Ms. Peelpants and The Art of Lounge

1970s, biba, british boutique movement, cathy mcgowan, kate bush, mr freedom, ossie clark, zandra rhodes

Lazy
I want to be lazy
I want to be out in the sun
With no work to be done
Under that awning
They call the sky
Stretching and yawning
And let the world go drifting by

I want to peep
Through the deep
Tangled wildwood
Counting sheep
til I sleep
Like a child would
With a great big valise full
Of books to read
where its peaceful
While I’m
Killing time
Being lazy

Well, truth be told Mr Berlin, I get lazy in autumn rather than summer. Don’t get me wrong, I long to go out and kick up some crispy fallen leaves with my newly-pulled-out-of-storage favourite patent knee highs and snuggled up in my cinnamon coloured chenille coat. Who doesn’t? But mmmm…….bed is a very inviting place in the Autumn. When the temperature is just the right side of downright nippy…..but you still let out a little moan and snuggle back under the duvet.

Suddenly autumn is the time you start looking at new cushions and bedspreads and get all excited about those delicious cinnamon, claret and chocolate shades. Actually…excuse me while I go stock up on all those delicious things. And while I’m at it, I may have to buy a whole load of cushions, fabric and set to work creating my own little Biba boudoir retreat.

Trouble is, we’ve lost the art of lounge. Back in the Seventies they catered brilliantly for this delicious indulgence. Like a nouveau Rococco period, where negligees and beautiful slippers were made just the right side of dressy so you never needed to emerge from that dreamy morning state….right through til your dinner party. Check out the Petticoat fashion spread I’ve scanned in, all about how to dress for lounging. Now that’s a clothing lifestyle I can really get on board with. And I’ve also included a picture of the untouchably awesome Kate Bush – just check out the colour of that divine original Thirties dress!

Laziness doesn’t necessarily mean slobbishness, so I say reclaim your weekend!!! Learn how to lounge!! Screw minimalism, create a luscious boudoir and lock the door on the world. You’ll need the clothes too, but really most vintage will do the trick for this. Put on that Ossie or Biba you’ve not had the guts to wear out yet. Same goes for the platforms, you’ve not had a chance to wear them outside yet so you can wear them in bed. Their time will come, but don’t keep them in a box until it does!!

Pour a glass of wine, break off a large piece of chocolate…..okay, maybe two large pieces…..oh what the hell, have the whole pack! And just indulge your senses……

In case you still need some clothes to lounge in, try these beauties…..

L-R: Cathy McGowan claret maxi dress, Biba red velveteen maxi dress, Zandra Rhodes print loungewear gown, Mr Freedom sateen maxi dress, Wallis moss crepe maxi skirt and coat set.


Power to the People: The True Meaning of Vintage

Ms Peelpants' rants, topshop

Vintage clothing is the ultimate expression of individuality. Vintage sellers are those who have fallen in love with vintage and want to work with vintage (as well as eat, drink, sleep it….well, some of us…). Vintage shouldn’t be about big business.

Unfortunately, big business always seems to want a piece of vintage. Displayed clinically, major flaws unmentioned and with designer information taken wholesale from places like the Vintage Fashion Guild label resource with no credit and no genuine research, big business doesn’t see the soul of a dress. It doesn’t feel the bizarre, beautiful touch of moss crepe or the sensuality of draping satin. It doesn’t appreciate the time machine element of an Ossie, instantly transporting you back into the heady days of Marianne, Mick and Anita. It can never understand how a Biba dress will make you skip down the road or how a pair of perfect patent shoes can transfix you for hours.

Perhaps I’m too emotionally involved in vintage for my own good, perhaps I’m an old romantic and a daydreaming thorn in the side of the cynical world of fashion. But that’s why I do what I do, and it’s why all independent vintage sellers do what they do.

Why does a multi-million pound fashion empire like Topshop start selling vintage? Why do they crush the spirit of small business by invading our world? I certainly can’t think of a good reason.

But then why do they also duplicate original vintage clothes and make money out of designers who always put creativity before profit?

