Brown jersey printed dress
Designed by Barbara Hulanicki for Biba, London, 1968
T.159-1986

This brown Op Art print dress zips up at the centre back. In her book, Barbara Hulanicki recalls that:
'Sometimes there were disasters with dyes. The paint just washed out, as the printer had forgotten to give it the final bake that fixes the pigment to the fabric. People were walking around in faded grey op art print dresses. It never occurred to them to return them.'
Clothing bought from Biba was famously inexpensive, so regular customers were prepared to put up with the odd glitch.