BRIAN DUFFY

FASHION PROFILE: BRIAN DUFFY

"David Bailey, makes love daily,

Brian Duffy, bald and scruffy"

- Joanna Lumley

One third of the trio of photographers who helped define the 60s as an iconically fashionable era. 

Born: 15th June 1933
Famous for: Photographing in a more youthful and urban way - breaking free from the "neat" styling of the 1950s. 
Style Characteristics: His style of photography included iconic portraiture, voyeuristic editorials and album sleeves (most notably for David Bowie's "Alladin Sane").

Fashion

As a young art student living in London, Brian Duffy became less and less enthusiastic about his chosen pathway, fine art. He became transfixed on clothing, fashion was becoming more and more outrageous and exciting as the 1950s were coming to an end, as was the last of wartime rationing. 

   The most obvious "jump" from painting to fashion was to become a fashion illustrator, Duffy was employed by Harper's Bazaar. At his time there, however, he accidentally stumbled on another art form which would be the medium to drive him into a household name. These unsuspecting contact sheets from an editorial shoot caused Brian Duffy to become a fashion photographer. He later joked in an interview that taking photographs of clothes was the easier option; be that as it may, he became a master of his craft.

Duffy's photography catapulted models into stardom as he began capturing the change in British fashion that was happening in the 1960s. His most notable clients at this were Jane Birkin, Joanna Lumley and Grace Coddington. However, as he began to become more well-known internationally, he began to take portraits of icons such as Brigitte Bardot and Ursula Andress. Brian Duffy was proudly recording all of these fashions and muses, which are now so evocative of the 60s. 

The Photographic Trio

Fashion changed in the 60s, as we all know for obvious reasons - such as the end of rationing fabrics in the war; children from the "post war baby boom" were growing into teenagers and wanted to differentiate themselves from their parents etc - it had evolved into a more innovative business. Fashion (womenswear) transformed from being primarily glamourous, feminine, accentuating and demure to graphic, 

So you would have thought that a business that had become so fast-paced and innovative would evoke competition between all those in the same field. Not the case with the photographic trio! These photographers came to define the Swinging Sixties and managed to become well known as friends rather than opponents. They all came from similar working-class backgrounds and were known as the "terrible three", which definitely suggests mischief! 

   One of Duffy's favourite models, Joanna Lumley recited a poem in a recent interview, "David Bailey makes love daily, Brian Duffy, bald and scruffy" - emulating their notoriety as fashion photographers. The formality of the 50s was abandoned and the spirit of the 60s was captured on their film, Duffy's studio became the centre of swinging London and although the poem suggested David Bailey was the most promiscuous of the three, they all encouraged the well known bohemian motto of "free love".

Bailey became known as the womaniser, Donovan, the wit, however, Duffy was the enigma - hard to please, afraid of no one, with a seemingly underwhelming exterior. 

"If you're going to have a best friend, he may as well be a shit-head."

- Brian Duffy talks about his relationship with David Bailey

Bowie

Although, by the 70s, David Bowie was already nearing the height of his fame, Brian Duffy's vision catapulted him into a new realm of success. As Duffy was a fashion photographer, he knew that Bowie needed an image that would shock and evoke intrigue. Fashion photography is basically advertising, advertising clothes, a lifestyle... So an album cover was pretty much the same thing, advertising Bowie, projecting his music, image, clothes and lifestyle to the world.

The pair were visionaries, and continued to work together to create three album covers, each of them as iconic as the last. 

Pirelli
In 1965 Duffy was asked to create the second annual Pirelli calendar, it was shot in Monaco and was filled with extremely sexual images of women - to be sent out to very select clients of Pirelli. 
   It featured nudes and glamour photographs of the elite models at the time. A position which, today, is reserved for controversial/celebrity photographers such as Terry Richardson, Karl Lagerfeld and Patrick Dermarchelier.

The calendars celebrate the female form, and the ways in which photography and fashion changes drastically over time, it is an excellent way of seeing how our perception of the perfect female body has adapted - androgyny in the 60s, voluptuousness of the 70s, to "heroin chic" of the 90s.

The ninth issue of the calendar, again shot by Duffy in 1973 was the result of a collaboration between him and British Pop Artist Allen Jones. This resulted in quite a lot of tension between the duo, as their chemistry wasn't as jovial as the dynamic relationship demonstrated by the terrible trio.
   Jones was an artist, not a photographer, so he expected Duffy to create the images from sketches he had done. And as I said previously, Duffy wasn't afraid to stand up for himself. He did eventually shoot versions of Jones' artwork, however, it wasn't as exact as the illustrator would have liked!