(oh the irony that they’re now selling vintage Lee Bender pieces, bearing in mind they shamelessly copied her work for the appalling Kate Moss collection)

I’m resigned to it, I’m far too much a small fish against the mighty shark of big business. But I feel my opinion is valid, and I hope some of you fellow lovers of vintage will agree with me.

Emmapeelpants: The original, you might say.

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You may or may not have noticed a few other sellers have taken a heavy dose of inspiration from my photos and layouts, and while this is very flattering (as they say imitation should be) I would just like to reassure my customers that I am me. So if it isn’t Emmapeelpants or Vintage-a-Peel, it isn’t me.

Viva originality! After all, isn’t that the point of vintage?


And while I am here, I might as well let you all know of a few new goodies just added to the website…and some of the coming attractions! Just listed are a superb dress by Roxy Music stylist Antony Price, a sultry Horrockses print halter neck dress (which had me contemplating the removal of a few ribs so I could keep it for myself!), a summer of love mini dress by boutique favourites Miss Impact and an adorable pink empire line Sixties John Bates for Jean Varon dress.

Coming soon are some new separates by Radley (a vivid knitted halter neck top and a mixed print – one being a Celia Birtwell print no less – puffed sleeve jacket) and a super sweet little puffy print cropped peasant top by Polly Peck.



And this is just the start of it!

Oh, and p.s…check out the scrumptious Ossie Clark I listed over on ebay!

Fashion Icon: Servalan

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Maximum glamour, maximum impracticality, maximum camp, maximum power! Servalan is possibly the most stylish villainess in the galaxy. It’s hard to imagine Blakes 7 without the divinely evil Ms. S, but her role was never originally conceived to be a long-running one and she doesn’t even appear in the first few episodes of the legendary Sci-Fi series. But the character endured, and her incredibly individual style has made her an icon ever since.

The first few series showed Servalan at her iciest. Exquisitely draped jerseys, furs, feathers, high collars, crystals … this überbitch was always in white. As the character established herself as an icon over the four series, the clothes became progressively campier and more consciously sexy. The plunging red sequined halter and net collar were possibly the most memorable, but the final series was also notable with her new identity of ‘Sleer’ and a new wardrobe filled with vampier creations than ever – this time in wholly more appropriate black. Whether it was running up and down sandbanks in silver platforms, torturing one of the heroes with no bra on or escaping from certain death in a skirt she could barely move her legs in, she always survived in style. Servalan, you’re evil but we still salute you!

“There is something you should realise. There are no women like me. I am unique. That makes me rather dangerous.” – Servalan

To get that Servalan style, why not try this stunning late 70s piece by Tiktiner just listed over at Vintage-a-Peel…

Ooh, it’s Rachel Weisz in Ossie Clark!

1970s, british boutique movement, celebrities in vintage, celia birtwell, ossie clark

The lovely Cherie over at Shrimpton Couture is normally the first to post celeb vintage spots, and I have to admit I’m not normally one to be spotting them (unless they’re Ossies it would seem). So I was interested to see Rachel Weisz over at Gofugyourself, wearing a Celia print Ossie.


Now, I will admit that it looks pretty hacked and the stunning Miss Weisz should NOT be wearing anything with a beige base to it (I speak from bitter experience here, and it looks like she has a similar skintone to mine…) – but I’m going to give her a break because she’s wearing an Ossie and she’s a pretty fabulous girl. Next time I’d suggest stronger colours and a longer length. What sayeth you all?

Must See Vintage Films: There’s a Girl in My Soup

1960s, alice pollock, british boutique movement, celia birtwell, goldie hawn, ossie clark, peter sellers, quorum, vintage fangirl squee
Or, There’s a Girl in My Ossie….

If you haven’t already seen the fabulous There’s a Girl in My Soup, please do so immediately! Quite apart from its general Swinging Sixties fabulousness (Goldie Hawn, Peter Sellers and a very groovy soundtrack), Ms. Hawn’s entire wardrobe was designed by Ossie Clark AND Alice Pollock. Quite how a poor American girl living in a basement with her sleazy boyfriend could afford Alice and Ossie to start with, I’ll never know – but I guess that’s why we watch films.

We first meet her in a very sassy little yellow ruffled crop top, navy blue calf-length crepe skirt and an astonishing blue and yellow high collared cloak.

