Pop Boutique

Flashback from  60's Swinging London -a Carnaby Street boutique called Pop, circa 1967

Samson And Delilah

Photo taken in 1968 in men's hairdressing salon Samson And Delilah. I couldn't find any information about where the salon was located...was it London?  Los Angeles, perhaps? Oh well, wherever it was I am sure it was popular. What man wouldn't want to have his hair cut by that girl? I wonder if the outfit she was wearing was a part of standard uniform at Samson and Delilah's...Also, note the amazing psychedelic mural and space-age furniture.  

Dandy In Aspic meets Barbara Hulanicki

 Myself, my girlfriend and Barbara Hulanicki, Brighton, 15.12.12

Yesterday, my girlfriend and I met Barbara Hulanicki, legendary fashion designer and founder of Biba. Ms. Hulanicki was signing copies of her newest book Seamless From Biba at Brighton Museum.

The signing was a part of current exhibition at Brighton Museum, Biba and Beyond.

I am not going to talk about the exhibition, as it's already been covered well on other blogs, but it is a must-see for anybody interested in 1960's fashion.

The choice of Brighton as a location for this exhibition is not an accident. Barbara Hulanicki has strong links to the city. She grew up here, and she studied at Brighton School of Art (now part of University of Brighton).

Brighton also had its own Biba boutique between 1966 and 1968.

 

Poster by graphic artist Chris Price (long-time collaborator of  Barbara Hulanicki, who  contributed largely to Seamless From Biba) comemorating opening of Biba in Brighton in 1966 (first appeared in the book SInBiba in 2004)

Seamless From Biba is a fascinating account of Barbara Hulanicki's hugely succesful post-Biba career. The book contains forewords from long-time friends and collaborators Twiggy, Chris Blackwell, Molly Parkin and Felicity Green.  There are plenty of amazing photographs as well as 'verbal vignettes' by Delisia and Chris Price. Just like the exhibition, the book is a great  account of the career of Barabara Hulanicki - one of the most influential designers of the 20th century.

Our signed copy of Seamless From Biba. We had a lovely little chat with Ms, Hulanicki. She said to my girlfriend: 'I love your face, it's amazing'. Now, isn't it nice?...

Suki Poitier modelling for Ossie Clark, 1968

Too good not to post it...a photo of Suki Poitier (third from the left) modelling for Ossie Clark's Quorum in 1968. I am not sure whether the male models are also wearing Ossie Clark's designs, but, whoever made them, these are very fine examples of the Peacock Style (gent on the far right, that coat is amazing!) and psychedelic/posh hippie style (two other models).

(Photo from personal collection of Ms. Jayme Franklin)

The New Psychedelics Pt. 4 - Freakbeat Fanzine

Today, fanzines are something of a 'dying breed'. In pre-internet days however, every hip scene had one (at least one). Some time ago, I found in second-hand music shop a few issues of the fanzine called Freakbeat. It was a fanzine of London 60's Garage/Psych revival scene from late 80's/early 90's. The issues I got - number 4,5, 6,7 and 8 are from years 1988-1993. As it often happens with fanzines, Freakbeat was not published in any regular intervals of time. The editor-in-chief was a man called Lophophora Williamsii (not a real name, I assume). Most of the articles were written under pseudonyms.  In the layout there was a generous use of Op-Art and psychedelic patterns, which is great, but it can also be annoying , as it makes reading quite difficult.
Although Freakbeat was writing primarly about original 1960's Freakbeat (Mod meets LSD, for those who don't know) bands, the fanzine was devoting a lot of space to contemporary 60's Garage/Psych revival bands such as The Bevis Frond, The Chemistry Set, The Magic Mushroom Band, Plasticland and Oziric Tentacles.

   

 Cover of Issue 4

 Above and below: Feature about The Dukes of Stratosphear (click on the photo to enlarge)

Not many people know, that The Dukes of Stratosphear was actually a semi-secret side project of post-punk/new wave hitmakers XTC. Their 1985 EP, 25 O' Clock was 60's garage revival's finest hour. It is hard to believe that the brilliant title song was not recorded in 1960's, it sounds so authentic!

  

Feature about The Smoke - British pop-psych band famous for their 1967 hit 'My Friend Jack' (click on the photo to enlarge)

 Review of the parts 9 and 10 of Pepples Compilations (click on the photo to enlarge).

Cover of Issue 6

Article about John 'Twink' Adler - one-time member of Tomorrow, The Pretty Things and Pink Fairies.

 Article about The Chemistry Set (click on the photo to enlarge).

 Ad for Pepples Compilations

 Cover of Issue 7

 Issue 7, page 1 (click on the photo to enlarge).

 The new dawn of ???

 Back cover of issue 7.

 Ad for poster-printing company.

