nicolasvintageboutiques

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Thursday, November 15, 2012

FEATHERSTONE VINTAGE - BRITISH BOUTIQUE COLLECTION

Posted on 1:36 PM by ergeg


If you are looking for original and hard to find labels such as Mr. Freedom, Biba, and Jeff Banks then check out the British Boutique Collection at Featherstone Vintage.



BIBA - 70's Striped Wool Jersey Pant Suit

You will also find iconic designers such as Courreges, Ceil Chapman, Marimekko and Yves Saint Laurent.  

Featherstone Vintage is currently having a store wide 25% off sale!




Read More
Posted in Biba, British Boutique Movement, Bus Stop, chelsea cobbler, featherstone vintage, gerald mccann, Jean Varon, Jeff Banks, lee bender, mr.freedom, nigel lofthouse, radley | No comments

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Mr Freedom

Posted on 9:01 PM by ergeg
Tommy Roberts opened his first boutique on Carnaby Street in 1966 called "Kleptomania." It mainly sold vintage clothing along with clothes from India.


In 1969 Roberts and his business partner Trevor Myles decided to open Mr Freedom . A boutique which sold both clothing and furniture.

Sailor Inspired Suit, 1974


Inside Mr Freedom, 1970
The fashions echoed pop art culture. Bright blocks of colour were often used.
1969 Jacket
(courtesy of http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/)

The boutique began to attract many customers such as Pablo Picasso and the Rolling Stones.

Around 1974 Tommy Roberts decided to open a bigger shop called "City Lights." He left Myles to turn the boutique into "Paradise Garage" which sold Hawaiian shirts and dungarees.


Read More
Posted in Kings Rd, Mr Freedom, Pablo Picasso, Seventies Fashion, Sixties Fashion, The Rolling Stones | No comments

Friday, June 6, 2008

Jeff Banks

Posted on 4:41 PM by ergeg
Jeff Banks was another prominent British designer. He first came into the fashion business in 1964 by opening a boutique in London called "Clobber." It housed the works of designers such as Ossie Clark, Janice Wainwright and Jean Muir. Soon after Banks started designing for the shop. In the 70's he got into mass retail with his "Warehouse" label and remains to design today.


Here is a sample of his work:

Late 60's Velvet Mini Dress for Clobber, £85
http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/


1968 Dress Worn by Sandie Shaw

(courtesy of the V & A Museum)


Late 60's Chenille Coat for Clobber, £145
http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/


Floral Lace Blouse, sold for £75
(courtesy of http://www.c20vintagefashion.co.uk/)


Patch Work Dress, sold for £195
(courtesy of http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/)


Rayon Belted Dress, sold for £175
(courtesy of http://www.c20vintagefashion.co.uk/)

70's Forties Inspired Suit

(http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/)


Early 70's Viscose Dress, £175

(http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/)


70's Dress for W1 Boutique
(courtesy of Lester Vintage, http://myworld.ebay.ca/lestervintage/)

70's W1 Boutique Dress

70's Art Deco Blouse, £75
http://www.c20vintagefashion.co.uk/

Read More
Posted in British Boutique Movement, Clobber, Janice Wainwright, Jean Muir, Jeff Banks, Ossie Clark, Sandie Shaw | No comments

Friday, December 21, 2007

Janice Wainwright

Posted on 9:19 PM by ergeg

In 1940 Janice Wainwright was born in Chesterfield, England. Janice attended three post secondary schools throughout her lifetime: Wimbledon School of Art(now Wimbledon College of Art), Kingston School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London


60's Cut-Out Mini Dress, sold for £125


In 1965 Janice started working for the label "Simon Massey."

60's Janice for Simon Massey Mini Dress
(http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/)

1968 Rayon Dress, retailed at Sidney Smith Boutique
(courtesy of V & A Museum and Museum of Costume, Bath )


She soon became highly respected by world-renowned designer, Ossie Clark. It has been documented that she was the only designer besides Ossie himself to be permitted use to Celia Birtwell's textiles in the 60's.


60's Purple Velvet Waistcoat


In 1969 Janice stopped working for Simon Massey. It wasn't until 1970 that she started designing under her own label, 'Janice Wainwright at Forty Seven Poland Street.' Janice's work in the 70's was a lot more sophisticated then her youthful designs of the 60's.

70's Green Dress


Embroidery became a signature of Janice's work during the 'Poland Street' era. Her work became a lot more intricate, focusing more on detail. She continued to work under that label until 1974 where she switched simply to 'Janice Wainwright.'


70's Embroidered Jacket


Janice's love in detail heightened in the mid 70's. Although, she returned to the simpler silhouette's and designs in the late 70's. She continued the pattern all throughout the 80's.



