//Cancer Relief card adapted, augmented and personalised by Lorry Sartorio, oil paint on printed card, 150mm x 150mm.//

No surprises that the pick of the cards received this Christmas came from artists.

Above is Lorry Sartorio‘s wowser enhancement of a pack card. Below is Andrew Greaves‘ digital image, printed on photographic paper.

//Digital print on photographic paper, Andrew Greaves, 70mm x 110mm.//

Thanks, love and best wishes to all who sent me cards and “happy everything” in the words of another great card (an e-type from Dave Robinson) to all readers, friends, supporters, collaborators and contributors. Let’s together make 2012 special.

PGx

Tags: Abndrew Greaves, Cancer Relief, Dave Robinson, Lorry Sartorio

Lloyd Johnson: The Modern Outfitter – the exhibition about one of the greatest contributors to British street fashion and visual culture of recent times – is at London gallery Chelsea Space in the New Year, from January 24 to March 3.

The show will be centred on Johnson’s archive of garments, artwork, fabrics, ephemera and personal effects, augmented by contributions from customers and collectors from Tokyo to Sydney to LA.

For a taster here’s a trio of clips featuring Johnson’s designs:

Tom Waits’ boots (from 2.50):

Iggy’s jacket on The Tube:

George Michael’s jacket + boots:

More info on Lloyd Johnson The Modern Outfitter here.

Tags: Chelsea Space, George Michael, Iggy Pop, Lloyd Johnson: The Modern Outfitter, Tom Waits

//The Malcolm. Photo (c) Jean Vong.//

This is The Malcolm, the award designed by Marc Newson for the visual arts bienniale Performa; the inaugural award was presented a couple of weeks back by Greil Marcus and Lou Reed to the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson for his 12-hour piece Bliss.

Honouring the late Malcolm McLaren, The Malcolm goes to artists under 40 who demonstrate “the most innovative and thought-provoking performance” during Performa’s three-week bienniale.

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Tags: 1983, Bliss, Duck For The Oyster, Great Fire Of London, Greil Marcus, Guildhall Library, Keith Haring, Lou Reed, Marc Newson, Performa 11, Ragnar Kjartansson, The Malcolm, Young Kim

//TV crew sets up in the basement.//

Yesterday I was visited by a camera crew for an interview about the behind-the-scenes individuals who have made the difference to British popular music over the years.

The team, from Kobalt Productions in Berlin, are producing the documentary for Franco-German arts channel ARTE. The director is Simon Witter, who has a fine pedigree in journalism and broadcasting.

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Tags: Andrew Loog Oldham, ARTE, Blur, Boy George, Charles Shaar Murray, Colin Newman, David Bowie, Gered Mankowitz, Graham Coxon, Hapshash & The Coloured Coat, Heaven 17, Jill Furmanovsky, Jon Savage, Kevin Rowland, Kobalt Productions, Lloyd Johnson, Malcolm McLaren, Mark Powell, Martyn Ware, Miles Copeland, Paul Morley, Pennie Smith., Peter Blake, Simon Napier-Bell, Simon Reynolds, Simon Witter, Storm Thorgerson, Wire

//Paul Smith Collection, A/W 2011.//

Thanks to Julian Morey for alerting me to these splendid photographs of Paul Smith designer Derek Morten in clothes from the company’s autumn/winter 2011 collection.

Morten has worked with Smith since the mid-70s and is currently head of the label’s menswear division for Japan.

//Paul Smith Collection, A/W 2011.//

A thoroughly nice chap, Morten is also self-deprecating and reserved, as I discovered when I interviewed him recently for the Tommy Roberts book (he designed menswear for Roberts’ extraordinary Covent Garden outlet City Lights Studio).

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Tags: City Lights Studio, Derek Morten, Derek Morton, Eccentric Club, Julian Morey, Lloyd Johnson, Mr Freedom, Paul Smith, Tommy Roberts

Curatorial work today on the Lloyd Johnson exhibition (coming to London gallery Chelsea Space in the New Year) was a joy.

By honing the exhibits and focusing on a narrative, Jill and Lloyd Johnson and I introduced an exciting new element: a wall selection of dazzling print artwork for garments from the 70s to the 00s.

Maneouevres such as this should make the whole show pop.

Just a few items are still to arrive (fingers crossed for the gold leather suit from Stephen Linard in Australia).

The collected clothes, print material, artwork, personal items and ephemera are taking shape and conveying Lloyd’s journey in design and music from the 60s to the present day.

