RIP Flick Colby
Posted: May 31, 2011 Filed under: flick colby, legs and co, pan's people, picture spam, ruby flipper, seventies fashion 7 Comments »
Flick Colby, genius choreographer and creator of my beloved Pan’s People, Ruby Flipper and Legs & Co. dance troupes, has very sadly lost her battle with cancer at the age of 65. As with so many creative legends, the real tribute is in their body of work – and what a body of work Flick had! Here are some favourite photos and performances (Flick’s own performances, prior to bowing out from the dancing, are limited because of the BBC’s wanton destruction of their archives in the Seventies). Rest in peace, beautiful lady.
Inspirational Images: John Bates & Frederick Fox
Posted: May 28, 2011 Filed under: 1970s, barry lategan, frederick fox, Inspirational Images, john bates, Vogue 4 Comments »
Hat by Frederick Fox for John Bates. Painted silk frill by John Bates.
Photo by Barry Lategan. Vogue, June 1976
Inspirational Images: Summer softened in silk and voile
Posted: May 27, 2011 Filed under: 1970s, hans feurer, Inspirational Images, just looking, stop the shop, vanity fair 8 Comments »
Dress by Just Looking
From Vanity Fair, July 1971. Photographs by Hans Feurer
Dress by Stop the Shop
Goodies Galore
Posted: May 26, 2011 Filed under: annacat, bus stop, horrockses, jean varon, john bates, lee bender, mary quant, simon massey, wallis, website listings 5 Comments »
No, no, no! Not those Goodies, these goodies….
Rare pink felt hat by Lee Bender for Bus Stop
Have you ever had that feeling, that tight feeling in your chest when you think about all the various things you are required to do in a short space of time. It paralyses you, and makes the situation ten times worse. I suffer from this unnamed syndrome. Sometimes it causes me to be a bit behind in updating my website. I would hate for anyone to think that I’m lazy or too busy living some incredible jet-setting lifestyle. I mean, I would like to be doing the latter, who wouldn’t? But the truth is more boring than that.
Anyway, this week has somehow generated a flurry of website listings, and I thought I ought to share them with you. They include: a very, very rare piece of Bus Stop history in the form of a bright pink felt hat, an incredible Annacat prised from my personal collection in an attempt to regain control of my living space (this ambition is perpetually unfulfilled), an adorable printed cotton Horrockses dress, one of the most fabulous John Bates dresses I’ve seen and a super sexy emerald green lurex halter top by Mary Quant. But that’s just the big guns. There’s plenty of other pieces to tempt your tastebuds (I hope).
early Sixties Wallis Shops waffle-textured cotton sheath dress
mid Sixties hot pink and gold shot matelasse shift dress
Mensday: Rave on the Ocean Wave
Posted: May 25, 2011 Filed under: 1960s, Mensday, menswear, six, sunday times magazine, terylene, Vintage Adverts 4 Comments »
I’m not entirely sure where to start with this image, so I’m not going to. The copy doesn’t even really make sense, but it certainly makes me laugh. Poor Diana; that can’t be a comfortable pose for being towed, and she’s surrounded by twerps!
Hotpant Sweetener/Tangerine Dream
Posted: May 23, 2011 Filed under: 1970s, glam rock, hotpants, Vintage Adverts 6 Comments »
Personally, I think artificial sweeteners are the very devil, but I cannot deny the fabulousness of the photograph they’ve used to promote their evil ways (yes, yes, I know it’s from 1971, but still…). The bed reminds me of my grandparents’ bed (which I always coveted in a slightly Bedknobs and Broomsticks kind of way), I love the light fitting, mirrors and of course the clothes go without saying.
Inspirational Images: John Bates catwalk show, 1975
Posted: May 21, 2011 Filed under: 1970s, catwalk, ernestine carter, Inspirational Images, john bates 4 Comments »
1975. Scanned from 20th Century Fashion by Ernestine Carter.
Perfect Eyeliner: Ludmila Savelyeva
Posted: May 19, 2011 Filed under: 1960s, avedon, eyeliner, Inspirational Images, ludmila savelyeva, Make-up, Vogue 9 Comments »
Ludmila Savelyeva. Photographed by Avedon. Vogue, June 1969
Eyeliner, done properly, can be a work of art.
Mensday: Rockangel Michael
Posted: May 18, 2011 Filed under: glam rock, Mensday, mick ronson, picture spam 8 Comments »
Nights with the city lights, only after dark
Run like the wonder way, only after dark
Won’t you disappear into midnight again
Why don’t you come, why won’t you come
Why won’t you fly, fly, fly with me
Sweet elusive fate will be our company
Ring out the vamp in me, only after dark
Moon sinful as can be, only after dark
It’s wrong to feel so free, only after dark
Only you do it to me, only after dark
Why don’t you come, why won’t you come
Why won’t you fly, fly, fly with me
Sweet elusive fate will be our company
Only After Dark by Mick Ronson
A long, long time ago…
Posted: May 17, 2011 Filed under: 1970s, celia birtwell, Illustrations, Ms Peelpants' rants, ossie clark, peter robinson, topshop, Vogue 9 Comments »…Topshop didn’t exist. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. It sprang from the loins of the Peter Robinson department store, which was originally located near the present Oxford Circus flagship site. Like a greedy devil child, it surpassed and devoured its progenitor.
This rant is brought to you by this gorgeous illustration from Vogue, April 1970. If only I could saunter up to Oxford Circus, enter an old-fashioned department store and buy myself such a delicious Ossie Clark dress today, I’d be a happy lady.
