Feather Boa
ca. 1970 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This orange feather boa and the purple jersey dress (see T.945-1994) worn with it were both bought from Biba in 1971. They were worn by the donor to the first Gay Liberation Front ball at Kensington Town Hall in 1971. This was the first open, publicly-advertised gay dance in the United Kingdom. The donor, who hand-crocheted the tank-top (see T.947-1994) worn with the dress remembered:
"I wore long purple boots from Anello & Davide with it. This was the period of positive (i.e. not sexless) hippie androgny, and butch was definitely not politically correct. Quite a few lesbians wore Biba clothes, and they were even more commonly worn by feminists."
"I wore long purple boots from Anello & Davide with it. This was the period of positive (i.e. not sexless) hippie androgny, and butch was definitely not politically correct. Quite a few lesbians wore Biba clothes, and they were even more commonly worn by feminists."
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Feather |
| Brief description | Boa, orange feathers, Biba, Great Britain, ca. 1970 |
| Physical description | Orange feather boa. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Ready to wear |
| Credit line | Given by Elizabeth Wilson |
| Object history | Registered File number 1994/1859, Streetstyle exhibition 1994-1995, in the exhibition it was part of an outfit called 'Lesbian style UK 1971' (includes the dress T.945-1994 and the tank top T.947-1994). Worn by Elizabeth Wilson to the first Gay Liberation Front Ball in the Old Kensington Town Hall with long purple boots from Anello & Davide. She said "This was the period of positive (i.e., not sexless) hippie androgyny and butch was definitely not politically correct. Quite a few lesbians wore Biba clothes, and they were even more commonly worn by feminists generally." (Surfers, Soulies, Skinheads & Skaters, Gay & Lesbian section). |
| Summary | This orange feather boa and the purple jersey dress (see T.945-1994) worn with it were both bought from Biba in 1971. They were worn by the donor to the first Gay Liberation Front ball at Kensington Town Hall in 1971. This was the first open, publicly-advertised gay dance in the United Kingdom. The donor, who hand-crocheted the tank-top (see T.947-1994) worn with the dress remembered: "I wore long purple boots from Anello & Davide with it. This was the period of positive (i.e. not sexless) hippie androgny, and butch was definitely not politically correct. Quite a few lesbians wore Biba clothes, and they were even more commonly worn by feminists." |
| Bibliographic reference | Surfers, Soulies, Skinheads & Skaters : Subcultural Style from the Forties to the Nineties
Described in the exhibition publication, part of an outfit called 'Lesbian style UK 1971'. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.946-1994 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 26, 2007 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
