Dating old photographs from clothes worn in the 1960s

Photograph, John French

Photograph
John French (1906-66)
1960s
London
John French Archive, ref. JF6647/13

This photograph is by fashion photographer John French. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s he shot the latest fashions for magazines and newspapers, and he usually photographed affordable, high-street ranges that many teenagers would be able to buy.

The models shown here sport typical 1960s styling. The men have exaggerated side partings and side-burns, whilst the woman has a heavy, straight fringe. She is wearing a fashionable tunic top and knickerbockers.

Photograph, John French

Photograph of fashion models
John French (1906-66)
1960s
London
John French Archive, V&A JF6745/3

This photograph is by fashion photographer John French. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s he shot the latest fashions for magazines and newspapers, and he usually photographed affordable, high-street ranges that many teenagers would be able to buy.

The models shown here are easily dated to the 1960s because of their hair and make up. They sport heavy fringes with straight hair curled up at the bottom. Their lipstick is pale but their eyes are accentuated with thick, black kohl eyeliner.

Mini-dress, Biba

Mini-dress
Biba (Barbara Hulanicki; born 1936)
1967
London
Printed cotton
Museum no. T.12-1982
Given by Frances Hinchcliffe

Barbara Hulanicki and her husband John Fitz Simon set up Biba in 1963 as a mail order boutique. The success of their affordable, youthful designs enabled them to open a small shop in Kensington the following year. They attracted glamorous pop stars, bohemian aristocrats and impoverished students alike. In April 1966, the American news magazine 'Time' published a special edition celebrating ‘London: The Swinging City’. It named Biba as ‘the most in shop for gear’.

The label was famous for murky colour palettes, but they also produced some strikingly colourful garments. Purple was a typical Biba colour, but when combined with a vibrant yellow zig-zagging print and a short flirty skirt, the effect is dramatic. In the 1960s, Biba clothing featured some of the shortest miniskirts available, focusing attention on the wearer's legs. Their reputation for micro-minis started almost by accident following a shipment of jersey skirts in 1966. Barbara Hulanicki, the designer, recollected in her autobiography, A to Biba:

'The skirts were only 10 inches long. God, I thought, we'll go bust - we'll never be able to sell them. I couldn't sleep, but that little fluted skirt walked out on customers as fast as we could get it onto the hatstands.'

Mini-dress, Biba

Mini-dress
Biba (Barbara Hulanicki, born 1936)
1969
London
Printed cotton
Museum no. T.10-1982
Given by Marion Kite

Barbara Hulanicki launched the Biba label with her husband John Fitz Simon in 1963, initially selling clothes by mail order through newspaper advertisements. The success of her affordable, fashionable designs enabled them to open a series of shops in Kensington, London.

This dress appeared in the Summer 1969 mail order catalogue. Marion Kite, an art school student, wore the dress for special occasions in London, and also on holiday in Cornwall. Mini-dresses were popular with Biba customers in the late 1960s, alongside longer dresses and trousers with wide flares. Holiday dresses such as this were even shorter than the standard Biba dress length.

Photograph, John French

Photograph of fashion models
John French (1906-66)
1960s
London
John French Archive, V&A JF6743/4

This photograph was taken by fashion photographer John French. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s he shot the latest fashions for magazines and newspapers, and he usually photographed affordable, high-street ranges that many teenagers would be able to buy.

The models shown here are wearing clothes for the office or workplace. They are easily dated to the 1960s, however, because of their hair and make up. They sport bouffant styles, back-combed for a full, bee-hive shape, and heavy fringes. Their lipstick is pale but their eyes are accentuated with thick, black kohl eyeliner.

Evening mini-dress, Mary Quant

Evening mini-dress
Mary Quant (born 1934)
1967-8
London
Machine-sewn crêpe
Museum no. T.52-1985
Given by Mrs A. Walford

This evening mini-dress in black crepe was designed by Mary Quant for her Ginger Group collections in 1967-1968. Mary Quant was world-famous for championing the mini-skirt, and in the 1960s her name became associated with the predominantly black Chelsea look, with its beatnik overtones.