 Interview with Krautrock legends Amon Duul II (click on the photo to enlarge).

 Feature about Greek Psych revivalists Purple Overdose (click on the photo to enlarge).

Article about early incarnation of The Flaming Lips - who will become an indie senseation of late 90's/early 2000's (click on the photo to enlarge).

Kaleidoscope on French TV in 1967

This footage has been up on YouTube for quite a while, so most of hardcore  fans of British psychedelia probably already know about it, but for those who don't (I only discovered it few days ago) it is quite a treat. It is the only known footage of Kaleidoscope -  a 60's psychedelic band from London, performing a song "Flight From Ashiya" from their album Tangerine Dream on French TV show Le Petit Dimanche Illustre in late 1967 (22nd October, to be precise).

The singer Peter Daltrey is sporting a perfect Peacock look - velvet jacket and white frilly shirt spiced up with a massive brioche.

Hanging around the studio are two great looking French dolly birds. The one with a bob is called Haydee Politoff. She was one of the top fashion models in France at the time, known for her work for Paco Rabanne. Around the time when this footage was shot, she appeared in Eric Rohmer's film La Collectionneuse, where she played promiscuous "Minet" (French for Mod) girl who constantly leads boys on, only to dispose of them after sex (sounds a bit like a French, female version of Michael Caine's character in Alfie. I haven't seen La Colletionneuse - I usually can't stand French New Wave - but I must say I am quite curious about this one).

The girl with long blonde hair is of course, one of the most famous French singers of 1960's, France Gall - a winner of Eurovision Song Contest in 1966 (It is hard to imagine that there was a time, when Eurovision was actually good). In this program, she performed her newest hit "Teenie Weenie Boppie" (Sadly, it's not included in this footage). Accompanying her on the piano was the author of the song, legendary French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg  - although you can barely see him in the footage.

Serge Gainsbourg and France Gall

It is great that this long thought lost TV performance, finally re-emerged. It brilliantly depicts the music and the fashion of 1967  London psychedelic underground. 

    

John's Children modeling for John Stephen

Two members of British Psychedelic band John's Children are modeling kaftans designed by John Stephen in 1967. The band was mostly remembered for their 1968 song "Desdemona" (which was banned by the BBC for containing the line "Lift up your skirt and fly") as well as the fact that their line-up at one time included Marc Bolan.  

Bolan As Mod

Mark often summed up his youth by bragging that had always been a star, 'even if it was only being the star of three streets in Hackney'. To the few close friends in Stoke Newington who shared his hopes, he probably was - wrote Marc Bolan's biographer , Mark Payntress. Before T.Rex, before Tyrannosaurus Rex, before John's Children, even before his brief stint as Toby Tyler, Marc Bolan - then known under his real name, Mark Feld - was an 'ace face' in a Mod community of Stamford Hill, North London. Since the age of twelve, young Mark had been obsessed with clothes and he'd stop at nothing to get hold of the latest fashions: I was quite a villain (...) although I never hurt anybody. It came about because I was really into clothes, I mean obsessionally into clothes. I was about twelve and I'd steal or hustle motorbikes to pay for them. Clothes were all that mattered to me (Mark Payntress, Marc Bolan in The Sharper World - A Mod Anthology , ed. Paolo Hewitt, p 43). Diminutive Mark often used services of Bilgorri - a tailor popular among East End gangsters - to have his suits adjusted to his small stature. One of Mark's friends from that time remembers his visit to local meeting place in Clapton: He came in with his crowd from Stamford Hill Jewish youth club, who were rivals of ours, and I hadn't seen him for a while. The change was unbelievable. He was very slim, obviously taller, and was dressed from head to toe in his Modernist clothes : bumfreezer jacket, button down shirt, all the gear. He was obviously the leader of this gang and he came in and took the place over. We all thought, "Who does he think he is?", he was so sure of himself. But he always had a strong personality, even when he was nine (Hewitt, p 42). Mark Feld's position as 'ace face' was assured when in September 1962, he was featured in Town magazine in an article titled : "The Young Take The Wheel" written by Peter Barnsley. The photographs in the article (taken by Donald McCullin) showed fifteen year old Mark, and two of his twenty year old mates - Peter Sugar and Michael Simmonds. Town called them 'Faces Without Shadows', presumably because the pace of a Face's lifestyle was too intense to cast one (Hewitt, p 45).

Barnsley, impressed by young Mark's arrogance, articulacy and knowledge of the scene, made him a star of the article. That gave Mark an opportunity to enlighten the public on the subject of main priorities of a Mod 'ace face': 'You got to be different from the other kids' , says Feld. 'I mean, you got to be two steps ahead. The stuff that half  the haddocks you see around are wearing I was wearing years ago. A kid in my class came up to me in his new suit, an Italian box it was. he says, "Just look at the length of your jacket," he says, "You're not with it," he says. "I was wearing that style two years ago," I said. Of course they don't like that (Hewitt, p 46).