Brian Duffy carried on creating extremely successful pieces of work in all areas of his photography career (fashion, music, art and advertising); despite that, he decided to give up photography in a very final and abrupt way. Duffy burnt all his old negatives and film in 1979. 

Although a large portion of his images were lost, the pieces that remain showcase his talent impeccably - they are a definitive collection which capture the changes in British fashion and culture spanning twenty-five years.

Duffy resumed photography in 2009, recreating images of models and celebrities he had shot in the 60s and 70s, possibly as a way of reminiscing and trying to reconnect with his past. He died a year later.

Brian Duffy directed the music video 

for Spandau Ballet's "Gold" (I wanted to leave you all with something a bit more cheerful!)

MARY QUANT

Fashion Profile: Mary Quant

Mary Quant, a Welsh fashion designer, has become a British icon through her influential role in the Mod fashion movement of the 60s.

Born: 11th February 1934

Famous for: Helping create a the defining style of the 60s - mod fashion.

Style Characteristics: Quant designed the mini-skirt (one of the most defining fashions of the 1960s) and popularised hot pants.

Early Life

Mary Quant was born to Welsh parents, who had moved to London to start their teaching careers. Her family had originally come from a Welsh mining background, however, Quant developed an interest in art and applied to study Illustration at Goldsmiths College (where she would later meet her future husband, Alexander Plunkett-Green, whom she married in 1957).

After gaining a diploma in Arts Education at Goldsmiths, Mary Quant took up an apprenticeship as a couture milliner - tying her love of art and fashion. It was during this apprenticeship that Mary Quant decided fashion should not exist for the priveleged few (much like the clients at the milliners) but for everyone, and more importantly, young people.

King's Road

Leaving her position as a couture milliner, Mary Quant opened a clothes shop on the King's Road, in London. Quant opened the boutique, Bazaar, with her future husband and a former solicitor, Archie McNair. 

After graduating from Goldsmiths, Quant had begun to make her own clothes as she strongly believed that fashion was directed at older generations ("fashion wasn't designed for young people"). She used the skills she had developed during this time to design for Bazaar. 

Mary saw this need for more youthful clothing and began to design clothes inspired by dance outfits she remembered wearing as a child; pairing simple, bold shapes with strong colours to create her garments - creating the "Chelsea Look", which would later become known as "mod". Other garments that helped Mary create the Chelsea Look were plastic collars, sleeveless shift dresses and hot pants - these were more revealing than previous fashions and many items of clothing used man made fabrics which was something never before seen.

The reason for her success was that she saw that girls in London were seeking a fresh look, they wanted to differentiate themselves from their parents (who were still immersed in the restrictive and "bland" fashions of the 40s and 50s). The mini skirt provided girls with a look that pushed the boundaries of fashion, aiming to shock the older generations. This controversy earned Quant the popularity she needed to develop as an iconic fashion designer.

"It had begun to dawn on us that, by luck, by chance, perhaps even by mistake, we were onto a huge thing. We were in at the beginning of a tremendous renaissance in fashion".

The Mini Skirt 
Famed for popularising, if not inventing, the miniskirt in 1966, the Welsh designer had revolutionised fashion (becoming known as one of the most popular designers of the 60s).


Skirts had noticeably been getting shorter since the late 50s. Although there is some controversy as to whether or not she invented the mini skirt, Quant certainly noticed the difference in skirt length and exploited it to the extreme of the mini skirt. Mary Quant considered this development to be a practical and liberating design as it allowed women to embrace and almost flaunt their sexuality. 


"It was the girls on the King's Road who invented the mini. I was making easy, youthful, simple clothes; in which you could move, run and jump. We would make them the length the customer wanted, they would say "shorter, shorter" and we followed by command".


As Quant's designs were fashionable and affordable, it was suddenly acceptable and even mandatory to show a lot of leg as it was made available to everyone.


In accompaniment to the mini skirt, patterned tights were sold at Bazaar to complete the look that defined the 60s (later adapted by couture designers such as Cristobal Balenciaga).


The Look
Quant was a wonderful advertisement for her own designs. Her short, dark Vidal Sassoon hair style, easy-fitting blazer jackets and swingings skirts made her clothes more stylised. Customers would be inspired by Mary herself as she showed them how to create the more fashionable styles.

Like Barbara Hulanicki (designer for Biba), Quant designed for a girlish, less developed figure. The shift dresses and pinafores suited the boyish look promoted by models like Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. 

Mary Quant revolutionised 60s fashion by providing new clothes for younger markets. Fashion was not catering for the youth of Britain at the time, and so Quant designed to target such a gap in the market. She became popularised by the controversy surrounding the garments she created and her business thrived off this - eventually turning her into a British fashion icon.

