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'John Bates came onto the London Fashion scene like a bolt of blue light, trailing sparks of excitement, designing the shortest skirts, the swiftest shapes, the surest colours. He had an unswerving instinct for what was new, modern, cutting edge' - Marit Allen. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, John Bates dominated the British fashion scene with a unique brand of style and innovation. No other designer had such a comprehensive influence on what the UK wore. Diana Rigg wore his designs in "The Avengers", and the press went wild.Cilla Black and Dusty Springfield sang in them; Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy and Penelope Tree modelled; David Bailey, Terence Donovan and Helmut Newton photographed. At every level, from shop girl to pop star, debutante and banker's wife, his label Jean Varon offered a must-have dress for a party, short or long, empire line or mini. He gave fashion-conscious women the chance to wear dresses featured extensively in the pages of "Vogue", "Harpers Bazaar", and "Queen Magazine" and bridged the gap between High Street retailing and couture like no other. Richard Lester's text is based on detailed interviews with John Bates, covering his entire career in fashion. In addition the book features contributions from Felicity Green, Deidre McSharry, Brigid Keenan, Barbara Griggs, Sian Phillips and other key figures from the fashion industry, cultural scene and media of the time.
About the Author
Richard Lester trained with Sotheby's in the early 1990s having worked for Osborne & Little and Liberty and combines writing with running an online vintage fashion business based in Sussex. In 2004 he donated a large collection of designs by John Bates to the Fashion Museum in Bath and assisted in organising the designer's retrospective exhibition at the museum in 2006. ACC Editions published Photographing Fashion: British Style in the Sixties in 2009. Marit Allen (1941-2007) was one of the most important names in fashion in the 1960s, working initially for Queen magazine and subsequently for Vogue as editor of 'Young Ideas'. There she played a vital role in promoting young British designers such as John Bates, who designed her spectacular silver wedding outfit in 1966. From the early 1970s she excelled in costume design for film, with credits including Don't Look Now (1973), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and collaborations with director Ang Lee including Brokeback Mountain (2005).
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Few women who watched the 1960s hit television program The Avengers did not want to look and more specifically dress like Diana Rigg who played Emma Peel. Her clothes were like none seen before - daring, eye catching, high style, and ultra flattering, that is, of course, if you had a figure like Diana Rigg. Nonetheless, remarkable marketeer that he was John Bates, the designer of these incredible fashions, made a collection of Avenger inspired clothes available to the public and they were soon seen everywhere.
Bates had a golden touch - not only that but he was very handsome, and at the top of British fashion for some 20 years, designing for such names as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton before his retirement to paint in 1980. This generously illustrated volume (110 color, 159 black and white) not only traces Bates's rise from a gofer for courtier Herbert Sidon to the apex of the fashion world but also reveals the man who won over 300 appearances in the pages of Vogue.
While Bates attributes his success to "A part of it is luck; being in the right place at the right time," he is far too humble in his assessment. It took determination and a great deal of hard work on his part. His beginnings could not have been more modest, "I started by taking messages, cleaning, being taught to sketch. If the tea needed making I'd make it, if a client came in I could watch how they were dealt with...."
Fortunately, part of his training was to study old fashion magazines, and eventually two of his designs were included in a show "to a middle market wholesale firm," and both were bought by the firm. Bates was offered a job by the wholesalers, and he was on his way.
What a pleasure to revisit his designs as we remember the "swinging sixties," and an even greater pleasure to know that this man with such an accomplished eye for beauty continues to demonstrate his art through his paintings.
Recommended.
- Gail Cooke
Bates had a golden touch - not only that but he was very handsome, and at the top of British fashion for some 20 years, designing for such names as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton before his retirement to paint in 1980. This generously illustrated volume (110 color, 159 black and white) not only traces Bates's rise from a gofer for courtier Herbert Sidon to the apex of the fashion world but also reveals the man who won over 300 appearances in the pages of Vogue.
While Bates attributes his success to "A part of it is luck; being in the right place at the right time," he is far too humble in his assessment. It took determination and a great deal of hard work on his part. His beginnings could not have been more modest, "I started by taking messages, cleaning, being taught to sketch. If the tea needed making I'd make it, if a client came in I could watch how they were dealt with...."
Fortunately, part of his training was to study old fashion magazines, and eventually two of his designs were included in a show "to a middle market wholesale firm," and both were bought by the firm. Bates was offered a job by the wholesalers, and he was on his way.
What a pleasure to revisit his designs as we remember the "swinging sixties," and an even greater pleasure to know that this man with such an accomplished eye for beauty continues to demonstrate his art through his paintings.
Recommended.
- Gail Cooke
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
BRITISH FASHION ROYALTY
19 Dec 2008
Format:Hardcover
Few women who watched the 1960s hit television program The Avengers did not want to look and more specifically dress like Diana Rigg who played Emma Peel. Her clothes were like none seen before - daring, eye catching, high style, and ultra flattering, that is, of course, if you had a figure like Diana Rigg. Nonetheless, remarkable marketeer that he was John Bates, the designer of these incredible fashions, made a collection of Avenger inspired clothes available to the public and they were soon seen everywhere.
Bates had a golden touch - not only that but he was very handsome, and at the top of British fashion for some 20 years, designing for such names as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton before his retirement to paint in 1980. This generously illustrated volume (110 color, 159 black and white) not only traces Bates's rise from a gofer for courtier Herbert Sidon to the apex of the fashion world but also reveals the man who won over 300 appearances in the pages of Vogue.
While Bates attributes his success to "A part of it is luck; being in the right place at the right time," he is far too humble in his assessment. It took determination and a great deal of hard work on his part. His beginnings could not have been more modest, "I started by taking messages, cleaning, being taught to sketch. If the tea needed making I'd make it, if a client came in I could watch how they were dealt with...."
Fortunately, part of his training was to study old fashion magazines, and eventually two of his designs were included in a show "to a middle market wholesale firm," and both were bought by the firm. Bates was offered a job by the wholesalers, and he was on his way.
What a pleasure to revisit his designs as we remember the "swinging sixties," and an even greater pleasure to know that this man with such an accomplished eye for beauty continues to demonstrate his art through his paintings.
Recommended.
- Gail Cooke
Bates had a golden touch - not only that but he was very handsome, and at the top of British fashion for some 20 years, designing for such names as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton before his retirement to paint in 1980. This generously illustrated volume (110 color, 159 black and white) not only traces Bates's rise from a gofer for courtier Herbert Sidon to the apex of the fashion world but also reveals the man who won over 300 appearances in the pages of Vogue.
While Bates attributes his success to "A part of it is luck; being in the right place at the right time," he is far too humble in his assessment. It took determination and a great deal of hard work on his part. His beginnings could not have been more modest, "I started by taking messages, cleaning, being taught to sketch. If the tea needed making I'd make it, if a client came in I could watch how they were dealt with...."
Fortunately, part of his training was to study old fashion magazines, and eventually two of his designs were included in a show "to a middle market wholesale firm," and both were bought by the firm. Bates was offered a job by the wholesalers, and he was on his way.
What a pleasure to revisit his designs as we remember the "swinging sixties," and an even greater pleasure to know that this man with such an accomplished eye for beauty continues to demonstrate his art through his paintings.
Recommended.
- Gail Cooke
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