss, ossie clark, quorum, telegraph magazine

Waterproof pigskin culottes, 18gns (matching jacket not shown, 40gns) to order, Cordoba Suedewear. Silk shirt, 11gns, by Annacat . Snakeskin waistcoat by Quorum, 6gns, only from Over The Rainbow. Mock crocodile boots, to order, Anello & Davide.

Photos by Burt Glinn. Styled by Cherry Twiss. Shot in Jamaica.

Scanned by Miss Peelpants from Telegraph Magazine, July 7th 1967.

De Havillands in Casablanca

19 magazine, johnny moke, platforms, rowley and oram, seventies fashion, terry de havilland

Left: Dress by Clobber, shoes by Rowley and Oram. Right: Dress by Crowthers, shoes by Mary Quant.

After my Hollywood Clothes Shop post the other day, what should I find in a January 1971 (I am a geek on so many different levels…) copy of 19 Magazine but this amazing Forties-styled shoot. I actually aspire to this entire look so badly I want to cry just looking at it.

The amazing snakeskin and suede shoes throughout the shoot are credited to ‘Rowley and Oram’ (which, itself, is quite odd since I assumed that ‘label’ became defunct when Hollywood Clothes Shop opened…), which we can now all assume means that these shoes are by the amazing Mr Terry De Havilland. I’m not sure at what point his name became much coveted, but it’s interesting that he should be so badly uncredited here.

Left: Dress by Louis Caring. Right: Dress by Fotheringay and Hepplewaite, shoes by Mary Quant.

Dress by Tony Berkeley, shoes by Elliotts.

Left: Dress by Louis Caring, shoes by Rowley and Oram. Right: Linda Warren for Downtown, shoes by Rowley and Oram.

Left: Dress by Louis Caring, shoes by Elliotts. Right: Outfit by Tony Berkeley, shoes by Freeman Hardy Willis.

Left: Dress by Marlborough, shoes by Freeman Hardy Willis. Right: Dress by Louis Caring, shoes by Rowley and Oram.

Mensday: Immense sadness

david sylvian, japan, Mensday, mick karn, new romantic

I did have another Mensday post lined up, but I have decided to postpone that until next week. I’m genuinely quite upset to hear that the great Mick Karn has passed away. I’ve only become a [huge] Japan fan in recent years, and I’m sure a lot of people don’t know them at all, but Mick’s talent transcends all this.

With love and thanks for everything your music has meant, and continues to mean to me. xx

Hollywood Clothes Shop

ad hoc, british boutique movement, edina ronay, hollywood clothes shop, hollywood icons, johnny moke, kensington high street, seventies fashion, Vogue

There are a few boutiques, Alkasura and Che Guevara included, whose work is painfully abugly. Flat feet are not sexy and elegant.”

Hollywood Clothes Shop sounds like it was one of the best examples of those playfully indulgent Boutique interiors at the time, although its brevity of existence means that there’s not a lot of imagery to correlate with the descriptions of old cinema seats, and the mannequins, paintings and photographs of movie stars. So I was rather delighted to spot some delicious photos of Edina Ronay sporting some of the frocks in the boutique itself. Thank heavens for the ‘Vogue’s Own Boutique’ feature. From February 1971.

Here, Edina Ronay stars in clothes from the new Hollywood Clothes Shop, on Hollywood Road, where else? Zipped plaid jacket, below, 14 gns (£14.70). Stylish crepe and sparkling sequin cocktail suit of deep claret, 12 gns (£12.60), with turban of wrapped velvet and snakeskin, with authentic pin, 8gns (£8.40).

Si tu cherches la bagarre?

amanda lear, disco, haute naffness, seventies fashion

I’m finally off for a few days to spend my second Christmas and only New Year with someone special, so I won’t be around to blog. Thank you all so much for your comments over the past few days, and indeed the past year. I’ve been doing silly hours at work for a few weeks now, so I haven’t had time to comment as much as I would like on all of your blogs, so it means a lot to me.

Enjoy your New Year celebrations, as small or as huge as they may be. I suspect mine will involve a lot of champagne coupe action, so I’ll raise a glass to all my dear readers and fellow bloggers and say…

Happy New Lear! 😉

Mensday: The Beatles

george harrison, Mensday, menswear, ringo starr, The Beatles

In which George tries to kill me with the deadly combination of striped trousers and trompe l’oeil top. I then try to avert my eyes and I’m faced with Naughty Beatle in a ruffled shirt. I give in…

Saucy Seventies Smalls: Zandra Rhodes

underwear, Vogue, zandra rhodes

There’s just something about Seventies lingerie shoots which floats my boat. Something about the vaseline-smeared David Hamilton/Sarah Moon-ness (even when it’s neither of them), natural (and generally smaller-scaled) breasts and the lingerie itself is completely my favourite style. It’s got that Thirties edge, but with a saucy Seventies twist. I don’t have any Zandra underwear, I’m mainly kitted out by Charnos if you really must know, but this amazing shoot makes me want some right now!