My most treasured dress: Radley of London

On Sunday, I shared what I wore to a wedding and here are some pictures of an outfit I recently wore to a funeral.



 I'm not one to ever do this, but this dress is special. It's a vintage Radley of London dress. Swinging Sixties designer Ossie Clark and his wife Celia Birtwell made some clothes for Radley and they are much sought after amongst vintage enthusiasts. Ossie Clark dressed the fabulous and rockers of the sixties and seventies, including the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithfull, Pattie Boyd and Liza Minelli.  
Pattie Boyd in Ossie Clark.

Anita Pallenberg in an Ossie Clark snakeskin jacket.
Marianne Faithfull in an Ossie Clark suit.
Mick Jagger in an Ossie velvet jumpsuit

About 3 or 4 years ago, I bought this dress on eBay for a remarkable $30! I've often seen Ossie Clark or Radley pieces for three or even four digit prices online, so it was a real bargain! 

I pull this dress out for occasions and it has sentimental value to me as I wore it to one of my grandmother's memorial gatherings after she passed away a few years ago. She would have loved this dress and I always enjoyed showing her my special finds.

Although the label does not specifically say Ossie Clark for Radley, it does have some typical Ossie designs such as the use of moss crepe fabric and hand stitched button loop holes, which is not common in clothes made nowadays. I would like to think Ossie worked on this dress, but I'm not certain.

To own a Ossie Clark piece would be my ultimate vintage dream. A few months ago I bought a book called Ossie Clark 1965-1974 by Judith Watt and thoroughly enjoyed reading it and fawning over the pictures. You may have seen a quick video I shared of it on Instagram.

Look at these gorgeous pictures from the book...






Have you ever come across Ossie Clark pieces?

Comments

  1. Vix15 May, 2019

    Finding my Ossie Clark in a charity shop is one of my all-time top secondhand finds.
    The range he did for Radley always had his name on the label but the dresses the company made were great quality and often very pretty (although I was never keen on their 1980s stuff).
    Your dress is lovely, a perfect fit. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 15 May, 2019

      Thank you!

      I know, I LOVE your yellow Ossie dress.

      I found an 80s Radley of London dress a few years ago but the bat wing sleeves looked awful on me and I ended up donating it to an opshop. X

      Delete
  2. Jenna H.16 May, 2019

    What a great dress! I love how simple yet elegant it is :) Thanks for sharing!
    -Jenna ♥
    Follow me back? The Chic Cupcake

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 25 May, 2019

      Thank you! I do love this dress. I'll check out your blog. X

      Delete
  3. Anonymous16 May, 2019

    I love this beautiful vintage dress on you! I have never seen Ossie Clark in person (not much of his stuff made it to Canada!), but my friend Wendy Brandes has a couple of his pieces. They are amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 25 May, 2019

      I know, I think that's the problem, Shiela. I don't think many Ossie pieces have made it to Australia too. They must be mostly in England!

      I love Wendy Brandes' blog and actually discovered her through her YouTube video about her Ossie Clark collection. X

      Delete
  4. Sapirstein 08 May, 2021

    I would love to come across a Ossie Clark. My favorite is the snakeskin coat worn by Sharon Tate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 14 May, 2021

      Oh me too! I adore an Ossie snakeskin jacket that Anita Pallenberg wore in the 60s!😍

      Delete
    2. Jess 14 May, 2021

      I also did find an Ossie dress and documented it on my blog not too long ago, if you're interested in seeing it. X

      Delete

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