The Boy Friend: Outfit Illustrations

It’s only recently that I’ve realised I’ve got a bit of a thing for fashion illustrations, perhaps I always have, but after sharing those from the Biba Story and then buying those Vogue pattern catalogue pages which I intend to frame, well that’s confirmed it for me.

It won’t be a surprise then that I’ve some more to share, this time from the mini exhibition of The Boy Friend which was on at the Fashion and Textile Museum when we visited last summer.

These illustrations look to have more of a collage approach to them - the skimpy outfit above with treble clef motifs on the triangular-bikini like top, show this - though the headdress looks to be larger than the skirt, but maybe that’s a perspective thing, not just me showing my age!

The red outfit on the left below looks to have the text ‘The Boyfriend - Hortense - Barbara Windsor’ in the top right corner, which is intriguing. Hortense was the maid, and it’s only now that I’ve googled it, the part was played by Barbara Windsor, who would have been 34 in 1971.

The sophisticated white trouser suit top right in the photo above, was one of Twiggy’s outfits as the main character Polly Broome. They take wide legged trousers, and flares to a whole new level don’t they?!

Shirley Russell had a fondness for the 1920s, so The Boy Friend must have been the ideal project for her. Twiggy shared Shirley’s love of the era and often joined the Russells for film shows to watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers pictures. She also accompanied Shirley on trips to source original costumes, learning more about the costume history of the period, and started collecting clothes from the period too. I wonder if she still has them?

These last two illustrations are the pixie outfits for Twiggy as Polly Browne and Christopher Gable as Tony (the two main characters), though I’m not sure where these featured, as I’m sure in the finale fancy dress ball they were dressed as Pierrot and Pierrette, I need to find out more clearly!

But these illustrations reminded me of my part in the chorus, for the fancy dress ball I was the jester - thankfully there are no photos I’m willing to share, but my outfit, complete with jester hat with bells on, made in what I remember as itchy brown and mustard material, which also thankfully no longer exists!

Memories that may well have remained well and truly buried had they not been reawakened by these illustrations - I’ll let them off though, it was great to see these illustrations!

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…

The Biba lifestyle brand

The Biba Story exhibition at Zandra Rhodes’ Fashion & Textile museum was definitely worth a visit, and told Barbara Hulanicki’s story through fashion illustrations and some of the wonderful outfits, but it also claimed that Biba was the first world’s lifestyle label, which is quite a claim.

Today our lives are full to the brim of brands which aim to encompass every part of our life, and as with anything some stay around while others come and go. But imagine trailblazing in that area and the reactions you’d get.

As the show notes said ‘Barbara Hulanicki began by ‘dressing the girl in the street; by 1973 she had fashioned Biba into a lifestyle’. The first non-clothing Biba product was a 1967 diary, which included recommendations for other places of interest for Biba customers to visit.

The Biba department store on Kensington High Street had departments for clothes, furnishings, wallpapers and cosmetics all in the distinctive Biba colour palette. By 1973 you could eat, sleep and breathe Biba, from newborn babies to adult, with products for the home and garden - and in-store dining and food for the home too.

And it was great to see some of these items on display.

The display started off as you might expect - a vanity case, some tights and then there were the diaries and address books. An ashtray and matches, plus packs of cards and some lights too - the silver coloured one in the centre caught my eye, reminding me of a lamp I had. On reflection its nothing like this lamp, mine was white ceramic with a frosted glass sphere in front of the female holding up her skirt. I thought it was super elegant, and kept it for many years even though the frosted glass sphere shattered at some point along the way.

Biba was clearly an aspirational brand, just look at those soups: Consommé, Lobster, Vichyssoise, Shark’s Fin, Bird’s Nest and Real Turtle - no mock turtles here! Even the names of those soups transport me back to my childhood, not that I think we ever ate any of those, or maybe we did and it was described by my parents as ‘chicken soup’!

And what decadent jars for the pulses - yellow split peas, chickpeas, red lentils and haricot beans, condiments chutneys, including sweet spiced walnuts.

The booze is also of its time isn’t it - cherry, red currant and blackberry wines (and more which I can’t quite make the labels out), plus of course roasted & salted mixed nuts, or pistachios - all very ‘To the Manor Born’.

But it was the eyeshadow palette that looked most familiar to me, and clearly I’ve never owned one so perhaps mum had one - but as well as the makeup, there’s brushes, creams and potions I’m sure for every conceivable use.

What an absolute discovery of an exhibition, and what a time to experience the start of lifestyle brands as we’re oh so familiar with today.