( all images on this post were supplied by http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/ unless stated otherwise)

Read More
Posted in British Boutique Movement, Celia Birtwell, Janice Wainwright, Ossie Clark, Sixties Fashion | No comments

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Aristos

Posted on 7:47 PM by ergeg
In 1966 fashion designer Aristos Constantinou opened the very first "Aristos" boutique. It was located on Carnaby Street like many of the other great boutiques of the era.



In 1971 Aristos and his brother Achilleas went into business together to form "Ariella Fashions." The clothing labels then changed from simply just "Aristos" to "designed by Aristos."


Late Sixties Suede Mini Dress, £145
(picture courtesy of http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/, currently available at http://www.sixtiespop.co.uk/)

The company greatly expanded in the 70's. After new locations on Carnaby Street, Oxford Street, Duke Street and Newburgh Street, Punch Magazine named Aristos "the power of Carnaby Street."

1970's Silk Chevron Dress
(courtesy of http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/)

70's Mushroom Dress

(courtesy of www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk)


70's Novelty Print Dress

(courtesy of www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk)

Aristos eventually became a wholesale label that sold to large retailers. In 1974 there were already 9 different branches including stores in the USA and Switzerland.

1970's Chiffon Dress
(currently for sale at http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/emmapeelpants/)

The label continued until 1985 when Aristos was shot to death. Although, the name was still running in the wholesale division. Throughout the 80's and 90's Ariella Fashion received many fashion awards and Achilleas kept his place in fashion by founding important organizations such as the British Fashion Council.


(Sorry I have not posted in so long! I have been working on a Biba article. I just need to get some facts straightened out before I can post it.)

Read More
Posted in Aristos, British Boutique Movement, Sixties Fashion | No comments

Friday, March 23, 2007

Apple Boutique

Posted on 5:53 PM by ergeg

In the early sixties three Dutch fashion designers named Josje Leeger, Marijke Koeger and Simon Posthua opened the clothing boutique "The Trend" in Amsterdam. Even though it was a success it was closed due to financial problems.

The three designers settled in London after traveling throughout Europe. It was there that they met and teamed up with designer Barry Finch along with his manager Simon Hayes. The group named themselves "The Fool" after the Joker in Tarot Cards.


"The Fool"



Josje Leeger met model Pattie Boyd at Mantagu Square where Ringo Star, band mate of Pattie's husband George Harrison owned a Town House. Pattie loved Josje's designs so much that she mentioned her in an interview and offered to model her creations.



Pattie modelling Josje's designs, August 1967


Pattie wasn't the only person in the Beatles family that "The Fool"'s work appealed too. John Lennon reportedly declared "This is where I want to live" after walking in to their home. He then got them to paint and design his piano and his Gibson guitar. George Harrison also had "The Fool" paint his fireplace.



George Harrison's Fire Place

In September 1967 The Beatles opened a clothing boutique at 94 Baker Street as apart of the new Apple Corps empire. They decided to give "The Fool" £100,000 to design and stock the store. The Fool gathered a group of art students to help them paint the exterior. This angered business owners near by and brought in many complaints. The Beatles themselves were in charge of the interior. Paul McCartney would come in the mornings and ask the workers to change around the store, John would then come in later and order everything to be moved back.

The exterior of Apple Boutique, painted by "The Fool"

In December 1967 Apple Boutique held its opening night. Apple juice was handed out to guests as they walked in. Inside there was a fashion show and circus acts. This is thought to be the first time John Lennon was publicly seen with future wife Yoko Ono.


Opening Night Invitation



John Lennon's childhood friend Pete Shotton became the new manager, he was helped by George Harrison's sister-in-law Jennie Boyd. Other staff were Caleb who slept under the showcase during breaks and a woman who dressed daily in authentic gypsy costume.



Jennie Boyd inside Apple

The boutique ran into problems when Pete discovered that "The Fool" had purchased thousands of pounds worth of luxurious fabrics. The clothes would cost a lot more to make then they would be sold for. When John Lennon was confronted about this he shrugged it off saying, "Oh, let them do what they want. We're not business freaks, we're artists... if we don't make and money, what does it matter?"
Pete Shotton ended up quiting after 2 months. The store had huge changing rooms that were perfect for shop lifters and the designs seemed to be last years fashions.

Pattie Boyd and others model Apple's fashions

In only 7 months Apple had lost almost £200,000. Jon Lyndon, the new manager threatened to ban "The Fool" from the store if they charged any more debts to Apple. They were forced to remove the outside mural and it now was pure white and declared that you were at Apple above the windows.

On July 30th 1968 the Apple staff were told to open the doors the next day and give the stock away. John and Yoko were the first to go through the store, they walked away with arms full of merchandise that they piled into John's Rolls Royce. Paul found one jacket and Ringo said he couldn't find anything that fit. The giveaway was publicised in the newspaper and the next morning there was a line up outside the store three blocks long. There was no limit to how much stock people could take. It was so busy that they opened the basement so that customers could go right out the other side.

