Horrockses Fashions | Review
April 9th 2010 04:55
Horrockses Fashions
Off-the-peg Style in the 40’s and 50’s
Christine Boydell
This beautifully constructed book comes from V&A Publishing, always reliable for well bound treasures. If you enjoy the stylish cotton frocks of the time, this is a book you will spend hours with. There is enough information here to give you a great insight into whom was designing what, and how it looked.
The original introduction of beautifully printed pre-shrunk cotton fabric was something of a revelation for the fashion market of the day. Unusual designs at the time, classics now. Broad skirts, pleated or ruffled, with some wonderful Alastair Morton design were (and remain) bright and bold, as well as scoping in more classy subtle but sheik looks. Morton is an important element in the Horrockses story. Much of the material design is his; he was creating forty new designs for fabric a year from 1947 until 1955. In the mid 50’s there were times when they bemoaned the notion that so many people were now beyond Morton’s open flowery designs, so often the placed over horizontal lines possibly not really helping the natural line of many women. Other designers included Margaret Meades, Pat Albeck and Graham Sutherland.
Ready to wear was a breakthrough not only in its look; it changed the way women’s fashion was sold. It is amusing to read about the exploitation department linking movie stars with certain outfits, presenting a type of exclusivity that would obviously hit a nerve. It still does today by all accounts. Just look at the whole Sex and the City phenomenon. Branding and presenting outfits that were ready off the hanger became one stream while another was lifting the mood and class value of the product based on its elegance and line.
Also a fascinating insight is the Painting into Textiles exhibition in 1953 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. How striking these works by painters such as Eduardo Paolozzi are.
The work that has gone in to put this book together is obviously meticulous. It’s a fine reference book as much as it is an enjoyable tome for inspiration. The colour photography and reproductions of of the highest standards.
Christine Boydell, a lecturer in Design curated the exhibition Our Best Dresses: the story of Horrockses Fashions for the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston and continues to work on another exhibition for the company. This fine example of her work will be a great blessing to many wanting insight and entertainment from the theme and the time.
Off-the-peg Style in the 40’s and 50’s
Christine Boydell
This beautifully constructed book comes from V&A Publishing, always reliable for well bound treasures. If you enjoy the stylish cotton frocks of the time, this is a book you will spend hours with. There is enough information here to give you a great insight into whom was designing what, and how it looked.
Ready to wear was a breakthrough not only in its look; it changed the way women’s fashion was sold. It is amusing to read about the exploitation department linking movie stars with certain outfits, presenting a type of exclusivity that would obviously hit a nerve. It still does today by all accounts. Just look at the whole Sex and the City phenomenon. Branding and presenting outfits that were ready off the hanger became one stream while another was lifting the mood and class value of the product based on its elegance and line.
The work that has gone in to put this book together is obviously meticulous. It’s a fine reference book as much as it is an enjoyable tome for inspiration. The colour photography and reproductions of of the highest standards.
Christine Boydell, a lecturer in Design curated the exhibition Our Best Dresses: the story of Horrockses Fashions for the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston and continues to work on another exhibition for the company. This fine example of her work will be a great blessing to many wanting insight and entertainment from the theme and the time.
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