Tunic mini-dress, Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell for Radley

Tunic mini-dress
Ossie Clark (designer, 1942-96), and Celia Birtwell (textile designer, born 1941), for Radley (retailers)
1968
London
Printed cotton
Museum no.T.141-1994
Given by Kay Clark

This tunic was part of Ossie Clark's first collection for his lower-priced Radley label. The print is by Celia Birtwell. The simple silhouette meant that it could be worn either as a dress or with trousers. Kay, Ossie Clark's sister, wore it as a mini-dress when Clark married Celia Birtwell in 1968. Ossie Clark was one of Britain's most influential fashion designers of the 1960s and 1970s.

Photograph, John French

Photograph
John French (1906-66)
1960s
London
John French Archive, V&A ref. JF6897/4

This photograph is by fashion photographer John French. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s he shot the latest fashions for magazines and newspapers, and he usually photographed affordable, high-street ranges that most people would be able to buy.

The models shown here sport work and casual wear, and are easily dated to the 1960s because of their hair, which is parted at one side.

'Peachy' dress, Mary Quant

'Peachy' dress
Mary Quant (born 1934)
1960
London
Wool
Museum no. T.27-1997
Worn and given by Mrs Margaret Stewart

One of the earliest works by Mary Quant in the V&A's collection, this shift illustrates how she broke with convention and made clothes specifically for young customers. Its donor identified the work ('my scarlet runner') as 'a seminal dress at the beginning of a new and still, to me, exciting decade'. Until the beginning of the 1960s youth quake, daughters had no alternative but to dress like their mothers. In tune with the times, Mary Quant offered them identities of their own with styles such as this vivid red shift with youthful appeal.

Dress, 'Twiggy Dresses'

Dress
'Twiggy Dresses' (label), Paul Babb and Pamela Proctor (designers)
1967-9
London
Printed polyester
Museum no. T.15-2007
Given by Gillian Saville

The late 1960s celebrity boutique phenomenon saw popular teenage idols launching clothing lines and boutiques. These included singer Sandie Shaw, TV presenter Cathy McGowan, and even the footballer George Best. Such ventures tended to be short-lived, lasting a few years or even months, like the Beatles' 'Apple' boutique, which closed in July 1968 after 7 months.

The famous 1960s model, Twiggy, launched her fashion label 'Twiggy Dresses' on 16 February 1967. Each garment, costing between £6 and £13, came with a free Twiggy portrait hanger. The shops showed them on Twiggy portrait mannequins, and Twiggy did all the modelling and publicity. She worked with the young designers, Paul Babb and Pamela Proctor to ensure they designed clothes she would happily wear herself, such as this brightly patterned mini-dress. This personal input and strong branding enabled the label to run successfully for three years.

'Cosmos' ensemble, Pierre Cardin

'Cosmos' ensemble
Pierre Cardin (born 1922)
1967
Paris
Woollen jersey with applied vinyl (dress), knitted ribbed wool (sweater), vinyl (accessories)
Museum no. T.75 to F-1974
Given by the designer

Cardin's bold futuristic clothes were largely designed for active young women. In 1966 The Observer newspaper said of Cardin's designs: 'His contribution to modern living may be practical but it's rather a shock.' From the mid 1960s until about 1971 Cardin favoured heavyweight woollen jerseys for his avant-garde designs. This fabric allowed free movement, but at the same time was sufficiently rigid to maintain the clear-cut shapes.

This 'space suit' forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection. With great energy and determination Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) contacted designers and the well-dressed elite of Europe and America to create this lasting monument to the art of dress. The collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue that detailed its enormous range.

Paper dress, Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell

Paper dress
Ossie Clark (designer, 1942-96), and Celia Birtwell (textile designer, born 1941), for Ascher Ltd
1966
London
Printed paper
Museum no. T.261-1988
Given by Zika Ascher

Paper dresses were a brief but spectacular 1960s sensation. They were cheap and disposable, and the simple 2-D shape was ideal for the bold graphic prints that were so fashionable.

In 1966 the Draper's Record announced that Ossie Clark had launched Britain's first range of throwaway dresses. The floral design, by Celia Birtwell, was printed onto imitation paper made by Johnson and Johnson, formed from bonded textile fibres. The wholesale price was 15 shillings.