On their jaunt to France, she gets sozzled in a see-through green chiffon mini dress with plunging ruffled neckline, buttoned back and matching green knickers (quite clearly visible even before she disgraces herself and gets carried around on his shoulder).

Next she dons a gorgeous cream chiffon blouse (the ruffles do the concealment work of a bra, apparently), flippy cream maxi skirt and a trailing chiffon trimmed straw hat.

We briefly see what looks like an incredible pink crepe maxi overdress and a floppy pink felt hat which is trimmed with a distinctive Celia print chiffon.

Then she happens to run across a Boutique in which she finds the most incredibly vibrant Celia-print halter neck maxi (if only t’were that easy these days) in which she dances the night away with a garland of flowers around her neck.

Finally, her new found confidence and savvy is reflected in a super sharp black skirt suit with a cream silk sharp collared blouse (and some serious hair!).

Girl, I want your wardrobe!

Kate Moss at Topshop….what a joke

british boutique movement, bus stop, kate moss, lee bender, Ms Peelpants' rants, ossie clark, topshop

I queued patiently to buy some of the Celia magic, I tried to zone out the people standing around muttering “No idea who this woman is, but I know this stuff will sell on ebay”, I narrowly avoided being ripped to shreds as the rails were pushed out and all hell broke loose. I bought the pieces which had some manufacturing integrity (did anyone actually ever wear that botticelli print silk monstrosity?? so badly made I wanted to weep….) and put my years of hardened vintage shopping to good use as I walked around clutching the dress everyone was wetting themselves over and ignoring the black market-level dirty looks and whispers of ‘are you buying that?’

It was fun as a one-off. Something to tell the grandkids about, since I don’t have a Biba experience like that to share.

I didn’t bother second time around, the second collection was a poor relation and I don’t need the hassle. I’d rather spend my time and money getting an original.But at least she designed the prints and had some claim to the copied shapes of Ossie’s. The woman has talent.

Kate Moss in the original (left) and the Topshop copy (right)

Kate Moss at Topshop is a travesty. Normally such a non-event would barely register in the world of Ms. Peelpants. I couldn’t care less about Madonna at H&M, Lily Allen at New Look or even some of the least talented designers in the world getting deals with the same shops (naming no names, but I’ve heard some very interesting first-hand things about one of them lately and am suitably smug that I guessed they had no talent years ago). But Kate Moss at Topshop has affected me on a very personal level, and opened eyes to the true extent of the shallow money-grabbing at the heart of the fashion world these days.

I remember noting with amusement that Kate Moss had a vintage Bus Stop dress I also have. Much like the Ossie jacket she once wore, it’s always a nice little nod to the vintage community that vintage is still cool and it can do wonders for the image of what are, to most people’s minds, just someone’s old cast-offs. We know they’re not, but sometimes the challenge is to change other people’s perceptions. Kate Moss did the vintage community a lot of good in the past, but now she’s cheated on us.

For she has now ‘allowed’ (inverted commas to note that it is not her place to allow such a thing) Topshop to copy the aforementioned dress for her ‘collection’. A travesty so awful, on so many levels it’s taken me about a week to calm down enough to write this. They’ve copied the dress exactly, even down to getting the print copied and the detailing around the neck and on the sleeves. To add insult to injury, the dress in her closet had been hacked with what looks like nail scissors and is now a bum-skimming mini dress. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I see how badly out of proportion even the remake is. They’ve remade a ruined dress.

Lee Bender should sue Topshop. Her work has been copied stitch for stitch. It’s one thing to be inspired, Bender herself would have to admit that the dress was heavily inspired by dresses of the Forties, but there’s no room for the word inspiration here. This is duplication and it’s disgusting.

On a more personal level, one of my absolute favourite dresses has been ruined for me. This year everyone will think I’m wearing bleeding Kate Moss at Topshop. Next year, everyone will think I’m wearing two seasons old bleeding Kate Moss at Topshop. Two years time, perhaps the fashion world with its attention span of a gnat might have forgotten all about Kate Moss at Topshop (or perhaps Kate Moss herself, we can but hope).But my dress will still be tainted by the association and I resent the fact that I will always have to think carefully about whether to wear it or not. To sell it now would be to cash in. To sell next year, well no one will want the same problems I would have. But really, I don’t want to sell it. I bought it for me, and it fits me like it was stitched to my body.

