Ossie Clark

Ossie Clark.

Ossie Clark was born  Raymond Clark in Liverpool 9th June 1942. The name Ossie came from when he was evacuated to Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire during the Second World War. Ossie studied at Manchester Art School in 1960. In 1962 Ossie Clark was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London. Where he graduated three years later – the only student to have been awarded a  First Class honours degree. Clark had impressive cutting skills and had the extraordinary productive collaboration with his wife the textile designer Celia Birtwell. He was spotted by Vogue's Marit Allen who printed a picture of Ossie and a model wearing one of his graduation pop art dresses and were photographed by David Bailey( photographer)in 1965.

 Dressing coat 1970. Ossie Clark.
 Celia Birtwell's print "floating Daisy."

Ossie Clark

Twiggy wearing Ossie Clark's outfit.

Wedding dress 1971. Clark said wedding dresses
"the most vital part is the back". Here the back features
dramatic fun pleating falling from a raised waistline.

Ossie Clark  1985.

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 Dress 1971. This dress
was cleverly pieced together
from two different lengths of fabric,
a small multicoloured floral print and bolder red poppy print. They coil round the figure into continuous strands. Print by Celia Birtwell.

 From the mid 1960s to the mid-1970s Ossie Clark dressed the famous and the fashionable in showstoppers outfits. But since then, Clark's glamorous lifestyle and tragic death in 1996  have overshadowed his importance as a dress designer.

1969

1970   Chiffon dress.

 The back of a wool coat 1970.

 Strawberry embroidered lounge suit
1971

 Snake skin bomber jacket 1967.

 Costings for a outfit 1973 – 74.

Ossie Clark in the 1960s – 1970s one of the most influential dress designers of that time. He made Mick Jagger's stage outfits and Jaggers wife Bianca wore the most extravagant  designs of his.
Ossie Clark's vintage designs are still very sought-after and a lot of them are privately owned.  V&A  had a exhibition showing his designs in 2003. I just wished that I could have gone to see that exhibition because in this 1960s we all wanted a Ossie Clark's dress !