Overcoat, Village Gate

Overcoat
Village Gate (designers)
1967
London
Herringbone tweed
Museum no. T.190-1979
Given by Sir Roy Strong

Midi-coats and maxi-coats for men and women were introduced in 1966. High-waisted with broad lapels and sometimes belts, they reached to the mid-calf for the midi and to the ankles for the maxi. The style was derived from military coats at a time when military tailoring had become fashionable. During the late 1960s there was a craze for wearing second-hand uniforms, usually Brigade of Guards red jackets and various greatcoats. It was these greatcoats that influenced the cut of the midi and maxi. This particular example was worn by Sir Roy Strong, a former Director of the Museum.

Mini-dress, Mary Quant

Mini-dress
Mary Quant (born 1936)
1966
London
Wool jersey
Museum no. T.86-1982
Given by Mrs Lina Salmon

Mary Quant's mini-dresses for her 'Ginger Group' label epitomise the 1960s fashion revolution. This jersey shift dress is like a sweater grown to dress length, and a version was modelled by Twiggy in a Vogue 'Young Idea' fashion spread in April 1966. With the hem well above the knee it was ideally suited to her boyish figure.

The dress was donated as unsold stock from a smart boutique called 'Merlyn', in London's East End, reputedly patronised by gangsters and their girlfriends.

Evening mini-dress, Paco Rabanne

Evening mini-dress
Paco Rabanne (born 1934)
1967
Paris
Plastic pailletes joined with metal wire
Museum no. T.165-1983
Worn and given by Baroness Helen Bachofen von Echt

Paco Rabanne led the field of radical experimentation in elite fashion design in the 1960s. Having trained as an architect, initially he made plastic buttons and jewellery for Paris couture houses. When he opened his own fashion business in 1966, his architectural background and the current interest in space travel informed his work. Using techniques borrowed from jewellery, he created sculptural dresses in unconventional materials which broke all the rules.

This 'chain mail' dress was worn over a flesh-coloured bodystocking. Baroness Helen Bachofen von Echt wore it to a party in New York where she danced with Frank Sinatra.

Paper mini-dress, Dispo

Paper mini-dress
Dispo (Meyersohn & Silverstein Ltd) (manufacturer)
1967
London
Bonded cellulose fibre ('Bondina') with printed design
Museum no. T.176-1986
Given by Diane Meyersohn

Paper dresses were a brief but spectacular 1960s sensation. They were cheap and disposable, and the simple 2-D shape was ideal for the bold graphic prints that were so fashionable.

Dispo's paper dresses were actually made out of a bonded cellulose fibre and could be washed. A Which magazine consumer trial found that they could be worn at least six times, while other brands would not survive beyond two or three. This printed design was based on an Art Nouveau textile in the V&A collections.

Mini-dress, Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell

Mini-dress
Ossie Clark (designer, 1942-96), and Celia Birtwell (textile designer, born 1941)
1969
London
Printed rayon and crêpe
Museum no. T.258-1990
Given by Linda Lloyd-Jones

A fashionable young woman would have worn this garment either as a mini-dress or with trousers. The textile design is a plain grid pattern. A simple waist-tie gives shapely definition to the loose tunic-style. This was one of the first Ossie Clark designs for his less expensive Radley label. Clark was one of Britain's most influential fashion designers of the 1960s and 70s.

Dress, Joseph Leonard

Dress
Joseph Leonard
1965
New York
Gold paper with sequins
Museum no. T.297-1974
Given by Princess Slanislaus Radziwill

The thigh-high ‘mini’ was symbolic of the 1960s in both Britain and America. Though initially shocking to some, many designers embraced its informality and ease of movement. Here American designer Leonard Joseph combines the youthful shape of the mini with an unconventional paper textile.

Designed for the avant-garde New York boutique 'Forward Look', this dress was worn by Princess Stanislaus Radziwill. She was the sister of Jackie Kennedy and a regular figure on the social scene of both sides of the Atlantic.

Dress and shorts, Emmanuel Ungaro

Dress and shorts
Emmanuel Ungaro (born 1933)
About 1968
Machine sewn gabardine
Museum no. T.316&A-1978

This daywear ensemble, designed by Emanuel Ungaro (1933–), is composed of a knee-length dress and a pair of shorts. Made from printed gabardine, showing abstract motifs in orange, white and brown, the dress has a small round collar and long sleeves. The matching shorts are worn under the dress and are not visible.