Peter Sugar, Michael Simmonds and Mark Feld in Town magazine, September 1962. Note Mark's leather waistcoat - an extremely expensive garment at the time, and almost impossible to find in Mark's size. It was custom made by his neighbour, Mrs Perrone.

In the article,apart from clothing and lifestyle, Mark Feld also shared his views on why he unusually supported both, The Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament (It's all exhibitionist, isn't it? I'm all for that) and The Conservative Party (they're for the rich, so I'm for them).

Mark Feld with the copy of Town, 1962

The article in Town shows that even at the age of fifteen, Mark Feld had all the qualities required for the rock star in making - immaculate style, arrogance, a desire to be rich and famous. But it also captures the Mod movement in the period of transition - Feld and his friends were not the original Modernists - they did not discuss existentialism while smoking Gitanes in cafes. But it is also hard to imagine them in parkas battling Rockers at the Brighton beach (Although Mark Feld, who was sometimes picked on because of his small stature, would get into occasional brawl in Mod clubs). The original Modernist indicate this period as the beginning of the end of Mod. One of them, Steve Sparks said: Mod has been much misunderstood. Mod is always seen as this working class, scooter - riding precursor of skinheads, and that's a false point of view. Mod, before it was commercialised was essentially an extension of the beatniks. It comes from 'modernist', it was to do with modern jazz and to do with Sartre. It was do do with existentialism, the working class reaction to existentialism. Mark Feld (who later became Marc Bolan) was an early example of what  was the downfall of mod, which was the attraction of people who didn't understand what it was about to the clothes. Mark Feld was only interested in the clothes, he was not involved in thinking (Jonathon Green, A Days In the Life in The Sharper World - A Mod Anthology, Ed. Paolo Hewitt, p 50).

As for Mark Feld himself, he was unimpressed with the article in Town magazine.It came out about seven months after they'd actually come down to see me and taken the pictures - he said - During that time, a Face's wardrobe would have been completely transformed - several times over (Hewitt, p 48).

18 year old Mark Feld in 1965.

Always ahead of everybody else, Feld eventually ditched the Mod look around 1965 , at least a year before it went out of fashion for good.He also changed his name to Marc Bolan (having also tried Toby Tyler) He did remain obsessed with clothes, however, and within next few years he went through few different incarnations - a singing guitarist with psychedelic proto-punks  John's Children (who performed all dressed in white), a hippie minstrel with Tyrannosaurus Rex, before becoming a precursor (and perhaps, an inventor) of Glam Rock and finally achieving superstardom with T.Rex in 1971.

Marc Bolan with John's Children, 1967

'The Third Degree' is a forgotten gem from Bolan's early career. He recorded it in 1966 - before he joined John's Children. It is one first singles to feature Bolan as a singer.It is alsoa great dance number.

  

The New Psychedelics Pt.3 - Velvet Illusion

I will never forget my first visit to Camden Stables Market around 2004, and my excitement when I discovered Velvet Illusion  - a Psychedelic/Op-art boutique that sold clothes inspired by 1960's Swinging London.When I entered the shop, I felt like I was magically transported from 2004 to Carnaby Street circa 1967.

Exterior of Velvet Illusion in Camden Stables Market, 2004

Ad for both Velvet Illusion stores from 2004.

First Velvet Illusion store was opened in the late 1990's on Kensington Church Street. The owner was an American called Mickey Wolf - an enthusiast of 1960's Fashion and Music. He personally designed all the clothes sold in his shop. His designs for menswear were strongly inspired by late 1960's Peacock Revolution and designers such as John Pearse (Granny Takes A Trip) or Mr.Fish. His womenswear was characteristic for the generous use of Bridget Riley-style Op-Art patterns.

Mickey Wolf in Velvet Illusion suit, early 2000's. 

Velvet Illusion corduroy jacket

Flyer from 2004 advertising Velvet Illusion on Kensington Church Street

 

A short documentary about Velvet Illusion from 2004 featuring an interview with Mickey Wolf who lists John Pearse of Granny Takes A Trip and Mary Quant as his main influence.

My girlfriend in her Velvet Illusion dress

Velvet Illusion became a cult shop for Mods and 1960's obsessives, attracting customers from all around the world. Unfortunately, both branches of the boutique shut down in 2007. Some of their stock is still available from www.atomretro.com. Mickey Wolf relocated to Los Angeles, where apparently he opened Velvet Illusion USA (I say apparently, because I could not find any proof of that on internet - but if that is really the case, I  hope that one day he will open an online boutique).

Velvet Illusion Fashion show at Modstock in 2004.