Nigel Bamford talking about working with Mary Quant - for the V&A

A showcase of some of Mary Quant's designs from the late 60s.

BARBARA HULANICKI

Fashion Profile: Barbara Hulanicki

Barbara Hulanicki built her brand "Biba", named after her younger sister, from a mail order company. It soon grew into one of the most influential and popular clothing shops of the 60s & 70s.

Born: 1936

Famous for: Founding BIBA, so popular in the 60s and 70s that is has been relaunched in England.

Style Characteristics: Maxi dresses and bold, individual prints.

Early Life

Barbara Hulanicki was born in Warsaw, to Polish parents, however she was brought to England at a young age. 

Hulanicki studied at Brighton School of Art, and began an early career drawing illustrations for popular fashion magazines such as Vogue and Tatler.

   These illustrations were extremely ornate and led to her designing her own clothes, rather than drawing others'...

Mail Order

Although Barbara only had a few designs, she began to sell them in small quantities through adverts in newspapers such as The Daily Mirror. 

Hulanicki was surprised that the designs sold out so fast as she could only afford to produce them in one size and style. The first design she sold was a pink gingham dress, similar to one style icon, Brigitte Bardot, had worn around the same time. 

As popularity grew, Barbara Hulanicki felt pressure to create her own brand and line of clothing. This led to the launch of "Biba". 

The first shop was in Kensington, a fashionable part of London at the time it opened in September 1964. The shop opened at 10am and everything was sold out by 11, "no one asked if there were any other styles or sizes".

The shops' main target market was teenage girls as in the late 50s/early 60s, there weren't any specialist clothes for fashion conscious teenagers. Barbara observed this and created a revolutionary brand specifically to bring new styles of dress to an audience that was in need of a change.

Big Biba

After many changes in location, Biba had evolved into a brand. Hulanicki was now designing for everyone - menswear, children's clothes, maternity wear and make-up were now added to her collection. 

In 1974, Biba was housed in a seven-storey department store (attracting up to a million customers weekly). It became a tourist attraction as Barbara Hulanicki had created a shopping experience as well as a brand.

It soon became known as "Big Biba" and the Art Deco-interior was reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Although Barbara was introducing new styles to fashion conscious Londoners, she was greatly influenced by the Twenties. The models and sales assistants wore dark make-up, not dissimilar to that worn by Josephine Baker or Louise Brooks.

"Big Biba" grew in popularity, and was favoured by the rock and fashion glitterati (such as Twiggy, Bianca and Mick Jagger).

Biba's Demise

Bib Biba was a huge responsibility financially and Barbara Hulanicki decided to sell her company off.

Barbara moved to Miami and carried out a career as an interior designer, a continuation of her combined love for Art Deco and illustration.

Biba is Back

Since its demise, Barbara has continued designing clothes, most notably for Topshop, and following such success has decided to relaunch Biba in England. 

The designs and styles that defined the 60s and 70s remain similar, as Barbara noticed the rise in popularity of vintage fashion. 

-CLICK HERE TO READ MY ARTICLE ON THE RETURN OF BIBA-


"There is very little difference today as opposed to the ‘70s, although, there is much more choice now. Both periods share the same enthusiasm, if you press the right buttons."

-Barbara Hulanicki

-CLICK HERE FOR BARBARA HULANICKI'S WEBSITE-

&&

-CLICK HERE TO SEE BIBA'S LATEST COLLECTIONS-

ANDY WARHOL'S "POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL"

Starring Edie Sedgwick
(for my fashion profile on Edie Sedgwick, please visit http://ellefrances.blogspot.com/2011/04/edie-sedgwick-article_11.html )

BRIGITTE BARDOT

Fashion Profile: Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot became a sex symbol during the late 50s - early 60s because of her elegance conveyed through modelling, acting and singing.

Born: 28th September 1934

Famous for: Becoming an international sex symbol.

Style Characteristics: Soft make-up, bouffant hair, elegant clothing.

Early Life

Brigitte Bardot was born in Paris in the early 30s, and was introduced to dance at an early age (by her mother, Anne-Marie). Bardot was extremely focused on ballet in particular, and at the age of thirteen was accepted at the Conservatoire de Paris to pursue her dance career.

Although Brigitte wanted to pursue ballet as a career, she became involved in modelling due to her soft, yet striking features. 

Fame

Modelling soon led Bardot to the world of acting; she appeared in her first film after WW2 and so became an icon by breaking through pre-War boundaries. At a time where fashion, music, art and society in general was changing, Bardot inspired others because of her elegance and talent.

