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About Me: mabverick( 405Feedback score is 100 to 499) About Me

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1970 evening dress, Lachasse, English
Deep blue chiffon with polychrome silk embroidery
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c.1660(?) beaded silk panel, English.
Possibly the oldest piece in the collection.
A British private collection of costume and textiles from the late 17th century to the late 20th century 		Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
1950 summer dress, Horrockses, English
Print cotton. Note intricate bodice construction

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1887 dinner dress by Elise and c.1780 robe a la polonaise, both English
The delicate silk taffeta robe a la polonaise is the oldest woman's gown in the collection. Its name comes from the distinctively draped-up folds of the skirt. The cream satin bustled dinner dress, over a century newer, was made by the premier London couture house of Elise, patronised by Princess Alexandra of Wales (who later became Queen Alexandra, Edwardian style icon). Its dramatic, pure simple lines and overskirt draped over a quilted underskirt romantically reflect the styles of the 18th century. Inspiration from the past is nothing new...



Just a hop, just a click, just a jump...
Click on any header below to jump to that section!
1: It all begins here!
2: Details!
3: Fabrics!
4: The British Boutique Movement!
5: A Final Cavalacade Of Stars




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1820 woman's pelisse, English
1880s dress bodice, English
1892 Roger et Gallet evening gown, Paris
Everything has a beginning!
In 1989, the Collection was launched when a ten year old boy brought home a 1880s green silk and brown velvet bodice, buttoning down the front with many silver buttons containing pressed velvet pansies, trimmed with cord and lace and beautifully cut. (That's her on the left side of the screen.). My lifelong fascination with wonderful textiles, striking style, and dress history had taken itself one step further. Fifteen years down the line, that single bodice, swiftly joined by my great-grandmother's 1905 walking coat, has proved to be the starting point of a not-quite-so-small collection of over 2,000 pieces of antique and vintage clothing.

Just a temporary custodian...
The collection seems almost more than just a hobby. It is a passion. If I don't look after these beautiful, immensely personal, amazingly vulnerable pieces of history, and preserve what I can of their stories, who will? How thrilling, for example, to be able to bring out a 1920 shawl that belonged to the first Cornishwoman to own her own motorbike!

Rescue! Recognition! Redeemal!
One of my most precious pieces is a c.1820 woman's pelisse. It is the only extant example of a Regency velvet pelisse that I know of, and I chanced upon it just in time to save it. On the verge of becoming a bundle of rags, the stitching had perished in the skirt and the highly unique military trimming on the bodice was falling away. I originally thought it was a greenery-yallery aesthetic dress from the 1900s,but once I'd carefully disentangled the pieces and gently reassembled it, and looked at it, I had a "oh my god" moment, one of those episodes I will remember all my life. After a visit to an experienced needlewoman who restored it by gently handsewing all the perished seams and resecuring the trimmings, its beauty and rarity could once more be appreciated by a wider audience. Episodes like this are not everyday, but they aren't uncommon.

Not just old clothes
This year (that's 2004, at the time of writing) I have had three big "oh my god" moments. One was finding a 1780s satin gown marked "Unusual Victorian Overdress" in a London vintage shop, nestling amongst 50s frocks. The second was finding a pristine 20s Babani jacket amongst polyester shirts and acrylic sweaters in a "recycled clothes" shop. The third was finally achieving a long-held dream, and having the chance to acquire a genuine Elsa Schiaparelli couture piece for my collection. The day I unwrapped the Fall-Winter 1949 dress and actually held, in my hands, my very own Schiaparelli, was one of the happiest days of my collecting life.




