A while ago I met Yasmin Yusuf, creative director of Miss Selfridge. She has one of the biggest archives of vintage fashion in the UK and uses it as inspiration for her designs. I wrote about our encounter for How To Spend It - you can read the full article here - but as usual I have many more pictures I want to use. So here's a kind of illustrated appendix. Enjoy!
Yasmin is amazing. I could have listened to her stories for hours.
Her collection includes vintage accessories, magazines and books as well as rails of clothing. In this stack of books you can see one by fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez. His drawings captured the spirit of the late 1970s and early 1980s - we have this book in our library at our studio in Ladbroke Grove. To see our full catalogue, please click here - customers can borrow whenever they like.
Illustration by Antonio Lopez
Being surrounded by so many beautiful vintage dresses gave me palpitations.. I think that's why I'm gripping the back of a chair here:
The sequins on this original 1920s dress (below) are made from actual silver, carefully sewn on to mesh.
In the same room, I spotted a rail of beautiful plissé dresses from the Dorothy Perkins summer collection, including this one (below). It's available online in coral or black.
The shape, pleated fabric and belt really reminded me of the dress Lauren Hutton wore to the Oscars in 1975. Her style looks so contemporary here:
Each item in Yasmin's collection is archived according to fabric and era, and she knows the story behind almost every piece.
Miss Selfridge began as the young fashion section of Selfridges department store in London in 1966, and their first mannequins were based on sixties style icon and model Twiggy. Visionary couturier Pierre Cardin also put his name to four collections a year.
One of Yasmin's many vintage scrapbooks filled with samples from French lace mills. Her attention to detail is staggering.
On my way out the door I was given this amazing Miss Selfridge box clutch made from metallic jacquard fabric with gold peacock clasp. I took it on holiday with me to Miami the following week - seemed a bit too glam for dreary old England!
Talking of Miami... my next column for How To Spend It is about the time I met the owner of C. Madeleine's, one of the best vintage fashion boutiques in the US. Expect lots of blingy dresses. In the meantime, remember that Juno Says Hello is offering 20% off all in-studio purchases throughout the month of May. To make an appointment please get in touch.
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