Good as Gold

1970s, cosmopolitan, Fishberg West One, Hamza Arcan, Illustrations, jewellery
Just for fun jewellery starting at £46.50 for a monkey nut may not be everyone’s idea of a laugh: on the other hand, as this lot comes in 18 carat gold, it’s a decorative way of coping with inflation. Pumpkin £78, cherries £63.50, and gold and ivory banana £66 from Fishberg West One, 16 Marylebone High Street, London W1.

Illustration by Hamza Arcan.

Scanned from Cosmopolitan, June 1974.

Foale and Tuffin

1970s, Foale and Tuffin, Inspirational Images, Peter Knapp, Vogue
Liberty print cotton shirt and pinafore by Foale and Tuffin.

Photographed by Peter Knapp.

Scanned from Vogue, June 1971.

It Happens in Wranglers

19 magazine, 1970s, Vintage Adverts, wrangler

Scanned from 19 Magazine, June 1972.

Maudie James in Ossie Clark

1960s, barry lategan, celia birtwell, hair, Inspirational Images, maudie james, ossie clark, quorum, vidal sassoon, Vogue

Maudie James in an Ossie Clark for Quorum silk chiffon dress with print by Celia Birtwell.

Illustrating ‘The New Hair Colour Story’ with hair by Christopher of Vidal Sassoon.

Photographed by Barry Lategan.

Scanned from Beauty in Vogue, 1969.

What’s On!

1970s, biba, brighton, Browns, carr jones, che guevara, chelsea cobbler, Derber, Elliott, gordon king, Harrods, Inspirational Images, liberty, liberty's, margit brandt, Nik Nik, petticoat magazine, Sally Tuffin, shoes, Tony Norris, van der fransen, Vintage Editorials, way in
Nik Nik cotton shorts. Cotton top with ribbed waist and cuffs by Nik Nik. Biba belt. Shoes by Chelsea Cobbler at Che Guevara. / Nik Nik shirt. Canvas cut off pants by Nik Nik. See through Derber shoes. All Nik Nik clothes are exclusive to Way In, Harrods.

When you think you’ve seen all there is to see about separates, spring turns around and finds a whole new way of doing things! What’s on now? Cotton and cord going to any lengths with pants… soft lawn with tiny prints for shirting and some of the very newest skirts. And we’re giving you ideas about what spring’s all about!

Always lovely to see the West Pier here in Brighton, in all its glory two years before its closure in 1975. For those not familiar with it, the West Pier has had a very sad and protracted demise since then and only the skeleton remains, stranded out at sea. Thankfully, its prettier heyday was well-documented on film and in shoots like this.

Photographed by Tony Norris.

Scanned from Petticoat, 10th March 1973.

Cotton shirt by Nik Nik. Cord boy-scout shorts by Gordon King. Biba scarf. Biba shoes. / Cheesecloth shirt by Nik Nik. Cotton drainpipe pants by Sally Tuffin. Shoes at Che Guevara.
Cape-sleeved rever shirt by Margit Brandt at Carr Jones. Cotton cut-off pants by Nik Nik. Scarf by Van der Fransen. Paul Stephens bracelet. Elliott lace-up shoes. / Left Bank cotton top at Garb. Gordon King pants. Biba bracelet and brooch. Derber shoes.
Cotton smock by Tabu. Canvas pants by Nik Nik. Derber shoes. / Liberty print shirt and Sally Tuffin pants at Browns. Patent slingbacks by Chelsea Cobbler at Che Guevara.
Margit Brandt at Carr Jones shirt. Paul Stephens bangle / Skirt and jersey shirt by Nik Nik. Van der Fransen earrings.
Cheesecloth shirt with zip front by Nik Nik. Pencil skirt by Gordon King. Biba hairslie. High heels with piping by Chelsea Cobbler at Che Guevara. / Cotton smock by Tabu. Check wool plus fours by Gordon King. Scarf by Van der Fransen. Two-tone court shoes by Chelsea Cobbler at Che Guevara.

The Prettiest Prints

1970s, baccarat, caroline charles, Colin Glascoe, Foale and Tuffin, Ginger Group, Harrods, Inspirational Images, Jeany, Kati at Laura Phillips, Liza Spain, mary quant, mr fish, Peter Saunders Catalogue, Vintage Editorials, Woman's Journal
Two of summer’s new romantics, long, loose and floating in Sanghaneri Jaipur voile. Both by Colin Glascoe.

Bunches of summer flowers; delicate patterns and prints; and myriad beautiful shades are the ingredients. Mixed to perfection, they make up this – the prettiest mélange of summer dresses.

Photographed by Jeany.

Hair styles by Susi at Violet Adair.

Scanned from Woman’s Journal, July 1971.

Left: Scoop neck dress of Liberty printed cotton Right: Skirt and long sleeved blouse in Liberty printed cotton, worn with long reversible turncoat. All from Foale and Tuffin.
:eft: Exclusive Rajistani Jaipur hand printed dress on cotton voile from the Peter Saunders Catalogue. Right: Flowered cotton dress by Kati at Laura Phillips.
Long midi skirt and bolero of smoothest cotton velvet provide the perfect setting of this exquisite hand embroidered tapestry designed exclusively for Woman’s Journal. Available from the Art and Needlework Department at Harrods. Full sleeved organza blouse with deep buttoned cuffs by Mr Fish.
Sharply tailored suiy in grey and white Jacquard. The blouse, soft and full, with gathered sleeves and neckline, pours from beneath the jacket into delicate ruffles. By Baccarat.
Left: Spotted pinafore dress of silk over soft, white blouse with full sleeves, by Caroline Charles. Right: Close-fitting midi in sheer cotton voile by Mary Quant Ginger Group.
Both dresses by Liza Spain.