Yours truly in the original dress

Fashion Icon of the Moment: Françoise Hardy

1960s, british boutique movement, fashion icon of the moment, Foale and Tuffin, Françoise Hardy, Paco Rabanne


Françoise Hardy – Lank Haired Goddess
‘Another pouting French goddess??’, I hear you cry? Françoise Hardy is a cut above your average though. An extraordinarily talented singer and songwriter, Françoise charmed audiences throughout Europe in the Sixties. With her long, heavily fringed brown hair and youthful ‘ye ye’ music style, she was quite a radical figure on the French music scene along with Serge Gainsbourgh and her future husband, Jacques Dutronc.


Her style developed from slightly mousey, minimalist Parisian girl to a proper Swinging Sixties Chick who wore clothes by the likes of Foale and Tuffin and Paco Rabanne. She’s also managed to grow old gracefully, and remains a stunningly beautiful, elegant woman. Françoise Hardy, we salute you!

If you can’t afford the car, try this instead…

1960s, alice pollock, british boutique movement, celia birtwell, ossie clark, radley, twiggy

Certainly a worthy recipient of the name Lamborghini, just look at the sleek lines and general aesthetically pleasing-ness of it all. Ossie was one of the main proponents of the trouser suit, and this swiftly became one of his most iconic pieces once Twiggy wore the ‘couture’ original. It was also produced for Radley in the first year of their collaboration with Ossie and Alice Pollock, successfully showing that their designs could easily be manufactured more affordably.

It’s a real stunner. From the classic Ossie suit tailoring (often overlooked in favour of the dresses) in champagne satin, to Celia Birtwell’s chinoiserie print trousers. I must confess that the chinoiserie is one of my favourites, it just works so well on satin! Although obviously Ossies are born to be worn, this beauty is certainly a collector’s dream and a rare museum quality piece by one of the most revered designers this country has ever had. Wearable art.

Musings on vintage…

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Someone posted a mini questionnaire over at the Vintage Fashion Guild forums about vintage and its popularity. For some reason best known only to my tired but inspired fingers, I actually came up with some answers. I often get bored with talking about it, sometimes the mere mention of the word ‘vintage’ can make me want to crash headfirst back into bed in the morning. Just the word, mind….not the frocks. I’m mainly interested in the clothes and the history – I’m not terribly inspired by ‘trends’ and I often get frustrated by the commercialization of vintage (Topshop vintage, anyone?). But I thought I’d type what came into my head and here are my answers.

Q:how do you define ‘vintage’?

A:The lines are so blurred now, with items just one season old often being referred to as vintage. I personally view something as vintage if it somehow encapsulates an era, or even a small aspect of an era. An old dress is an old dress, but what makes it vintage to me is that it should feel ‘of its time’ and have some meaning and/or history. Like the dictionary says, “the class of a dated object with reference to era of production or use”.

Q:why do you believe vintage fashion is increasing in popularity?

A:Because ‘fashion’ is pretty much dead these days. Wearability is rarely taken into consideration, and neither is the variety of shapes and looks of most people in the world. With vintage, you can find the era to which you are best suited and not fear the bi-annual ‘charcoal is the new black’ and size zero debates. You don’t have to be a slave to what the shops are stocking if you know you can find what you want from vintage.

Q:what motivates people to buy vintage clothes?

A:Freedom of choice, and wide range of choice. Quality construction and high end style, usually without the modern high end price tag. Nostalgia for an era you feel an affinity to. Many people also like the idea that it is also a financial investment, it may increase in value but you can enjoy wearing it in the meantime.

Hmmm….

Anyway, I’ve just listed a gorgeous Bus Stop frock over on eBay and there’ll be more goodies to come over this coming week. I’m also lining up some fabulous new pieces for the website, including the iconic Lamborghini trouser suit by Ossie Clark (yes, with a Celia print – hurrah!!) which was famously worn by Twiggy in the late Sixties.