John Lewis haberdashery department London
I was in the habby department of John Lewis Oxford Street this week and saw this dress mocked up on a mannequin. When I say mocked up, the dress isn’t actually sewn at all but pinned into the style you see here. It’s quite an art isn’t it? But John Lewis do this all the time and this isn’t what caught my eye. What made my fabric radar go off was the print. I’m a big fan of textile designs from the 50s and this had mid century style written all over it.
Lucienne Day archive print fabrics
On closer inspection, the design was an archive print from my favourite textile designer of the period, Lucienne Day. Her most iconic design, Calyx, was launched at the Festival of Britain in 1951. This is one of the products that John Lewis has brought out to mark the store’s 150th anniversary.
Serenade 1954 – Lucienne Day
Abstract figures
I’ve picked out a few of my favourites above. It’s £22 per meter, so not cheap but for a piece of design history, a bargain.
Pootle and make 