Reminiscing through the retro clothes of the 1971 Boy Friend film

When we visited the Fashion and Textile Museum to see The Biba Story I was pleased to find a smaller exhibition dedicated to The Boy Friend which included memorabilia and more from the 1971 film by Ken Russell, featuring Twiggy. Of course I’m way too young to remember the film - I was four in 1971 - but much later in 1982 The Boy Friend was our senior school production, so it holds a special memory for me. I didn’t have a big part in our production, but like many of us in the chorus I knew the words to the majority of the songs, and the scenes.

And my biggest claim to fame for the school production? I provided the ‘peasant-style dress’ which Hortense wore in one of the scenes. It came from C&A and I wish it was a dress I’d kept, though of course 1982 was a long time ago, and well, I’m not sure I’m the same size today as I was then!

But you know, memories and all that.

But anyway, back to the exhibition. I knew that Twiggy was in the film, and I knew it was directed by Ken Russell. I didn’t know that his wife Shirley Russell was responsible for the costume design, nor that the fashion at the time was obsessed with a nostalgic glamour, with a camp twinkle in its eye. But I do now.

It was fantastic to see the Pierette and Pierot sketches, they became a big thing in the eighties, with the designs on everything from clothing to bedding, stationery, stickers and more. I had a duvet cover and pillowcase, I remember and I still have a ring binder folder adorned with the design - and I’m sure there was more.

Twiggy’s Pierette dress was remade in her size for the film from an original 1920s costume in Shirley’s collection; these were favourite character costumes for fancy dress which was popular in the 1920s.

One of the exhibition boards said that Shirley’s hunt for original clothing became an all consuming occupation which the whole family were involved in, and she became known as ‘second-hand Rose’ for dressing her five children in vintage clothes, and this at a time when second-hand goods were still tainted with the stigma of poverty, it was a radical fashion statement.

The striped shirt and skirt by Biba in the photo above was from Shirley’s personal wardrobe and fitted perfectly with the 1930’s clothing, which no doubt is the (or one of) the connections for this being shown alongside the Biba Story.

Some of the designs above wouldn’t look out of place in today’s high street - the chevron jumper and 1920s patterned two piece above especially. It was great to reminisce about our senior school production, but I think it’ll be a while before the drop waisted dress, and hopefully the Pierette/Pierot costumes reappear - though never say never, all fashion seems to come around again at some point…

A plot among the chickens

* I was invited to the press preview of Gardeners’ World Live and provided with a pair of tickets to visit the show, therefore all my posts will be marked as 'Ad’ though as usual my views and opinions are very much my own.

At first glance this garden, like all good gardens, doesn’t reveal its secrets straight off, the name gives a clue as does the cockerel weather vane on the arched entrance, but when you look more closely you notice that the wire structure at the front of the garden is actually a chicken run. The chickens have space in the mini barn in the rear left hand corner and a run which enables them to explore an L shape section of the garden, with food and plants to entice them along.

The garden, designed by Ben Shutler, is based on his own allotment and garden and demonstrates how it is possible to keep chickens and grow beautiful flowers alongside edibles in a small space all the while keeping sustainability front of mind. Ben says that chickens are fantastic animals that not only provide eggs, but their waste can be used to create chicken manure compost to add back into the garden. He also loves to share his garden with wild birds too, as the sounds from them and the chickens provide great stress relief and help boost his mental health.

I love the planting in this garden and how it mixes flowers and edibles - that’s definitely something I want to do, but I’m afraid there won’t be any chickens in our garden, while I’m sure they’re great to have I suspect they are also more work than I would want to take on, and anyway, I’ve got the eggs from my local farmer just up the road which is a much better option for me!

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was just as good as I expected! I’ll be sharing more from my visit to the show - I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Strike a pose. Vogue

It’s been a while since I shared my initial plans to create a space to craft, and while it’s worked out well there have been some additions and changes along the way. The pegboards have been excellent for storage in a space that otherwise wouldn’t have been used, and even though they’re in a cupboard it’s great that they keep things so organised.