Details!
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From top to bottom:
1928-30 Vitaldi Babani evening jacket, Paris.
Black satin embroidered throughout with flame coloured metallic Beauvais embroidery.
1965 Belinda Bellville wedding dress, London
White moire with trompe l'oeil necklace and bracelet cuffs made from fantasy gemstones and flower-moulded sequins. This dress was selected to be shown at the summer exhibition at Goldsmith's Hall in 2004.
c.1885 skating jacket, English
Black silk plush richly decorated with embroidered rust and blue appliqu 		Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

From top to bottom, left to right:
1939 woman's suit, English.
Navy worsted with coral glass beaded tigerlilies and butterflies.
1998 Alexander McQueen for Givenchy pantsuit, Paris
Finely striated green wool with scattered leaf embroidery.
Winter 1950 Maggy Rouff ensemble, American
A French couture design made up by US ready-to-wear company Puritan Forever Young. Rayon crepe with fine soutache embellishment.
1928 Molyneux dress and jacket ensemble, Paris
Fine brown and cream check mousseline with bias cut inset bands for accent.


Fabrics!
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From top to bottom, left to right:
1968-70 Pucci-style print velveteen used by Graham Price.
1960 novelty print cotton sundress, sunglasses & beach hat theme.
1975 quilted & wadded polka dot cotton used by Diorling.
1969 patinated bronze corduroy with Persian print, Laura Ashley.
1985 newsprint collage fabric featuring popular stars.
1846 roller printed wool challis with ombr motifs, British.
1955 novelty print cotton, international air travel theme.
1970 featherweight silk chiffon, sky blue shot with white, Norman Hartnell
1972 Celia Birtwell textile, printed on lightweight moss crepe.



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1972 Ossie Clark & Celia Birtwell summer evening dress.
An Ossie Clark design for Radley, in lightweight flirty rayon crepe chiffon, double layered skirt, brassiere bodice with rouleaux ties on shoulder straps.
The British Boutique Movement!

It's lively. It's young. It's hip. It's happening. It was 30 years ago.

It's my weakness.

I barely squeak into the category of being a 70s baby - being only 5 months old when the 80s started. Yet the fashion scene of 60s and 70s London holds a great fascination for me. The liveliness, the life, the verve, the vigour. The young people designing clothes for young people. A world where Ossie was king, and there was a bevy of talented girls being very busy indeed.

I'm always looking out for anything from the Britique Movement to fill in gaps or complement other items in this particular sub-collection, and was recently thrilled to acquire an early '66, pre-Fulham Road Zandra Rhodes/Sylvia Ayton shorts suit featuring a very idiosyncratic Zandra "Teddy Bears" print. Other stars of this collection include a 1971 Zandra Rhodes from her second solo collection, one of Ossie Clark's famous Lamborghini suits and a very beautiful Celia Birtwell print Ossie frock (illustrated left), a very representative Gina Fratini group, some terrific Quants, both Ginger Group and Gold Label, two fabulous Alice Pollock dresses, a wide range of Bus Stop frocks and separates, and two minidresses from Twiggy's short-lived boutique. But any true British Boutique fan knows that the fabulousness never stops, and that thrilling pieces are always going to come along. Like the wonderful Miss Mouse bias-cut satin gown with Commedia dell'Arte print and the perfect Bill Gibb knitted cardigan with fringed sash, both of which filled hitherto unrepresented gaps in the collection.

I wonder what's going to turn up next?
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Left to right: 1975 Lee Bender skirt suit, cotton. 1972 Gina Fratini party dress, embroidered muslin, organza, linen, antique lace. 1970 Mary Quant mini-length coat, wool. 1971 Zandra Rhodes gown,"Hands and Flowers" print wool muslin. 1970 Alice Pollock evening dress, midnight blue chiffon.


Some Superstars from the Last 55 Years In The Collection
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Left to right: 1955 Dior Y-Line cocktail suit. c.1950 Victor Stiebel evening gown. Fall-Winter 1949 Schiaparelli afternoon dress. 1952 Horrockses dance dress and day jacket. 1968 Louis Feraud tricolore wool dress. 1969 Ossie Clark 'Lamborghini' suit. 1997 Alexander McQueen for Givenchy Couture tailored trouser suit. 1985 Pierre Cardin Couture sculptural evening dress. Winter 2000 Alexander McQueen designer showpiece gown, heavy wool felt.
The above page is maintained by: mabverick( 405Feedback score is 100 to 499) About Me

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