Bardot was first noticed by a young film director, Roger Vadim (who was later to become her first of four husbands). Vadim saw Bardot on the cover of ELLE magazine in 1950 - when she was sixteen years old - and was offered a part in a film. 

Although the film was cancelled, Bardot made her film debut in a comedy entitled, "Le Trou Normand" (Crazy for Love). As Brigitte's career began to develop, she gained popularity (and not just in Europe). Bardot's popularity continued to grow as many of her films were dubbed for international release; this made her more accessible as an actress and soon became one of the first European actresses to gain the attention of the media within the United States.

Sex Symbol

Bardot became a sex symbol because she had an extensive media following; her films, singing and modelling flaunted her sex appeal to the public. As she became most widely known during the 50s and 60s, she became part of the generation of people who challenged accepted behaviour. 

Post-war society was changing rapidly, the formation of rock and roll music challenged the strict laws around sexual expression and so other art forms followed this new way of thinking - which is why this era produced so many icons who continue to influence modern society (such as Marilyn Monroe, Mick Jagger, Elvis...).

During her career, Bardot was openly idolised by many other influential people of the time as her body image had a significant impact on fashion trends during the late 50s. She helped make the bikini a popular form of swimwear as well as the "Bardot neckline"  (a wide open neck, exposing both shoulders).

Bardot's contributions to the fashion world are endless, she popularised the choucroute hairstyle (beehive) and by doing so, created her recognisable "sex kitten" image. This image was promoted in her seductive thriller "And God Created Woman" (1956) as Bardot was portrayed as a young woman with a high level of sexual energy - "it pushed the limits of censorship in America and the public loved it".

Animal Welfare

Brigitte Bardot announced her retirement before her 39th birthday, she had appeared in over forty films and recorded several albums. It was in 1973 that Bardot felt it was time to use her fame more effectively and began to promote animal rights (something she is continuing to do, to this day).

Read about other 60s icons here: 

Edie Sedgwick http://ellefrances.blogspot.com/2011/04/edie-sedgwick-article_11.html

Nico http://ellefrances.blogspot.com/2011/04/fashion-profile-nico.html

THE RETURN OF BIBA

Written ages ago but I thought I should post it ...

THE RETURN OF BIBA!

Biba was the most glorious fashion retailer of the 60’s and 70’s. It was the original brainchild of Barbara Hulanicki, a skilled fashion illustrator-turned-designer from Jerusalem. Hulanicki’s family moved to England when she was just a child.

Unlike most of the fashion retailers of today, Biba had humble beginnings and started off as a tiny mail-order boutique with a few cheap garments all cut to the same skinny size. Barbara wanted her designs to take off quickly and the first dress to become popular (and make the brand famous) was a simple gingham shift dress. This dress was advertised in the Daily Mirror and quickly went out of stock and into the homes of thousands of fashionable teenagers living in the UK, almost faster than she could have made them.

   After such a success, Hulanicki opened her first shop in Kensington in 1964, this became instantly popular as the young and fashionable flocked to pick up the cheap, wearable and devastatingly fashionable designs.

The Biba label went from strength to strength, it soon moved from its small shop to a massive department store on Kensington High Street – and so Big Biba was born.

   Big Biba seemed to answer the dreams of young women everywhere as it offered a luxurious and unique shopping experience. Then Art Nouveau label became intensely desirable, and appeared on everything in the store – from art-deco suit jackets to baked bean cans.

   The interior of the shop was also luxuriant and of an art deco 1930s style, rather than a 70s shop. For many, the Biba store was not simply a place to purchase, it was something to be viewed, marvelled at. Big Biba soon became a fashionable tourist attraction, just as Harrods or Hamleys is today.

   Big Biba sold everything: men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, groceries, shoes, make-up, accessories, playing cards, souvenirs and more. To add to its opulence, there was also a roof garden with live flamingos.

   Sadly, the wonderful dream that was Biba, was not to last. Behind all the extravagance and fashion design, the Biba label failed to keep up with the trends, and Barbara was powerless to defend her invention when there were arguments over creative control.

In 1975, Biba closed its doors and so ended a British icon.