Do or Dye

1970s, bus stop, Fifth Avenue, Herbert Johnson, Honey Magazine, Inspirational Images, kensington market, lee bender, Nike Williams, roger stowell, Sacha, Second Skin, Syndica, Vintage Editorials

Originality being one of the spices of life, isn’t it about time you did a bit of gentle artwork on some of your plainer clothes? We appliquéd satin designs on unadorned cotton T-shirts, but if you haven’t the patience to appliqué clouds with silver linings, how about tie dye instead?

Hoping this gives some inspiration to keep yourself occupied and looking groovy over the next weeks and months of isolation! In all seriousness, I hope all my dear readers are safe and well. Since my Vintage business is on ice for a little while, I have brought magazines home to scan and hope to keep you entertained and offer some escapism (plus there are years of archives to get through!). There will probably be extra stuff over on my Instagram as well so do go and follow me there.

(Instructions on how to copy these designs are at the bottom of the post.)

Set and designs by Nike Williams.

Photographs by Roger Stowell.

Drawings by H. Abbo.

Scanned from Honey, August 1970.

Rising sunset appliquéd onto a plain white jersey vest by Syndica. Shiny satin trousers by Second Skin. Red wet-look boots by Sacha.
Riot of hearts appliquéd on to a long plain black vest dress, Syndica. Beaded leather thonged armband from Bus Stop
White cotton jersey long vest dress by Syndica, tie-dyed yellow with large white circles. Patchwork belt by Fifth Avenue. Beaded thonged rope by Bus Stop. Silk scarf from Kensington Market.
Satin appliquéd steamboat on a plain scarlet cotton jersey tunic, Syndica. Patchwork leather belt from Fifth Avenue. Canvas sunhat by Herbert Johnson. Satin trousers by Second Skin.
Pink cotton jersey tunic, Syndica, tie-dyed plum with a pink border print. Stretchy webbing belt from Fenwicks. Green perspex sunshade from Lillywhites.
Pink button-up vest, Chester Martin, tie-dyed red with pink leaf pattern. Red cotton scarf from Littlewoods. White plastic sunshade from Lillywhites.

Happy Legs

1970s, charles jourdan, cosmopolitan, Inspirational Images, platforms, shoes, Vintage Adverts

I don’t know about my legs, but my feet would certainly be happy to be wearing those incredible shoes which, after a bit of squinting, I have established were made by the legendary Charles Jourdan.

Scanned from Cosmopolitan, April 1973

Avengerswear, elsewhere.

1960s, avengers, avengerswear, diana rigg, emma peel, jean varon, john bates, the avengers

Watching Circus of Fear, a very enjoyable B-movie from 1966 with Christopher Lee and Leo Genn, I noted that the luscious Margaret Lee was briefly seen wearing a piece of John Bates-designed Avengerswear.

Margaret Lee with Maurice Kauffman who, funnily enough, was Honor Blackman’s husband.

This black and white crepe catsuit was worn by Diana Rigg in The Avengers and modelled by Jean Shrimpton (with stunt man Ray Austin) for Vogue in 1965. It was, like all the Avengerswear, available to buy from the shops but these pieces are so rare and I have yet to find this catsuit in all my years of searching.

Dangerous black and white crepe fighting suit by Jean Varon Avengers Collection. Made by Simon Ellis, 13gns. Photographed by David Bailey. Vogue, October 1965.

I am now extremely curious to know whether this was something from Ms Lee’s own wardrobe which she bought herself, or whether the wardrobe supervisor (Charles Guerin) found it – oblivious to the fact that it was already a costume tie-in, or simply hoping that no one would notice. Or an even wilder theory is that it was the actual costume worn by Diana Rigg and already in circulation as a hireable costume. I suppose we may never know, but I thought it worth preserving for posterity.

Avengers collection promo, c. 1965. Scanned from John Bates: British Fashion Designer: The Sensational Years, 1963-1968

Zandra Rhodes’s Lead Sweaters

1970s, Browns, Inspirational Images, Jonvelle, Nell Campbell, Piero de Monzi, Vogue, zandra rhodes

Zandra Rhodes has started doing sweaters, startling sweaters. Designed a black kimono cardigan. Holes for arms to go through, rose pink edge and inset. Nell Campbell, small Australian dancer and actress, wears it, above, with Gamba’s pink wool leg warmers and a pair of black tights. Then, below, hugs Martin Sharp, Australian painter, wears another sweater that’s pink and green on top, huge green sleeved and blue ribbed into ducks’ tails. With this Zandra Rhodes black silk jersey skirt of lampshade frills; at Piero de Monzi. The sweaters, along with others dotty, frilly, fiercely striped, are in her collection at Browns.

Photographed by Jonvelle.

Scanned from Vogue, September 1st 1972.