Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell Exhibition Opens at Museo del Tessuto in Prato

A major retrospective on Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, the iconic fashion duo of Swinging London, has opened at the Museo del Tessuto in Prato, curated by Federico Poletti. The exhibition, organized with Fondazione Sozzani, traces their brief but influential career from 1965 to 1974, between Mary Quant's miniskirt and the punk movement of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. Clark's sensual, transparent dresses with Art Deco and 1930s influences, paired with Birtwell's flower-power prints on crêpe, silk, and chiffon, attracted a jet-set clientele including Brigitte Bardot, Liz Taylor, Mick Jagger, and Jimi Hendrix. The show features over 200 original garments from the archive of costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini, the Lauren Lepire collection in Los Angeles, and the Clark family and Birtwell archives in London. Highlights include Clark's pioneering use of performance in fashion shows, such as the 1971 Royal Court Theatre event with music by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. The exhibition also references David Hockney's iconic 1970 portrait 'Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy,' which depicts the couple and their cat, a symbol of Clark's infidelity. The show runs through 2023 at the Museo del Tessuto.