emmapeelpants
Alumni
The Boutiques - The Namesakes of the Movement
Annacat
Formed in 1965 by friends Jane Lyle and Maggie Keswick, Annacat was the Biba of The Brompton Road. Although little is known about the origins of the boutique, it is easy to show the sense of fun and youthful enthusiasm which encapsulates the Boutique Movement through the designs of Annacat. They were highly favoured by British Vogue (something which Biba and Mary Quant struggled with throughout the 60s, despite their fame and obvious charms), and the two female designers would appear to have been very 'in' with the London scene at the time - which might explain their favoured status. There is a real sense of fun and decadence about their pieces, regularly trimmed in ostrich feathers, printed in feminine, swirling psychedelics and with historically influenced, sexy shapes. I have often regarded Annacat as the truly girly version of Foale and Tuffin. Party girls, party clothes and (judging by some comments I've read online by those who went there) a real party atmosphere in the boutique itself.
[http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat1.jpg]
Annacat founder Janet Lyle with Patrick Lichfield in Vogue, September 1968. Janet Lyle wears her own sea green velvet dress, Patrick Lichfield his own yellow shantung shirt. Both destined for New York where Annacat has opened a boutique at 924 Madison Avenue. Janet Lyle's dress is full length, with small bodice, cascading white lace sleeves sewn with green satin ribbons. Patrick Lichfield's shirt, with ruffles and a detatchable sash to tie in a large floppy bow, is from his first collection of men's shirts which will be sold in a special boutique inside the New York Annacat. Happily, they are both available at the London Annacat, too, £33, and 15 gns to order, from 270 Brompton Road, SW3.
Annacat clothes were decadent, wild and a tad impractical - in my time, I don't think I have ever seen any Annacat daywear!! One of their signature looks was feather trims, as shown in this photo from Vogue, September 1968 and secondly in a mini dress from my own collection:
[http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat2.jpg"]
[http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat4.jpg]
Left: Vogue, September 1968, 'The Life That's In British Fashion'. Swan-white silk peignoir in the star tradition, right, caught in a mesh of gold, feathered with wild ruffs of white ostrich, cut with vast mediaeval sleeves, a white silk belt buckle din gold under the bosom, 80 gns, to order from Annacat</i>. Right: c1968 feather trim mini dress with psychedelic print chiffon
When I say decadent, I mean it! This green dress is bordering on the indecent, but somehow manages to pull back and just look outrageously sexy!
[http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat6.jpg]
Green Grecian-styled jersey dress - slashed to the waist. c.1969.
They even managed to give some glitz to dungarees!
[img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat3.jpg]
Vogue. June 1969.</b><i> Marianne Benet in snowy crepe dungarees, belted and held up by silver sequins. The Dungarees are 19 gns, the ruffled white crepe shirt, 13 gns, at Annacat.</i></center></small>
<P>
When the girls weren't adding sequins and feathers to things, their own take on the pseudo-historical trend was unashamedly, girlishly romantic. As you can see on the top picture of Janet Lyle, they were fond of velvets, period bodice styles and Liberty prints.
<P>
<Center><img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat5.jpg" border="2"><p><Small>From my collection. A late 1960s renaissance styled white dress with extraordinary green and orange print.</center></small>
<P>
The shop also stocked concessions by other designers (such as Patrick Lichfield, above), amongst the Lyle and Keswick pieces. Apparently, the boutique was the first London outlet for Laura Ashley in the late 1960s - before her own shop opened on the Fulham Road.
<P>
Annacat was sold wholesale in 1970, presumably there weren't enough customers clamouring for sequin trimmed dungarees(!), and failed to continue with the critical success of the early years with a different designer at the helm. From being a seemingly permanent fixture in Vogue throughout the late 60s, I haven't seen anything of them in my 1970s editions. Perhaps proving that the main reason they were so successful in the first place had been the personality of the two young party girls who started it!
