The V&A will this summer celebrate the work of Ossie Clark, one of the most influential British fashion designers of the 60s and 70s. This mini-retrospective, featuring more than 60 garments, along with sketchbooks and photographs, will cover the period 1965-1974 when Clark's designs helped define the spirit of fashionable London.
British Fashion Designers of the 60s and 70s
The V&A will this summer celebrate the work of Ossie Clark, one of the most
influential British fashion designers of the 60s and 70s. This
mini-retrospective, featuring more than 60 garments, along with sketchbooks
and photographs, will cover the period 1965-1974 when Clark's designs helped
define the spirit of fashionable London. From the maxi skirt to the 'nude'
look and the trouser suit, Clark's designs set new trends. In addition, his
collaboration with his wife, the textile and interior designer Celia Birtwell,
resulted in some of his best known and most popular creations.
Ossie Clark was a key figure in the world of photographers, designers, rock
stars and other celebrities who took London by storm in the 60s and 70s. The
famous and the fashionable wore Ossie Clark's designs including Marianne
Faithfull, Jimi Hendrix and Patti Boyd. He created jumpsuits for Mick Jagger,
silk dresses for Bianca Jagger and dressed Eartha Kitt in snakeskin. Fashion
icons like Twiggy, Veruschka, Jean Shrimpton and Penelope Tree modelled the
clothes while David Bailey and Guy Bourdin took the photographs. Celebrity
outfits in the show will include Twiggy's fur-lined snakeskin coat, the dress
Celia Birwell posed in for David Hockney's famous double portrait Mr and Mrs
Clark and Percy and Talhlita Getty's red cr*pe evening dress
Victoria and Albert Museum
London