I’ve wittered on about my extreme love for Butt Bows before now, that and buffles, but nothing beats the glorious Pan’s People for any style statement you might want to make.
So, I give you, the ultimate gift-wrapped butt bows….
Merry Christmas!!
Biba Exclusive
biba, glam rock, noosha fox, seventies fashion, side by sideThe amazing Mr Brownwindsor has furnished me with a much-desired copy of the [would be a cult if anyone knew about it] film Side by Side. From 1975, it has a lot to recommend it if you are anything like me and care not for plot or characterisation when there’s glam rock groups, immensely outrageous clothes and period location shooting involved. Even my beloved Fox make an appearance.
Most amazingly, there’s an incredible segment recorded on location at the Biba rooftop restaurant. Wicker peacock chairs, fringed lampshades et al. An incredible, and rare, insight into the then-soon-to-be-lost world of Big Biba and one which seems to have itself largely been lost in the mists of time.
No longer!
Vogue’s Christmas: Send in the Clowns
bill gibb, clowns, david bailey, Gina Fratini, john bates, marie helvin, seventies fashion, thea porter, Vogue, zandra rhodes
It’s oh so quiet…
…over here, isn’t it? I haven’t turned to ice, or been out enjoying the snow too much to blog. No, I’m back in the West End, with my latest one-woman show….. ahhh, just joking! I’m back at the ballet, dressing the newest version of The Nutcracker and the schedule is a bit punishing for all involved. So I’m grabbing moments when I can, to post out my wares and try to keep on top of things. But sadly, it means that I’m barely able to keep up with all you lovely bloggers and get half of the things done before Christmas that I needed and wanted to do. Argh! Anyway, to keep you going until I have time/energy to blog again, here is one of my all-time favourite Vogue shoots from December 1975. Beauty and grace personified…
Apologies to any coulrophobes out there!
By John Bates
By Gina Fratini
By Jorn Langberg
By Bill Gibb
By Thea Porter
By Zandra Rhodes
Main dress by Hanae Mori
By Nettie Vogues
Karl Lagerfeld for Chloe
Just to let you know, I can still post out before Christmas although I wouldn’t recommend relying too heavily on the postal service, given current weather issues and Christmas rush. But even if it doesn’t get there in time, remember, a vintage piece is not just for Christmas…
Mensday: Brian Jones
brian jones, Françoise Hardy, george harrison, Mensday, menswear, suki poitier, The Beatles, the rolling stones, the who
Just because. Because it’s unfair that The Stones have only lost one member after all these years, and it was the beautiful Brian Jones. (And The Who and The Beatles have both been depleted by 50%. ‘S’not fair.) Because he died exactly ten years before I was born (to the very day…). Because he loved stripes, ruffles and brocades. Because he wanted to look like Françoise Hardy. Because he named both of his sons Julian. Because he wore Celia prints. Because men don’t look like that any more.
And because of photos like this…
Inspirational Images: Pat Cleveland in Stephen Burrows
1970s, Inspirational Images, pat cleveland, radical rags, stephen burrows
Scanned from Radical Rags. Photographer unknown.
Mensday? Mednesday? Whatever. It’s Menswear Wednesday!
david bailey, Mensday, menswear, mr fish, rupert lycett green, sixties, VogueI’m thinking of turning Wednesdays into Menswear days; something tasty to cure the midweek blues. But I can’t decide if ‘Mensday’ is just too cheesy, even for me? Regardless, here is Mr [Michael] Fish wearing one of his own pieces, alongside one of Rupert Lycett Green’s flamboyant creations for Blades. Dribble….
Vogue, January 1968. Photos by Bailey.Avenging Knits
alun hughes, avengerswear, diana rigg, emma peel, honor blackman, knitwear, linda thorson, sixties, tara king, the avengers, Vogue
I’m frequently wittering on about Emma Peel, John Bates, Avengerswear…blah blah. But I have continuously forgotten to scan and post this fabulous double page spread from Vogue (October 1968) of a range of knitwear ‘inspired’ by Linda Thorson’s Tara King character and produced by Ballantyne. I’ve never heard of any Tara Avengerswear gear before or since, perhaps because her wardrobe was pretty dreary half of the time – thanks Alun Hughes, and it’s always struck me as rather sad that she didn’t get her own ‘range’. Even Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale had a range designed by British couturier Frederick Starke!
So it’s awfully nice to know she at least had her own line of cashmere knits. Hurrah!
p.s I am terrible at identifying models, but I love love love her hair.
Weekend Inspirations: The Furry Variations
1970s, brian jones, brigitte bardot, celia hammond, charlotte rampling, diana rigg, edward mann, Inspirational Images, jenny boyd, julie driscoll, linda thorson, Pattie Boyd, sandie shaw, sixties, veruschka
Ingrid Pitt, RIP
doctor who, ingrid pitt, picture spam, seventies fashion, sixties
I was so sad to hear about Ingrid Pitt passing away the other day (do go and read about her fascinating life story). I know for most people she was mainly a Hammer Horror legend, but she was also in a couple of Doctor Who stories and I had heard so many brilliantly bonkers things about her over the years that it seems odd she should have died like any normal human being. Surely she should have been taken away in a swirl of smoke and chiffon?
Also, normally I would seek to avoid the topic of someone’s breasts, particularly if they’ve become notorious for them, but she seems to have revelled in their magnificence so it would be a shame not to… I know that when I die, I should like everyone to talk excessively about my ‘incredible arse’, regardless of anything else I might achieve 😉
Monsieur Le Stud
haute naffness, joan collins, lps, roxy music, the stud, the sweet
A few weeks back I discovered the soundtrack album to The Stud in a charity shop in Hove. At a mere £1, and featuring my beloved Sweet and Roxy Music, I couldn’t resist.
I was also entertained to discover an advert on the inner gatefold for ‘Monsieur Le Stud’, a range of aftershaves etc with a brilliant description of what the pong must have been like….
Legendary are the powers attributed to musk and ginseng from which the fragrances of life and love have been extracted. Now in union, carefully balanced and blended with essences from exotic flowers, mosses and herbs to create a pleasing distinctive masculine fragrance.
We warn you that wearing ‘Monsieur Le Stud’ can be very demanding.
Some things never change, do they? Wanky perfume descriptions and novelty perfumes least of all. Saying that, I am now somewhat desperate to find a bottle to give to M. So if anyone comes across it, and can bear to part with it, please do let me know!
Now I don’t like to cast aspersions upon Monsieur Le Stud but I suspect that it might be a little overpowering, so you might need to open a window. Which brings me to Sweet’s ‘Love is like Oxygen’, as featured on the soundtrack. I need no excuse to post Sweet videos, really, but I thought I would make the effort…
Liz Eggleston 