Peacock Style according to Brooke Bond Picture Cards

Recently, I picked up in charity shop something called Brooke Bond Picture Cards of British Costume. It is sort of a mini album for collecting cards that came with Brooke Bond tea bags ( "In the interest of education", apparently). The album was fully completed with 50 cards, each one depicting a different era of British costume. Card number one shows clothes from 1050. The last one, number 50, shows 'Day Clothes' from 1967 (I assume that is the year album was printed and completed) and it caught my attention for obvious reasons.

Man in the picture is wearing what looks like Dandie Fashions jacket, although illustrator made it slightly too long - it should end around the area where girl's left palm is. This mistake led to another - that is, describing the jacket as mid-Victorian tail coat with military trimmings (where are they?)

Alan Holston wearing Dandie Fashions jacket, 1967

The drawing of a girl is clearly 'inspired' by famous photo of Donyale Luna - one of the first prominent black models - from 1966 modelling a dress by Paco Rabanne.

Donyale Luna in 1966 photographed by Guy Bourdin

The description of a girl seems pretty sloppy as well. Natural hairdo? Exotic make-up?and also, these are not day clothes!  The descriptions were written by Madeleine Ginsburg, B.A., A.M.A. of Victoria and Albert Museum, who clearly was not a fan of contemporary fashion. Picture number 49 depicts Christian Dior's New Look from 1947, which means that everything that happened in British fashion between 1947 - 1967 was not worth attention according to Ms. Ginsburg (although 1920's get three different pictures). Another suspicious thing is the fact that C.W. Cunnington's books figure prominently in the bibliography. At the time, he was an influential fashion historian but a lot of his research had long since been discredited as sexist and misleading.

Although this little picture album cannot be treated seriously, it does remind me of lot of 'serious' books I went through, while doing a research at University, with drawings that focus on general impression, rather than details. My advice to anybody who does a research in the field of fashion and dress history is to stay clear of those kind of books altogether. You'll know them when you see them. Use the primary sources instead.

    

 
 

Dedicated Followers of Dandie Fashions

I have accidentally found this photo of very sharp-looking gent from 1960's. It turned out to be Nicholas Hoogstraten - an infamous property magnate, a man who to this day is said to own half of Brighton (at least). In 1960's he was the youngest self-made millionaire in Britain. This photo was taken in Hove in 1968. He is wearing the same suit as Bill Wyman wore for Stones photoshoot in Green Park in January 1967.

It is very likely that this amazing suit was from Dandie Fashions. It looks very similar to the Dandie Fashions suit modeled by Alan Holston on the photograph below.In fact, it is exactly the same cut, although the fabric is different.

It is always great to find some   new photos of clothes from that fantastic King's Road boutique.

1968

Dandie Fashions

Dandie Fashions opened on 161 King's Road in October 1966. It was a brainchild of two young entrepreneurs - John Crittle (an Australian, former employee of Michael Rainey in Hung on You) and Tara Browne (an heir to the Guinness fortune) who wanted their boutique to be a retail outlet for their new tailoring business Foster and Tara. Unfortunately, in December 1966, Tara Browne died in a car crash (he was on his way to discuss designs for a shop front with graphic artist David Vaughn). His share of the business was bought by Crittle.

Alan Holston - manager of Dandie Fashions modelling a double-breasted jacket from his boutique, 1967

John Crittle and his wife Andrea, 1968

Dandie Fashions photoshoot circa 1967

Outside Dandie Fashions circa 1967

Crittle, in his policy was essentially copying Hung on You - from Art Nouveau designs for the shop front to clothes themselves - silk frilled shirts, velvet suits in every possible colour and double - breasted jackets. Nevertheless, shop proved a quick success and soon its clients included Brian Jones, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix. Brian Jones became so friendly with John Crittle, that he had lent him his chauffeur Brian Palastanga and limousine when Crittle was on his way to the court after the drug bust on Dandie Fashions in May 1967.

Brian Jones wearing a jacket from Dandie Fashions. London Palladium, 23.01.1967

 The Who's Roger Daltrey wearing a jacket from Dandie Fashions

Beatles were also customers at Dandie Fashions, and , seeking an investment opportunity, they bought the shop in May 1968 and transformed it into Apple Tailoring - part of their ill-fated, badly ran Apple Enterprise. John Crittle was employed as a director; however his skillful management could not save the boutique from quick bankruptcy in the late 1968. Crittle returned to Australia where he died in 2000.  He is now also remembered for being a father of a ballet star Darcy Bussell - his child with Andrea.

 Dandie Fashions jacket from 1967. It was sold by Kerry Taylor auction house in March 2010 for an undisclosed price.

Dandie Fashions suit, also sold on auction by Kerry Taylor house in 2010.

 

Floral Jacket from Dandie Fashions worn by Jimi Hendrix in 1967.

Floral jacket from Dandie Fashions worn by Jimi Hendrix circa 1967. It was displayed in 2010 during Jimi Hendrix exhibition in Handel House, London.

Status Quo's drummer John Coghlan (far left) also had one.. (1967)

So did this gentleman photographed in Apple boutique in 1968

Jacket with a mandarin collar from Dandie Fashions worn by Paul McCartney in 1967.

Paul McCartney's order receipt for the jacket.

Freddie Hornick (owner of Granny Takes a Trip) and Alan Holston outside Dandie Fashions,  1967

The Revolution That Nearly Failed - an article in December 1967 issue of Town magazine. The photo depicts a group of young men sporting peacock style outside Dandie Fashions.

Dandie Fashions after re-launch as Apple Tailoring, 1968

 Inside Apple Tailoring, 1968

 

Apple Tailoring, 1968

 John Crittle with John Lennon outside Apple Tailoring, 1968

Edited to note - since I originally posted this, a lot more information on Dandie Fashions came into daylight - please read great article by Peter Feely, who did very thorough research and extensively interviewed Alan Holston.  (2015)