Wednesday, 3 June 2015

New books to get you inspired by the Swinging Sixties.

Travel back in time to the era when Carnaby Street led the world, a golden age of youthful innovation and exhilarating pop culture, and a fashion scene that defined a generation. The 1960s was one of the most exciting fashion decades of the twentieth century, during which British pop and youth culture gave birth to styles that would set international trends. This book reveals how the sweeping social changes of the 1960s affected the British look, how designers and entrepreneurs such as Mary Quant and John Stephen made London the fashion city of the decade, and the influence of public figures such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Cathy McGowan, Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton on the national identity of a country finally recovering from a prolonged period of austerity.

This 'hip pocket guide to Britain's swinging fashion scene', gives a charming and now quite humorous look back at the emergence of London as a major player in the world of style during the 1960s. Opening with an informative and entertaining chapter exploring how the trend began and developed, it lists the most with-it Carnaby St boutiques and looks forward to the fashions of the future.

The Swinging Sixties was the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in Great Britain during the 1960s, with 'Swinging London' as the hip capital. The predominantly youth-orientated phenomenon emphasised all that was new and modern in a period of optimism and hedonism after the austerity of the post-war years, while some fashions harked back to the flourishes of the Edwardian era. Fashion designers experimented with new materials and styles and trendy photographers such as David Bailey snapped evocative images of sultry models. This was the decade that saw the emergence of The Beatles, and very British pop bands such as The Who, The Kinks and The Dave Clark Five. This book takes a look back at the fashions, music and lifestyles of this vibrant decade in almost 400 photographs hand-pickes from the archives of Mirrorpix.

Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin were two bolshy girls who just did it. After meeting at Walthamstow Art School in 1955 and then studying together at the Royal College of Art, they embarked on a trailblazing career in fashion lasting throughout the 1960s, until their partnership came to an end in 1972. Quirky, youthful creativity, acute sensitivity to the latest moods and trends, expert craftsmanship, and a little Swinging Sixties good fortune placed them at the hub of the cultural explosion in London that defined the era. Their boutique off Carnaby Street was at the epicentre of the new fashion scene. Suddenly, David Bailey was photographing their outfits for Vogue, Cathy MacGowan was wearing them on Ready, Steady, Go!, and they were jetting around America as part of the ground-breaking Youthquake tour. Through detailed interviews with Foale and Tuffin themselves, exclusive access to their personal archives, and contributions from an extraordinary array of figures from the fashion, art and cultural scenes of the 1960s, 70s and beyond, Iain R. Webb builds a fascinating picture of the time, throwing new light on how fashion and business underwent a period of unprecedented change. It was a period of cross-pollination in art, music and fashion, of entrepreneurial and cultural innovation. Contributors include Manolo Blahnik, Sir Terence Conran, Felicity Green, Barbara Hulanicki, Caterine Milinaire, Janet Street Porter, Mary Quant and Jean Shrimpton. The narrative of the "Foale and Tuffin" story perfectly traces the decade from its groovy, optimistic beginnings, when the two embryonic fashion designers blithely set up shop in 1961, to its crash-and-burn finale, as Sixties sanguinity melted away into a hangover of Seventies cynicism, masked as it was with the distraction of fancy-dress escapism.

The Beatles knew how much image mattered in the 1960s, and whether it was Nehru jackets, skinny ties, granny glasses, or the Cuban heel boot-if John, Paul, George, or Ringo wore it, the rest of their millions of fans followed. Renowned music and fashion author Paolo Hewitt takes readers on a fashion tour of the Beatles' career and the trends they co-opted. From their Hamburg debut in sunglasses, leather, and black sweaters to the conservative suits they were ordered to wear by their manager Brian Epstein; from their infatuation with Pierre Cardin's collarless jackets to their more casual corduroy; from their Mod madness to psychedelic spaciness to faux-military attire to hippy-chic-each style is revealed as a reflection of the music they made and the world views they embraced. Filled with fabulous photographs and with an appealing retro feel, the book features numerous images, many of which have never been published before. It offers insights into how the band's meteoric rise and enduring success shaped their fashion choices. There's even a chapter devoted to their hairstyles. Fans of all ages, as well as anyone interested in fashion, will be enthralled with this first ever Beatles stylebook that proves the Fab Four were as timely as they were timeless.
 
In the 1960s men's fashion witnessed an extraordinary rebirth that led to lasting social, cultural and commercial change - what media commentators came to coin the Peacock Revolution. "The Day of the Peacock" takes a fascinating look at the shops, celebrity photographers, tailors and fashionable dressers who made up the scene - all illustrated with photographs, outfits and ephemera drawn from the V&A's superb archives. Broad in range and scope, and neatly evoking the 60s atmosphere of optimism and opportunity, the author looks at the era's most dashing figures - including John Stephen, Tommy Nutter, Cecil Beaton,Mick Jagger and Patrick Lichfield - and discusses such iconic shops as Granny takes a Trip, Blades, Hung on You and Mr Fish. This richly illustrated personal memoir evokes a definitive break from the past - from a time when one could invariably guess a man's occupation from how he dressed, to a time when a man might make dressing himself his occupation.

A sourcebook of 1960s fashion print - the apogee of fashion print - that will be the inspiration for designers for years to come. The creativity of the period is given full expression in this sourcebook of hundreds of designs that makes it an essential for contemporary design practitioners and students. The book contains exclusive illustrations and original artwork from designers as well as finished prints. Each short chapter introduction is followed by a range of illustrations with captions to give provenance and relevance. The prints are arranged in the chapters: * Art into Pop: fashion prints that saw the influence of Pop Art * Revivals and Reflections: Biba"s revival of 19th-century designs * Flower Power: floral designs, from Marimekko to Ken Scott * Lost in multicoloured hues, kaleidoscopic colours and psychedelia prints * Magical Mystery Tour: the influence of other cultures on print design

* Hundreds of prints from this key decade of fashion design * A unique sourcebook for contemporary designers and students * Includes prints by Lucienne Day, Robert Stewart and Marimekko * Contains exclusive illustrations and original artwork of print designers A sourcebook of 1950s fashion print, this book covers the heyday of postwar design where an analytical approach to design, with a lightness and freshness, combined with whimsical imagery and idiosyncratic subject matter. The designs and influences of the print gurus of the time - Lucienne Day, Robert Stewart and Maija Isola of Marimekko - are all covered. The creativity of the period - the beginning of the atomic age - is given full expression in this sourcebook of hundreds of designs. It is an essential sourcebook for contemporary design practitioners and students. The book contains exclusive illustrations and original artwork from designers as well as finished prints. Each short chapter introduction is followed by a range of illustrations with captions to give provenance and relevance. The prints are arranged in the following chapters: * Narrative and Novelty: prints from cowboys to spacemen * Abstraction: abstracted, distorted and attenuated forms used in print * Artistic license: the influence of artists such as Miro and de Kooning on fashion print * Kinetic prints that showed the influence of the era's 'mobiles, doodles and spasms'

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