From time to time I’ll be reporting on progress and dipping into the exhibits.

Today, my favourite is one of the smallest: a snapshot sent to Lloyd in 1973 by Fred Astaire, wearing one of Lloyd’s designs: a Johnson & Johnson jacket with a Top Hat repeat print.

Lloyd Johnson: The Modern Outfitter opens late January 2012. Keep checking the Chelsea Space blog for details.

Tags: Chelsea Space, Fred Astaire, Jill Johnson, Johnson & Johnson, Lloyd Johnson, Stephen Linard, Top Hat

A viewing of Jes Benstock’s fab doc A British Guide To Showing Off occasions this opportunity to dig out the London Belles feature from a 1973 issue of shortlived free magazine West One.

Above is milliner Diane Logan in one of her outfits as contestant Rita Ritz in the 1973 Alternative Miss World.

Logan – wife of sculptor Peter, mother of fashion illustrator Blue and sister-in-law of AMW host & hostess Andrew – is wearing a satin bathing suit with one of her own hats (from Logan’s Chiltern Street shop) and sandals from Tommy Roberts’ Covent Garden boutique City Lights Studio.

Another London Belle was Vivienne Westwood in an early media appearance wearing a Let It Rock striped suit, ankle boots, patterned stockings and an adapted Chuck Berry t-shirt from 430 King’s Road’s incarnation as Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die.

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Tags: Alternative Miss World, Andrew Logan, Biba, Blue Logan, Chuck Berry, City Lights Studio, Diane Logan, Frederick Freed, Fulham Road, Jean Howell, Jes Benstock, Laurita, Let It Rock, Louise Doktor, Mary, Models 1, No One To Love Me, Peter Logan, Sha-Weez, Shelley Martin, Society for Cutting Up Men, Suzi Quatro, The British Guide To Showing Off, Tommy Roberts, Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die, Valerie Solanas, Vivienne Westwood, West 1, Zandra Rhodes

//Swathe with repeat print of American footballers, Jane Wealleans for Mr Freedom, 1970.//

//Jane Wealleans print on brown crepe.//

Here’s a sneak iPhone peak from yesterday’s photoshoot for my forthcoming book about Tommy Roberts.

Tommy’s son and accomplished photographer/cameraman Keith set up a studio in a room at his furniture emporium Two Columbia Road and shot around 50-plus garments and artefacts to go with the 300-odd images already planned for the book.

I snapped these on my phone in downtime; forgive the quality – hopefully they convey the flavour of the exercise.

Keith photographed a cornucopia of goodies, including two pairs of Mr Freedom’s famous winged boots, a carrier bag for Tommy’s 80s shop Practical Styling, a suit from his 70s boutique City Lights Studio (lent to us by another design hero Lloyd Johnson) and much more besides.

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Tags: Adelita, City Lights Studio, Derek Morton, Jane Wealleans, Keith Roberts, Lloyd Johnson, Mr Freedom, Practical Styling, Tommy Roberts, Two Columbia Road

//12"x10"s from Don't Stand Me Down shoot, 1985.//

NAME: Kevin Rowland

RESIDES: London

OCCUPATION: Dexys

Kevin Rowland is a very dapper gent. This is a truth acknowledged by all right-thinking people.

And Kevin is his own man. How many of us can say that?

He is also something of an artist, one whose connection to his muse is unadulterated by commercial concern or critical pressure. I can’t wait for the new Dexys record, which will be out in 2012.

I covered the stylistic changes Kevin rang through earlier Dexys incarnations – from stevedore to Ivy League – in THE LOOK.

Today Kevin answers the Blokes Of Britain questionnaire, providing an opportunity to present some of his looks – including rare and previously unpublished images – past and present:

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Tags: Come On Eileen, Dexys Midnight Runners, Gene Kelly, Kevin Rowland, Máire Fahey, Mark Powell, Projected Passion Revue, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Too-Rye-Ay

//”I know that up there they’ll be having a good laugh.” Lindsay Anderson//

//Rachel Roberts + Jill Bennett//

This is from Lindsay Anderson’s final film Is That All There Is?,  the 1995 autobiographical documentary which included a celebration of the lives of his friends, the formidable actresses Jill Bennett and Rachel Roberts.

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Tags: Alexander Walker, Is That All There Is?, JIll bennett, John Osborne, Lindsay Anderson, Rachel Roberts, Rex Harrison