The narrative of the Foale and Tuffin story perfectly traces the decade
from its groovy, optimistic beginnings, when the two embryonic fashion
designers blithely set up shop in 1961, to its crash-and-burn finale, as
Sixties sanguinity melted away into a hangover of Seventies cynicism,
masked as it was with the distraction of fancy-dress escapism. Marion
Foale and Sally Tuffin were two bolshy girls who just did it. After
meeting at Walthamstow Art School in 1955 and then studying together at
the Royal College of Art, they embarked on a trailblazing career in
fashion. Quirky, youthful creativity, acute sensitivity to the latest
moods and trends, expert craftsmanship, and a little Swinging Sixties
good fortune placed them at the hub of the cultural explosion in London
that defined the era. Their boutique off Carnaby Street was at the
epicenter of the new fashion scene. Suddenly, David Bailey was
photographing their outfits for Vogue, Cathy MacGowan was wearing them
on Ready, Steady, Go!, and the girls were jetting around America as part
of the ground-breaking Youthquake tour. Through detailed interviews with
Foale and Tuffin themselves, exclusive access to their personal
archives, and contributions from an extraordinary array of figures from
the fashion, art and cultural scenes of the 1960s, 70s and beyond, Iain
R. Webb builds a fascinating picture of the time, throwing new light on
how fashion and business underwent a period of unprecedented change. It
was a period of cross-pollination in art, music and fashion, of
entrepreneurial and cultural innovation. Contributors include Manolo
Blahnik, Sir Terence Conran, Felicity Green, Barbara Hulanicki, Caterine
Milinaire, Janet Street Porter, Mary Quant and Jean Shrimpton.
