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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
1973 Vogue magazine featured this quintessential Ossie Clark ensemble in the issue of April 1972. Ossie Clark was one of Britain's most influential fashion designers in the 1960s and 1970s. Mrs John Ritblat has been purchasing selected highlights from couture and ready-to-wear collections since the 1960s. In 1997 she donated much of this wardrobe to the V&A. Her gift included this Clark ensemble. Its exuberant Celia Birtwell print and flowing silhouette are typical of Clark's designs in the early 1970s.
vam.ac.uk
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
1971 This trouser and top ensemble epitomises the work of Ossie Clark. He was one of Britain's most influential fashion designers in the 1960s and 1970s. Trousers were an Ossie Clark hallmark, and he designed many variations throughout his career. He used fabric designed by his wife Celia Birtwell for almost all his clothes. The pattern you can see here is a stripe and leaf design. Clark chose delicate chiffon for the top, which has an exaggerated bow at the neck. The chiffon is provocatively sheer. The top is also open down the midriff, offering an alluring glimpse of the wearer's skin.
vam.ac.uk
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
1969 Ossie Clark used the 'Floating Daisy' print along with a larger floral for this ensemble. The 'Floating Daisy' design had a bold graphic quality. This made it easy for Clark to adapt it for his lower-priced 'Ossie Clark for Radley' range. In 1970 you could have bought this ensemble for around £140. The Radley version would have cost you £30.
vam.ac.uk
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
Last edited by SomethingElse; 29-06-2007 at 06:03 PM.
1970 Ossie Clark designed this coat. He was one of Britain's most influential fashion designers in the 1960s and 1970s. Clark used fabrics designed by his wife, the textile designer Celia Birtwell. For this coat Clark chose 'Floating Daisy', one of Birtwell's best-known textiles. A complementary grid pattern flatters the collar, cuffs and bodice. The coat's trim shape demonstrates Clark's skill at accentuating the female form.
vam.ac.uk
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
Eija Verkaho wearing Ossie Clark Fashions, 1967. By Robert Whitacker
bbc.co.uk
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
"Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy" shows British fashion designer Ossie Clark and his wife, fabric designer Celia Birtwell. By David Hockney -
retrotogo.com
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
Completely iconic Lamborghini pant suit by Ossie Clark. This piece was originally produced under his own name label, but was one of the first designs to also be produced under the Radley label. They originally created near perfect copies, using the same fabrics and techniques, so you can be sure that an early Ossie for Radley is going to be pretty much identical to the 'couture' pieces. This suit was designed c.1968 and produced by Radley in 1969. It was also famously worn by Twiggy, as shown in the image below:
The jacket is beautifully tailored in a champagne gold satin with Ossie's trademark rounded collar, buttoned up the front and with perfectly placed diagonal pockets on the sides. The trousers are also wonderfully tailored in Celia's chinoiserie print satin, with a high waist and a fairly straight leg (neither flared nor tapered). I haven't seen too many Lamborghini suits floating around, but each one seems to have a different print placement on the trousers, and I must confess that this version is my favourite. You get a lot more of the dark section, with the perfectly placed zig zag and checked sections around the bottom. Ossie was one of the most famous proponents of the trouser suit for women, and it has the added cachet of the Twiggy connection - so all in all, this suit is a museum quality Ossie. Definitive but also very wearable!
vintage-a-peel.co.uk
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
Working with his fabric designer wife, Celia Birtwell, Ossie Clark was at the pinnacle of British fashion from the mid-1960s thru the mid-1970s. He's shown here with model Chrissy Shrimpton (Mick Jagger's girlfriend) in a David Bailey photograph (from "Ossie Clark 1965 - 1974" by Judith Watt).
cathyofcalifornia.typepad.com
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
Black satin wrap-over dress, early 1970s, labelled Ossie Clark, size 8, with low-back, tie belt.
kerrytaylorauctions.com
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
His prints are my long-time obsession .. I remember reading an article about him in Vanidades when I was 11 or 12 and falling in love with his hippie-esque designs.. at the time, it all seemed to distant but I'm now able to see how foward some of his work is even to this day.. and how his aesthetic has influenced an overwhelming number of modern designers..
thanks for the thread and the lovely images, somethingelse!.
some small contribution... I can't think of Ossie Clark and not come immediately to this image in my head:
The name Ossie Clark is practically synonymous with London in the Swinging Sixties. His designs were worn by Twiggy, and Mick and Bianca Jagger to name just a few.
So highly regarded is his work that the Victoria and Albert Museum in London held a retrospective of his designs in 2003-04. His designs were both exquisite and outrageous, and when combined with the romantic textiles of his wife Celia Birtwell they were quite sensational.
This is an Ossie Clark/Celia Birtwell designed dress, purchased in London in the 1960's. The wrap style dress has a low décolletage, short full sleeves, a sash at the slightly raised waistline, and beautiful pleating at both sides of the skirt. The dress is a deep navy with a small multicolor flower pattern designed by Celia Birtwell. It is as glamorous and wearable today as it was in the 1960's. The dress is in immaculate condition, however the original owner did remove the label to avoid Customs Duties.
katykane.com
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“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it's an open mind” Gail Rubin Bereny
A colourful Ossie Clark/Celia Birtwell for Quorum printed chiffon dress, 1973, labelled, the exuberantly printed gown with neckline that plunges to the waist, ties to the flounced neckline, bust 86-92cm, 34-36in, waist 72cm, 28in; together with the March 1973 Cosmopolitan cover which shows an identical dress being modelled and the inside detail which states that the gown cost £45.