(Above) Twiggy wears turquoise moiré shorts and waistcoat by Mary Quant, 1966© Ernestine Carter Collection/ Fashion Museum- Bath and North East Somerset Council
Exhibition Preview: Photographing Fashion - British Style in the 1960s, Fashion Museum, Bath, opens March 27 2010 until December 2010
The Bath and North East Somerset Fashion Museum will be opening up the Mrs Ernestine Carter Collection to show 20 of the finest fashion photographs from the 1960s.
Carter was Women’s and later Associate Editor of the Sunday Times between 1955 and 1968. Her collection is made up of hundreds of black and white photos and original fashion drawings commissioned or received by Carter whilst at the Times.
“This is a fantastic collection of fashion photographs. It’s like you can see the 1960s unfolding in front of your eyes,” said Fashion Museum Manager Rosemary Harden.
“From former Bond girl Tania Mallet modelling an Empire line evening dress by Sambo for Dollyrockers in 1963 through to Celia Hammond – almost fresh off the Hippy Trail – in her Indian inspired evening dress from only five years later in 1968, this display gives a potted history of fashion in the 1960s in Britain.”
Michael Fish and Barry Sainsbury wear evening shirts by Mr Fish, 1968© Ernestine Carter Collection/ Fashion Museum- Bath and North East Somerset Council
Mrs Carter was the Grande Dame of British newspaper fashion editors in the 1960s and the importance of her fashion pages could not be underestimated. As far as young designers were concerned, a piece by Mrs Carter was a hallmark of approval.
British designer John Bates explained: "I used to think then that if Mrs Carter featured me in her pages, I would really have arrived (along, I guess with every other designer just starting up)."
Original 60s garments from the Museum’s fantastic collection will be on display alongside the photos including a version of the hessian effect pinafore style mini skirt by Mary Quant seen in a photograph from 1965.
The exhibition coincides with the publication of Photographing Fashion, British Style in the Sixties by Richard Lester, which is on sale at the Museum.