Born in France to Italian parents. Ungaro trained as a tailor, and then worked for Balenciaga and Courreges, whose influence is particularly evident here, and who was the first designer to introduce this concept in the mid-1960s. Ungaro’s interpretation manifests itself through bold prints, which became the designer’s hallmark.

Day dress and jacket, Emmanuel Ungaro

Day dress and jacket
Emmanuel Ungaro (born 1933)
1966
Paris
Wool gabardine, lined throughout with surah, with a zip and hooks and eyes
Museum no. T.320&A-1978
Given by Mrs Brenda Azario

Emmanuel Ungaro was born in Aix-en-Provence, France, in 1933. He played an important role in the rejuvenation of Paris fashion. He left Balenciaga, with whom he had worked for six years, to join Courrèges in 1964. When this partnership failed, he began to design, independently showing his first collection in 1965. Like Courrèges, Ungaro sculpted hard-edged clothes in heavy worsted fabrics and triple gaberdines. His garments retained the angular shapes of the mid 1960s fashions so perfectly that they often almost stood up by themselves.

This day dress and jacket was worn by Mrs Brenda Azario. It was featured in French Vogue (March 1966 and March 1967).

Suit, Moss Bros

Suit
Moss Bros
1969
London
Wool twill
Museum no. T.271&A-1990
Given by Mr. R. Hughes

This Moss Bros suit, designed in 1969, is striking in that it is totally unadorned, even the jacket buttons are concealed by a fly front. The stand-up Nehru style collar became fashionable in the mid 1960s. A daring purple satin lining belies the sober grey exterior. Moss Bros was founded in the 1850s by Moses Moses. The company built its reputation from selling ready-to-wear tailoring.

Pyjama dress, Emilio Pucci

Pyjama dress
Emilio Pucci (1914-92)
About 1968
Italy
Printed silk jersey
Museum no. T.337-1997

This trouser-dress designed by Emilio Pucci in 1968 is typical of Italian fashion.Cut in a luxurious Italian-produced silk jersey, it displays the bright Mediterranean colours which have been Pucci’s hallmark since the beginning of his career in the mid-1950s. The dress has a sleeveless bodice with a low-cut neckline. The bodice is cut under the bust and continues into a wide trouser-skirt.

Fashion at the end of the 1960s was characterised by the abandonment of short and rigid A-line mini-dresses in favour of long and svelte lines, and by the increasing presence of trousers in women’s wardrobes. Long dresses and skirts were no longer restricted to evening wear but were increasingly part of daywear.

Suit, Bernard Weatherill

Suit
Bernard Weatherill
1966
London
Wool
Museum no. T.338-1984
Given by Eric Lucking

This suit was made by Bernard Weatherill during the British fashion boom of the 1960s and is a good example of the styles of that period. The repetition of curved lines in flapped pockets, cuffs, collar and lapels, along with unusual covered buttons, show a dapper and stylish attention to detail. Bernard Weatherill was a men's tailoring and equestrian dress-maker, established in Savile Row in 1912. Today, the company retains a host of Royal Appointments.

Ensemble, Andre Courrèges

Ensemble (dress and coat)
Andre Courrèges (born 1923)
1965
Paris
Machine stitched worsted and spandex
Museum no. T.304:1&2-2000

This ensemble consisting of a coat and a dress, was designed by André Courrèges in 1965.

The coat is short, double breasted, and has a triangular shape. It has two long sleeves, two vertical pockets on the front and fastens with four buttons. There is a blue spandex trimming around the collar, the upper part of the coat, the pockets and the sleeves. The back of the coat shows a slit from waist down to the hem, covered with a panel. All the seams are double.The dress is short, and has a triangular shape. It is sleeveless. There are two buttons on the front, six at the back and two vertical pockets on the front. There is a blue spandex trimming around the neckline, the shoulders, the pockets and the hem.

André Courreges was born in France in 1923. After a brief career in engineering, he turned to fashion and worked with Balenciaga from 1949 to 1961. From Balenciaga he learned to search for a pure, simple and sharp line which, mixed with his taste for white and pure colours, allowed him to create designs for a younger generation. This ensemble shows Courrège's architectural approach to fashion: the use of geometrical shapes, minimalist details and colour. The use of white, underlined here with plastic blue, and the use of heavy worsted, make the shape of this ensemble stand out almost as an architectural object. The choice of blue and white, refers to the 'matelot' style popular amongst youth in France during the mid 1960s.