"We decided to close down our Baker Street shop yesterday and instead of putting up a sign saying, 'Business will be resumed as soon as possible', and then auction off the goods, we decided to give them away. The shops were doing fine and making a nice profit on turnover. So far, the biggest loss is in giving the things away, but we did that deliberately. We're giving them away - rather than selling them to barrow boys - because we wanted to give rather than sell. Originally, the shops were intended to be something else, but they just became like all the boutiques in London. They just weren't our thingy. The staff will get three weeks' pay but if they wish they'll be absorbed into the rest of Apple. Everyone will be cared for."

- Paul McCartney


Read More
Posted in Apple Boutique, British Boutique Movement, Jenny Boyd, Pattie Boyd, Sixties Fashion, The Beatles, The Fool | No comments

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Quorum

Posted on 5:15 PM by ergeg

Alice Pollock opened the boutique "Quorum" in 1964. In 1965 Ossie Clark along with his wife, Celia Birtwell joined her.


1965 dress by Ossie Clark



Most of the stores designs were by Ossie and Alice, where as Celia would design the textiles. Many of the clothes sported op-art prints and short hemlines, which were very popular at the moment.


1965 Alice Pollock design

1965 Ossie Clark design

Quorum was known to have extravagant fashion shows. Celebrity's such as The Beatles would attend these.

By the late 60's the hem lines became longer and the designs more romantic.

1969 Ossie Clark design, print by Celia Birtwell

Despite how successful Quorum had become the store fell into debt and was sold to Radley in 1969. All three designers continued their career into the 70's.

Read More
Posted in Alice Pollock, British Boutique Movement, Celia Birtwell, Ossie Clark, Quorum, Sixties Fashion | No comments
Older Posts Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Aristos
    In 1966 fashion designer Aristos Constantinou opened the very first "Aristos" boutique. It was located on Carnaby Street like many...
  • Annacat
    I am just starting to learn about the boutique Annacat, so I will try and supply you with as much information as I can scrounge up. Annacat ...
  • Quorum
    Alice Pollock opened the boutique "Quorum" in 1964. In 1965 Ossie Clark along with his wife, Celia Birtwell joined her. 1965 dre...
  • Mr Freedom
    Tommy Roberts opened his first boutique on Carnaby Street in 1966 called "Kleptomania." It mainly sold vintage clothing along wit...
  • Foale and Tuffin
    I'm going to start off with a series of articles on different fashion labels that were apart of the 60's British Boutique Movement. ...
  • FEATHERSTONE VINTAGE - BRITISH BOUTIQUE COLLECTION
    If you are looking for original and hard to find labels such as Mr. Freedom, Biba, and Jeff Banks then check out the  British Boutique Colle...
  • Gina Fratini
    Gina Fratini started out her career as a designer for films and theater. Then in 1964 she began her own label. She was known for her fun, r...
  • Boutique Video
    If you have been enjoying these posts then be sure to check out this video: http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/1960s/sixtiesfashion/in...
  • Janice Wainwright
    In 1940 Janice Wainwright was born in Chesterfield, England. Janice attended three post secondary schools throughout her lifetime: Wimbledon...
  • John Bates
    John Bates started his career as an apprentice at Herbert Sidon in the late 50's. Around 1960 he was asked to start the label Jean Varon...

Categories

  • Alice Pollock
  • Annacat
  • Apple Boutique
  • Aristos
  • Biba
  • British Boutique Movement
  • Bus Stop
  • Carnaby St
  • Celia Birtwell
  • chelsea cobbler
  • Clobber
  • Eric Clapton
  • featherstone vintage
  • Foale and Tuffin
  • gerald mccann
  • Gina Fratini
  • Granny Takes a Trip
  • Hung On You
  • I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet
  • Janice Wainwright
  • Jean Muir
  • Jean Varon
  • Jeff Banks
  • Jenny Boyd
  • John Bates
  • Kings Rd
  • lee bender
  • Marion Foale
  • Mr Freedom
  • mr.freedom
  • nigel lofthouse
  • Ossie Clark
  • Pablo Picasso
  • Pattie Boyd
  • Pink Floyd
  • Quorum
  • radley
  • Sally Tuffin
  • Sandie Shaw
  • Seventies Fashion
  • Sixties Fashion
  • The Beatles
  • The Fool
  • The Rolling Stones
  • The Who
  • Thea Porter
  • Videos

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2012 (1)
    • ▼  November (1)
      • FEATHERSTONE VINTAGE - BRITISH BOUTIQUE COLLECTION
  • ►  2008 (2)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  June (1)
  • ►  2007 (12)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  March (3)
    • ►  February (7)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

ergeg
View my complete profile