But actually the biggest game changer has been the additional desk top - and space that provides - that we added earlier in the year. I don’t know why, but now I just seem to get so much more done and without moving piles or stuff, or projects as I like to call them! Maybe that’s why…

I’m still very much liking the plain white walls, though a couple more things have found their home hanging on the walls here - there’s the colour wheel plate which is already up, and I plan to add a picture which I brought back from my travels, or more precisely from my stopover in Singapore way back in 2000, underneath it.

I thought I was done picture wise.

But it turns out I’m not.

As soon as I saw these at my sewing group’s recent stash sale I knew that some would end up on the wall in my craft room. But how many? I guessed three would work, as I think things in odd numbers always look better. But which three? Eventually I narrowed it down and left with these three images from a vintage Vogue pattern catalogue, thought to date back to 1949/50, and I couldn’t be happier.

Each of them makes me smile for many reasons, and not just for the illustrations which in so many ways reminded me of those I shared from the Biba exhibition recently, but also for the memories of flicking through pattern catalogues in shops which have long gone; The Button Shop in South Norwood High Street and Allders in Croydon are just two that spring to mind.

1 The Jacket Dress

This was actually the last of the images I chose, and it was chosen to balance colour-wise alongside the two-piece dress further below, but that wasn’t the only reason. I’m not so good with jackets, and have few in my wardrobe, though I did fall in love and buy one last summer, and I’ve worn that precisely, once!

But as the text says ‘the jacket-dress is a staunch friend of the busy woman who is in a whirl of activities thoughout the day’ - maybe I just don’t have enough whirl to my activities, though of course with this I would!

2 The One-Piece Dress “Easy-To-Make”

Ah yes, the ballgown which is labelled as easy to make. Yes, I’m sure it is if you’re an expert sewer, and maybe that was the market when the catalogue was published. However I loved the drawings, and was quite taken with the pink version, and the tiny waist.

Looking at the sizing table though, and another indication of how things have changed. A size 14 with a 32 bust - today’s size 14 is usually a 38-40 bust.

3 Two-Piece Dress and Detachable Apron

Indeed, it’s what my wardrobe has been missing! Not. This was the one the first caught my eye. The style of the dress itself is hardly dated at all, but the idea of having an ‘apron overskirt’ is a whole other world away isn’t it. It’s a glorious part of history though, and I know all of the illustrations will look great on my wall.

The stash sale itself was a really friendly and sharing event. Everyone was keen to see everyone’s purchases and new treasures. These illustrations drew some admiration, and I got talking to two older ladies who shared that their mothers had ‘done the housework in their Sunday best’ as that’s what was done then, so the apron would have been a useful addition. One lady recalled how her mother used to have a bath in the afternoon, after the housework and before cooking dinner for when her husband arrived home.

I was speaking to my mum shortly after and recalled the stories above, mum retold a story about her nan always having her best underwear on when she went out, even if that was across the road to the shop, just in case she got run over. It gives a lot of credence to the old adage doesn’t it? Anyway, onto framing my pictures.

Framing them

My plan now (or well soon) is to get these custom-framed, as they’re not a standard size so it’s not as simple as just buying a frame, or as cheap! We’ve had some artwork framed since we moved here, but sadly the shop that did this (and did them very well) has now closed, though they recommended another shop in town, so I’ll have to check that one out.

My thoughts are to have a very simple, thin frame. Ideally I’d like a metal frame but I don’t think my budget will stretch to that (but I’m happy to be proven wrong!) so my second choice will be a metallic coloured frame - I’m nothing if not resourceful! But we’ll see. I’ve also worked out that with a narrow frame, all three can hang side by side which is my preference.

So it’s a watch this space, but in the meantime every time I see them I can’t help but smile and think this is the best £3 I’ve probably ever spent.