WHAT?  The Biba Story, 1964-1975

WHERE?  Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF 

WHEN?  Now until 8th September 

WHY GO?  To be taken on a fashion trip.  Barbara Hulanicki, better known as Biba, defined an era of youthful fashion freedom.  Whilst it might not be PC to call her legions of fashion fans ‘dolly birds’ today, it was after all the Sixties when she launched her signature gold logo that has made fashion history.

Biba fans were the movers and shakers of the day, Pattie Boyd, Cher, Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy were all customers of her modish ‘fast’ fashion trends that often referenced her personal passion for Art Nouveau and Art Deco patterns.

This glorious retrospective chronicles Biba’s rise to global fame when she put London, specifically Kensington on the fashion map forever.  

Enthusiastically curated by Martin Pel, it’s jam packed with original Biba mini and maxi dresses, curvy peplum suits, wide legged trousers and those famous feather boas she draped around every mannequin.

It charts her early life and phenomenal talent as a fashion illustrator, the inspired Biba mail-order enterprise, her eclectic approach to retail, and pays tribute to how she fashioned a lifestyle through branding. 

Who knew Biba put her name on cans of baked beans alongside the cosmetics which appealed to women everywhere who wanted dark smoky eyes and pale almost white lips?

The clothes, the images and sounds of the Sixties; everything is captured.  It’s a trip down memory lane for anyone of a certain age and a dazzling snapshot of retro fashion for young vintage fans.

IN THE KNOW  Alongside the Biba exhibition, a dedicated display pays tribute to the partnership of fashion and film, focusing on Ken Russell ’s 1971 musical, ‘The Boy Friend’ starring Twiggy. Provocatively titled, ’Do a Ruby Keeler’, it highlights the costumes by Shirley Russell and outfits by Barbara Hulanicki, Janice Wainwright and Ossie Clark.