My weekend find - Ossie Clark Celia Birtwell - and a few ?s

T

Teresas Treasures

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This is early 70s I believe although I cannot find a tag with Radley and both Clark and Birtwell to view other than this one. Also, although it is nearly perfect there is one small make up smudge at the neckline and at one underarm some stitching has come loose. It is moss crepee - what is the best way to remove the smudge at the neckline? Also would you fix the stitching or leave as is?

These pictures are not the ones I'll be using as I want to steam the dress and tie that front tie a bit better than it is.

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I just found the same dress listed as a 1975 print called "Floating Daisies". Mine even has an extra button still sewn to the inside of the dress at the bottom.
 
Would you really take it to the dry cleaners? I don't know if I am brave enough to do that. The dress is in amazing condition other than the two things I mentioned and I think I might be biting my nails off if I dropped it off at the cleaners.
 
Let me be the 2nd to say, "OMG!" What a find! It's delightful!
Definitely stitch up the loose seam if you're hand with thread & needle (doesn't sound a dicey repair at all), and if you don't trust your cleaner, don't send it. But if the dress is structurally sound and the stain is indeed makeup, I can't imagine a cleaner ruining it.... But if you have a home solution you use to spot clean, you could try doing that--although sometimes I've had makeup stains get more mucked up by trying to spot clean them.
 
OMG!! So wearable. I love, love, love it! Definitely fix the loose stitches and if you are hesitant to send it to the cleaners, use Goddards spray. I found it at Longs Drugs here in California. It's a dry clean only spray that wardrobe folks use to spot treat delicate fabrics. I got coffee stains out of a delicate Peggy Hunt dress with it.
 
Oh, gads, that is fabulous! And so iconic! And so hard to find!

Birtwell's "floating daisy" print was so popular that she created it in several colorways and several styles for Ossie Clark. Here is is as a coat from 1971, meant to be worn over a dress with the same colorway:

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And here it is on a coat, with the floral print alongside a grid pattern:

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(Images and info from one of my favorite vintage fashion books, "Vintage Fashion: Collecting and Wearing Designer Classics, 1900-1990," by Emma Baxter-Wright with a foreword by Zandra Rhodes.)
 
Oh, I LOVE that!!! and great to see the other uses of this print. I'll now know the print if (cold day in hell, etc.) I ever see one.
 
Gasp! Yes, it is "Floating Daisies" print, which was recently reprised for her capsule collection for Express.
Yours is the full-on fabulous moss crepe real deal! I am so jealous. With the extra button still attached, no less. Some girls have all the luck. I've seen this dress in books or online or in an auction catalog, someplace, I'm sure. It's so iconic.

I'm going to look into that Goddard's too. Thanks Deborah. I would fix the loose stitching, Teresa.
 
On the recent 'British Style Genius' programme on the BBC, this dress was revealed to have been Radley's bestseller. I can't remember the number they said had sold, but it was pretty mind boggling I think....

It's one of my favourites, but I just can't wear it in this colourway (I'm still on the hunt for a white and green version, which they showed on the aforementioned programme).

I wish I could remember the date, but it's definitely early Seventies rather than mid.
 
Fabulous! I think we all love Ossie! Figure friendly colorful without being tacky.

He is in my top ten of designers next to Bill Gibb....

-Chris
 
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