The King of the King’s Road

Nicola Waymouth wearing Ossie Clark,
Vogue, 1972.
© Norman Parkinson Ltd:
Courtesy Norman Parkinson Archive

AustraliaFashion

The Sovereign of Style

Holding court with retrospective of '70s fashion royalty...

If the 1980s were derided as The Decade That Fashion Forgot, laughed at and facepalmed for the horrendous crimes committed against clothing, and the ’60s was The Decade of Liberation and Freedom, with the arrival of the mini-skirt, the 1970s may well be The Decade That No One Talks About. Perhaps there is a large element of “after the Lord Mayor’s show” about it – how do you follow the 1960s?

Fashionistas are about to have their memories jogged in a big way with a retrospective of designer Ossie Clark at the Proud Chelsea gallery, and they have every reason to be proud of the man who dressed London style icons such as Twiggy and Jagger. The King of The King’s Road Reigns Again features photography by Norman Parkinson, Robert Whitaker and Jim Lee, and a cast of the capital’s best and brightest wearing Clark’s creations in front of the camera. You can have an audience with the king until 10th March.

The King of the King's Road

Marisa Berenson wearing Ossie Clark, 1973.
© Norman Parkinson Ltd:
Courtesy Norman Parkinson Archive

The King of the King's Road

Twiggy wearing Ossie Clark in a promotional
shot for Ken Russell’s ‘The Boy Friend’, 1970.
© Justin de Villeneuve

The King of the King's Road

Target
© Jim Lee

The King of the King's Road

Model wearing Ossie Clark.
© Robert Whitaker

The King of the King's Road

Ossie Clark in Quorum
© Eric Swayne