After the explosion of hot pants and vulgar satin knickers, shorts are still with us, but they’ve emerged neater and brighter – put together with layered vests and skimpy sweaters, legs that go on forever and bright vampy shoes or clogs. It’s the only way to be cool this summer.
Photographed by Richard Selby.
Scanned from Honey, June 1971
I told you there was a lot of swimwear in this issue, didn’t I? I’m amazed by these Susan Backhouse pieces. I’ve only ever had one piece by her which is an incredible, voluminous cotton skirt in the style of Vivienne Westwood, so I’m boggling at these skimpy, pop-art inspired swimsuits and bikinis.
Photographed by Elizabeth Huxley. Hair and make-up by Colin Booker.
Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1979.
(Uncredited artist but it looks like it could well be the work of Philip Castle)
Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1979.
C’mon, surely I can have a time-travelling postbox for my birthday?
Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1979.
Shoes by Charles Jourdan. Jewellery from Liberty.
Hair by Michelle at Harambee. Photographed by Peter Barry.
Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1979.
For the budget-conscious with imagination, high fashion is well within reach and, as you can see, many of these crisp, colourful cottons are from surplus and chain stores and even supermarkets. Take a look at Tesco where we picked up an amazing cotton top for only £3.99! We also dressed up the one-time overall by belting the waist, adding masses of jewellery and finishing off with high, strappy shoes.
To prove how good these outfits can look, we shot the photos in Rodeo Drive, a snob area in Beverly Hills. So never turn your nose up at a bargain.
Photographed by Ku Khanh. Hair and make-up by Colin Booker.
Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1979
Photographed by David Bailey for Oliver Goldsmith.
Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1979
Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1979.
As it’s my *cough* 40th *cough* birthday next week, I thought I’d theme a few blog posts to celebrate. So this week, they will all be hailing from the July 1979 issue of 19 Magazine. It’s a fascinating period on the cusp between the decades, which I like to think had some kind of immense bearing on the person I am today. Being July I’m afraid it’s a bit swimsuit-heavy, but it’s also one of the greatest, most creative periods for swimwear which, in the case of Swanky Modes, is almost the purest distillation of their aesthetic.
Photographed by Ku Khanh. Hair and make-up by Colin Booker.
Scanned from 19 Magazine, July 1979.
Illustrated by Leslie Chapman.
Scanned from Petticoat, 24th April 1971.
Liz Eggleston 