Mr & Mrs Clark, the couple who invented
"Flower Power"
in the 1970s
.
Stylized geometries, floral bouquets and art-inspired patterns (from medieval tapestries to Ballet Russes to Cubist avant-gardes, pointillisme), Ossie Clark's language defined
Swinging London
with her long and colorful flowing dresses.
With his unmistakable style, the flower power, Ossie was defined "King of Kings Road" for his slender cut '30s and 40s inspired dresses, which revealed the décolleté between sensual movements and plays of transparencies.
An exhibition to be held in two different locations, in the Textile Museum in Prato, from 17 September to 8 January 2023 (inauguration on 16 September), and in the headquarters of the Sozzani Foundation in Corso Como in Milan, from 16 January to 10 April (inauguration on January 15), celebrates them.
A short but very intense career that left a mark in London in the period between the miniskirt of Mary Quant and the subversive punk movement of Malcolm MacLaren and Vivienne Westwood, from 1965 to 1974. Clark and his wife Celia Birtwell (Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy, from the famous painting by David Hockney at Tate Britain, 1970-71), came to define the bohemian district of West London, which was home to the new generation of brilliant young revolutionaries.
Celia designed the prints on light crêpes, silks and chiffon and Ossie transformed them into dresses that immediately conquered the international jet-set and the pop scene.
From Brigitte Bardot to Liz Taylor or Verushka, everyone was fascinated by their fashion.
Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg.
Eric Clapton, George Harrison,
Bianca Jagger and Marisa Berenson are just some of the characters Ossie Clark has dressed.
When Hockney painted Ossie and Celia in their Notting Hill home, he portrayed a snapshot of modern life, with a perfect representation of the world of Clark and Birtwell whose designs embodied a bold new way of life.
Ossie was also the first designer to rethink the idea of "occasion".
For him, evening dresses could be worn during the day and vice versa, while with his transparent chiffon he invented the nude look.
with a perfect representation of the world of Clark and Birtwell whose projects embodied a brave new way of life.
Ossie was also the first designer to rethink the idea of "occasion".
For him, evening dresses could be worn during the day and vice versa, while with his transparent chiffon he invented the nude look.
with a perfect representation of the world of Clark and Birtwell whose projects embodied a brave new way of life.
Ossie was also the first designer to rethink the idea of "occasion".
For him, evening dresses could be worn during the day and vice versa, while with his transparent chiffon he invented the nude look.
Starting from an initial important nucleus of clothes from the
Massimo Cantini Parrini
collection and archive , the Textile Museum of Prato and the Sozzani Foundation, starting from September, dedicate a large retrospective that can tell the incredible creativity of these two often overlooked figures in the history of fashion.
Rare items from the private collections
of Celia Birtwell from London and Lauren Lepire from Los Angeles complete the museum research.
With the patronage of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the exhibition will be inaugurated on September 16 at the Textile Museum in Prato and will arrive in Milan at the Sozzani Foundation in January.
The itinerary not only presents a series of dresses with the iconic prints of Ossie and Celia, but intends to tell the context and the evolution of the designer, from the Quorum boutique in Chelsea, frequented by the youth of the London scene, to the performances, through a series of videos , vintage photos and editorials, memorabilia, sketches and reproductions from, sketches and reproductions of the drawings, up to an exclusive video interview with Celia Birtwell herself.
Also in the way of presenting his fashion Clark was the first designer to extend the concept of performance to fashion shows, proposing them in the most diverse places, as happened at the Royal Court Theater in 1971, with the musical contribution of David Gilmour, one of the founders of the Pink Floyd.
Among his muses Jane Birkin and Amanda Lear who for years participated in his fashion shows,
up to Celia herself from which she separated in 1973 to get to the last A / W 1974 collection presented at the King's Road Theater, which marks the end of their golden age and the change of an era.
"I am thrilled with this project - commented Celia Clark, Ossie's widow - which aims to be a celebration of my husband's life. It is important to keep Ossie's flame burning so that her work is not forgotten"
