Welcome to our celebration of the radical and transformative fashion which exploded onto the streets of Chelsea in the mid-Sixties.
Above: The Apple Boutique's Peacock Room, 94 Baker Street. Photo Karl Ferris 1967
This flamboyant style was embraced by a sub-group of the "Swinging London" set who were becoming turned on and tuned in to the ideals of the emerging counterculture.
These young creative people were some most influential and famous celebrities of the day: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Patti Boyd, Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithfull.
The aesthetic drew upon myriad influences from an enormous range of historical periods and exotic locations. Medieval, Regency, Victorian and early 20th Century fashions were combined with Indian, Arabic, Oriental and Eastern European folk styles in a rich assortment of coloured chiffons, velvets and satins. The clothes were dazzling and extraordinary for both sexes but nothing short of revolutionary for menswear.
Individual self expression was paramount. The entire aesthetic captured in Oscar Wilde's proclamation written above the door at Granny Takes a Trip.............
"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.”
Beautiful People
The Boutique in 1960's Counterculture
The Exhibition
The show at the Bermondsey Fashion & Textile Museum will feature fabulous and rare examples from era-defining stores, examining the shared free spirit of Granny Takes A Trip, Hung On You, Apple, Biba, Mr Fish, Dandie Fashions and Alice Pollock, Ossie Clark & Celia Birtwell at Quorum.
Due to the COVID19 outbreak the museum is currently closed .
Beautiful People, originally scheduled to open in July 2020, has been postponed and the new dates are:
3 September 2021 – January 2022
But until then we want to tempt you with a taste of what is to come.......