The Biba Look

Made for the impossibly slim teenager and young adult, Barbara described the perfect Biba girls as ‘fresh little foals with long legs, bright faces and round dolly eyes’. The clothes themselves were frequently dark, romantic and owed much to the styles of previous decades- Art Deco especially. The colour palette, save for the odd venture into the more sequinned 70's glam look, stayed resolutely dark and rich- plums, rusty browns and inky blues. Some common features of Biba clothes include high arm holes, bishop sleeves and covered buttons. Today vintage Biba clothes are incredibly desirable and reasonably rare- however, if you want a piece of wearable history, they are not unattainable. Saddened by the story of Biba’s demise? Not to fear! Biba is back! Situated in House of Fraser department stores, Biba sells current designs with a 60s/70s edge. Definitely something to look out for! The look of Biba in 2010 is being stylishly advertised by the gorgeous model, Daisy Lowe who matches Hulanicki’s description of the perfect consumer for Biba. The new collection exhibits luxurious fabrics as well as cutting edge fashion, to appeal to today’s consumers. Biba seems to be as successful as ever.

EDIE SEDGWICK

FASHION PROFILE: EDIE SEDGWICK

Many of you probably know the great artist Andy Warhol, but his muse, Edie Sedgwick is often overlooked and forgotten.

Born: 20^th April 1943, California.

Famous for: Being a style icon and Andy Warhol’s ‘Superstar’.

Style Characteristics:Large fake eyelashes and typical 60s makeup with eccentric clothes.

Meeting Warhol

Edie’s career started in 1965 after she moved from Art College in California to New York with her friend Chuck Wein. To make her way, Edie started a small modelling career but wasn’t happy with just that and so in 1965 she met the avant-garde filmmaker, Andy Warhol in a friend’s apartment. Coming from a rich background, Edie was a typical example of ‘old money’ which instantly attracted Andy to her, however, after a while; Andy became intrigued by Edie’s free thinking and iconic style. And so, ‘the Factory Years’ began...

The Factory

Andy’s iconic studio became known as ‘the Factory’ and Edie was drawn to the groups of eccentrics. Edie was instantly accepted into the group and became very popular. ‘The Factory’ was the place in which all of these artisans would create their own projects or star in Andy’s short films. Andy’s objective while making these films was to film them badly, but to do it well. 

Edie’s First Film

Andy found Edie fascinating and so decided to include her in one of his films, Vinyl, starring an otherwise all male cast. Vinyl was Andy’s interpretation of A Clockwork Orange and so was supposed to be about thugs and hooligans, this made Edie look out of place and distant, however, this was the look he was going for.

Fashion

Whilst at the Factory, Edie modelled for Vogue and other famous magazines, she also met famous designer Betsey Johnson, who, like everyone else, was intrigued by Edie’s ambiguous style and heart warming charisma. Friends and family said she brightened the room with her smile, and made you feel like the most important person in the world when you spoke to her. Thus charisma was one of the reasons why people grew to like Edie; she wanted to please people rather than herself.  

Edie felt like she wanted to change her style completely. Turning almost overnight from a preppy young girl to a stylish woman. She cut her hair very short, started wearing skimpy outfits and developed her makeup. This was the equation for a proper icon.

Edie’s makeup became extremely popular and was to become an iconic element of the 60s image. She wore three pairs of eyelashes, eye shadow around the fold of the eyelid and white eyeliner on the inside of her bottom eyelid. This created a wide-eyed effect and made Edie look even more innocent and feminine.

   The whole look, with an added pair of extremely large, delicate earrings made Edie an icon amidst the threadbare public. Fans became extremely fixated on Edie, and she was one of the first celebrities famous for nothing in particular. Edie was known as ‘Andy’s Superstar’ as she wow-ed everyone around her.

Filmmaking

Because of Edie’s new found popularity, Andy wanted to make more films about her. In April ’65, Edie starred in ‘Poor Little Rich Girl’ which showed Edie getting ready to go out. It was shot out of focus for the first half hour and was silent apart from the background music (an Everly Brothers album).  She played up to the image of a spoilt rich girl who had too many clothes she didn’t know what to wear, boasting about how she spent her entire inheritance in six months. The audience was intrigued as it was such a glamorous short film.

Drugs

Andy Warhol was often blamed for Edie Sedgwick’s descent into drug addiction and mental illness. He famously said that he had never given Edie a single pill, “not even diet pills”.

Drug abuse soon took over Edie’s life as she could no longer pay for her addiction or her apartment. She never fully recovered and left Warhol after a year of close friendship. Later, she was admitted to a mental institution where she battled her illness. She married an inmate, but later died of a drug overdose in 1971. Surprisingly, Andy did not attend the funeral in California. She was only twenty-eight. This means that our memory of her will always be of the young iconic woman, rather than an ageing woman living in the shadows of her once exciting life.

-CLICK HERE TO WATCH ANDY WARHOL'S SHORT FILM, "POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL", STARRING EDIE SEDGWICK-