evening dress

Biba 1964 - 1974

Summary

Full-length long sleeved red lace dress by Biba. Lace machine knitted to incorporate the Biba logo, cut into 7 panels and attached to yoke at back and front just above the bust. Dress lined with beige taffeta below the yoke; close-fitting, flowing out approx. 30 cm at the hem. Centre back zip fastening, tight-fitting inset sleeves with no cuff. No label. Worn to Oxford Ball (BNC) June 1969 and to first Law Society Dinner. Barbara Hulanicki (born 1968) founded Biba in 1965 and its iconic approach to style secured it immediate success. In 1969 Biba took over the vast Art Deco building that had formerly been the department store, Derry & Toms in Kensington High Street. Biba clothes were often in dark hues and looked back to 1930s silhouettes.

Display Label

Fashionable clothes are now more accessible than ever before, as shops like New Look, Zara, H&M and Top Shop carry cheap and cheerful copies inspired by the latest creations from top designers. Here, a few examples from the 1960s onwards show stores being inspired by couture high fashion to retail similar outfits for a fraction of the cost and thus reaching a far greater raft of consumers. For instance, a green, purple and blue printed 1960s silk mini-dress by Wallis imitates a printed design by Emilio Pucci, an orange Marks and Spencer coat echoes the bold bright space-age designs of Andre Courreges, Pakamac has fun flaunting a psychedelic futurist PVC design, Biba produces its own cheap version of the bias-cut lace evening dress, and a company named Smarti mirrors the Chanel suit with its boxy jacket and gold chain decoration. Before the 1960s, stylish clothing was not so affordable and fashionable dress remained the domain of the well-to-do, who did not usually buy clothing ready-made in shops but hired dressmakers, tailors and professional embroiderers to make them. Looking at the two cheap but entirely avant guarde tops from Top Shop at the end, it is easy to appreciate how much simpler and more egalitarian it is, to be "in fashion" in today's consumer-oriented, shop-aholic society.