mini dress

Ossie Clark 1942 - 1996

Summary

Mini-dress in printed and plain black rayon cut with bodice section and short cap sleeves in a Birtwell print comprising stylised floral and geometric motifs in black and mauve on white. Low curving V-neckline, with attached ties at neck; skirt section rises from waist level to meet this neckline. Unlined. printed labels, cb neck "Designed by Ossie Clark for Radley" and "Print by Celia Birtwell" Wearer aquired it secondhand from shop on the Portobello Rd in London for £3. The Ossie Clark for Radley label began in 1968. Celia Birtwell dated the print to her Kimono collection, c1967.

Display Label

This striking black, ivory and mauve rayon dress demonstrates the success of Ossie Clark's collaboration with his wife, the textile designer Celia Birtwell. An expert cutter, Ossie Clark designed his patterns to complement the printed textiles he used in his clothes. In this mini-dress, flat black crêpe provides the perfect backdrop for Birtwell's lively, stylised floral print. In the dress illustrated below also from about 1970, two contrasting but related printed wools provide a striking outfit, also designed by Birtwell. Born in Warrington, Ossie Clark (1942-96) studied fashion at London's Royal College of Art from 1962 to 1964, joining the design team at the Quorum boutique in London's Chelsea when he left. He rapidly achieved national recognition after his work appeared in British Vogue in 1965. His use of transparent chiffons and clingy crêpes produced unique, ultra-feminine designs for the "Swinging London" of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Ossie Clark can now be recognized as one of the most important British designers of the later 20th century, a favourite of personalities like Marianne Faithfull, David Hockney, and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, as well as of countless less celebrated clients.