I wish they all could be Lui covers

Les filles de Californie is the theme of this issue...and who is to complain about a cover like this?

An editorial shot.

Could this be Anita Pallenberg? It looks so much like her...

A B/W shot of Brigitte Bardot

You drive like a demon

Possibly Veronica Hammel meeting the world armed with a cardigan suit by Charles Cooper. 1968.



Swedish model Maud Adams spending an afternoon in the stream dressed to kill. Boots studded with Navajo silver and blue leather doublet by Sant' Angelo.


Verushka as Queen Christina (Kristina) of Sweden.


Shot by Berry Berenson.

Perfectly sweet

Gorgeous cover of Marie Claire, 1968, featuring a beautiful dress by Jean Patou. This is another side of the 60s than we saw on the runways over the last few weeks - that strict, preppy yet suffering kind of look.



Another deer-in-the-headlights stare.


I believe it's Patou, Dior, Cardin and Ricci.


A most lovely Perrier ad.

All I can say is that the velvet underground is great

Behold this fun Coty ad featuring Ingrid Boulting to the right and another great model.

Let there be Yves

These images are from a retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent made in 1982. Looking at these images, that regrettably stems from a source of decidedly subpar quality, it is easy to see why companies go through such trouble to revive/resuscitate brands created by a genius like YSL. But obviously, once the person is gone so is the soul that put that final, crucially important stamp on everything he did.

First off, a return to the 40s from the collection of 1971.


Center is of course Yves Saint Laurent himself with Brigitte dressed in saharan unisex.


The pink Jean Cocteau tribute alongside a runway shot of Jerry Hall and others, all the 1980 collections.


Catherine Deneuve, 1970.

Moon is lying still

The first two images show Penelope Tree and Twiggy in ostrich feathers, both by Lanvin. The hair was styled by Ara Gallant.




Verushka.


Clairol ad featuring model unknown to me.


All images from 1968.

A downright conspiracy to make you lovelier

Wilhelmina Cooper in one of her later modeling assignments, this time for Helena Rubinstein in 1968. Aside from the traditional 60s eye make-up we find what appears to be a precursor to that pesky 90s heavy use of lipliner.



Lipstick is, appropriately, Mary Quant's "Sexpot".





Coty ad.

The death of the 60s

As most people know, the end of the 60s were dark. Rockstars died, bestial serial killers got away with it - and, yes, the flirtation with satanism also pervaded the pages of fashion magazines.

Here, in one of the most compelling fashion proper editorials of 1968.






Donna Mitchell with uncommonly dry hair in an ad for Bristows.


Moyra Swan in frills from top to toe.

The darkness that must come out to light

And the light looks psychedelic at this moment.

These photographs were taken by Horvat in 1968. Models are unknown to me.

That all important Shrimpton head tilt

The 60s, pervaded by hippie models like Pattie Boyd, amazons like Verushka, waifs like Twiggy, oddities like Penelope Tree, exotics like Peggy Moffit. A true smorgosbord of diverse moods - but the first one, to bring a dramatically different mood was, of course, Jean Shrimpton, who came around in a time of absolutely perfect creatures (Dovima and Suzy Parker come to mind) with her deep blue eyes, sort of stubby nose and rather approachable look.


Jean in 1962, perhaps photographed one of the first times by David Bailey, with a distinct deer in the headlights aspect.


Jaded, cool and endowed with an incomparable head tilt, Jean is photographed by her now ex-partner Bailey surrounded by their previous, intense, sincere work. 1968.

Minimalism 60s style, precursor of the 90s...

Obviously, after many years of decadence it's time for a brand of minimalism - but with some strong patterns. As the 90s is now the second to last decade, it's inevitably becoming a large influence on current fashions. For these reasons, I believe in a come-back for some of the trends of the 60s that are certainly not in the common perception of the flower-power era - the grungy minimalism with geometric, but constrained, patterns. Here is a sample of later 60s images showing some of these trends. Most of it is sensible, sportswear, casual...This trend was also very important in the early 70s and I will soon post some of those references as well.


1968


1968, Donna Mitchell in a characteristically minimalistic soft mood.


1967


1967, same editorial.


1968, Ingrid Boulting

Nothing says January like....

...selecting your next vacation spot. How about Bali - some vulcanic island beach and a crazy 60s Sloat dress?

We call it rough chic

A new year - a new schitick - I will show you, for educational purposes of course, one image per day from my vintage fashion magazine collection.

First off, this month, 42 years ago, this ad appeared in American fashion magazines - Catalina.