<P>
Annacat
Formed in 1965 by friends Jane Lyle and Maggie Keswick, Annacat was the Biba of The Brompton Road. Although little is known about the origins of the boutique, it is easy to show the sense of fun and youthful enthusiasm which encapsulates the Boutique Movement through the designs of Annacat. They were highly favoured by British Vogue (something which Biba and Mary Quant struggled with throughout the 60s, despite their fame and obvious charms), and the two female designers would appear to have been very 'in' with the London scene at the time - which might explain their favoured status. There is a real sense of fun and decadence about their pieces, regularly trimmed in ostrich feathers, printed in feminine, swirling psychedelics and with historically influenced, sexy shapes. I have often regarded Annacat as the truly girly version of Foale and Tuffin. Party girls, party clothes and (judging by some comments I've read online by those who went there) a real party atmosphere in the boutique itself.
[http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat1.jpg]
Annacat founder Janet Lyle with Patrick Lichfield in Vogue, September 1968. Janet Lyle wears her own sea green velvet dress, Patrick Lichfield his own yellow shantung shirt. Both destined for New York where Annacat has opened a boutique at 924 Madison Avenue. Janet Lyle's dress is full length, with small bodice, cascading white lace sleeves sewn with green satin ribbons. Patrick Lichfield's shirt, with ruffles and a detatchable sash to tie in a large floppy bow, is from his first collection of men's shirts which will be sold in a special boutique inside the New York Annacat. Happily, they are both available at the London Annacat, too, £33, and 15 gns to order, from 270 Brompton Road, SW3.
Annacat clothes were decadent, wild and a tad impractical - in my time, I don't think I have ever seen any Annacat daywear!! One of their signature looks was feather trims, as shown in this photo from Vogue, September 1968 and secondly in a mini dress from my own collection:
[http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat2.jpg"]
[http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat4.jpg]
Left: Vogue, September 1968, 'The Life That's In British Fashion'. Swan-white silk peignoir in the star tradition, right, caught in a mesh of gold, feathered with wild ruffs of white ostrich, cut with vast mediaeval sleeves, a white silk belt buckle din gold under the bosom, 80 gns, to order from Annacat</i>. Right: c1968 feather trim mini dress with psychedelic print chiffon
When I say decadent, I mean it! This green dress is bordering on the indecent, but somehow manages to pull back and just look outrageously sexy!
[http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat6.jpg]
Green Grecian-styled jersey dress - slashed to the waist. c.1969.
They even managed to give some glitz to dungarees!
[img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat3.jpg]
Vogue. June 1969.</b><i> Marianne Benet in snowy crepe dungarees, belted and held up by silver sequins. The Dungarees are 19 gns, the ruffled white crepe shirt, 13 gns, at Annacat.</i></center></small>
<P>
When the girls weren't adding sequins and feathers to things, their own take on the pseudo-historical trend was unashamedly, girlishly romantic. As you can see on the top picture of Janet Lyle, they were fond of velvets, period bodice styles and Liberty prints.
<P>
<Center><img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i161/emmapeelpants/workshopimages/annacat5.jpg" border="2"><p><Small>From my collection. A late 1960s renaissance styled white dress with extraordinary green and orange print.</center></small>
<P>
The shop also stocked concessions by other designers (such as Patrick Lichfield, above), amongst the Lyle and Keswick pieces. Apparently, the boutique was the first London outlet for Laura Ashley in the late 1960s - before her own shop opened on the Fulham Road.
<P>
Annacat was sold wholesale in 1970, presumably there weren't enough customers clamouring for sequin trimmed dungarees(!), and failed to continue with the critical success of the early years with a different designer at the helm. From being a seemingly permanent fixture in Vogue throughout the late 60s, I haven't seen anything of them in my 1970s editions. Perhaps proving that the main reason they were so successful in the first place had been the personality of the two young party girls who started it!
<P>
