Shirt
1965-1968
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This long-sleeved man’s silk shirt was designed and sold by Hung On You, one of 1960s London’s most fashionable avant-garde menswear boutiques. The black and white swirl print is highly evocative of the psychedelic ‘peacock’ style, popularised by designers such as Mr Fish and Tommy Nutter. The typography of the label matches that of the store’s original premises on 22 Cale Street and suggests that it may have been made between 1965 and 1967.
At Hung On You fabrics were designed in-house with production outsourced to experienced East-End tailors who made limited numbers of its products. The clothes were expensive, with a shirt costing between 6 and 7 guineas, and a suit costing upwards of 35 guineas. As one of the customers, Richard Neville recalls, "Groovers didn't mind paying triple for a floral chiffon shirt, because Mick Jagger had probably bought one like it the day before" (Gorman, p.83). In his 1971 book, There Are No Longer Gentlemen, music writer Nik Cohn recalls: “When you shopped at Hung On You, you felt like both Oscar Wilde and Captain Marvel, locked up inside one body(...)”
Gorman, P. (2006) The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion, p.83
Cohn, N. (1971) Today There Are No Gentlemen, p.120
At Hung On You fabrics were designed in-house with production outsourced to experienced East-End tailors who made limited numbers of its products. The clothes were expensive, with a shirt costing between 6 and 7 guineas, and a suit costing upwards of 35 guineas. As one of the customers, Richard Neville recalls, "Groovers didn't mind paying triple for a floral chiffon shirt, because Mick Jagger had probably bought one like it the day before" (Gorman, p.83). In his 1971 book, There Are No Longer Gentlemen, music writer Nik Cohn recalls: “When you shopped at Hung On You, you felt like both Oscar Wilde and Captain Marvel, locked up inside one body(...)”
Gorman, P. (2006) The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion, p.83
Cohn, N. (1971) Today There Are No Gentlemen, p.120
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Printed cotton, machine-stitched |
| Brief description | Men's shirt, long-sleeved printed cotton with plastic buttons, by Hung On You, London, 1965-1968. |
| Physical description | Long-sleeved collared men's shirt with psychadelic monochrome print. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 'HUNG ON YOU
a Londres' (Maker's label
Satin, machine-made, sewn to the back of collar) |
| Credit line | Bequest of Charlie Roberts |
| Object history | Hung On You was a high-end menswear boutique that opened at 22 Cale Street, Chelsea Green, London, in 1965. From the outset it established itself as one of the premier destinations in London for avant-garde menswear, specialising in tailored clothing with a flamboyant twist for a young, wealthy, fashion-conscious elite. Its initial success was due largely to the reputation of its fashionable founder and member of the ‘Chelsea Set’, the Australian-born Michael Rainey (1941-2017). The boutique attracted some of the world’s most famous men, including musicians The Rolling Stones and The Beatles who were often photographed wearing its designs. Despite this patronage and a desirable product offering, Hung On You operated for just three years, closing in 1968 after a commercially unsustainable relocation to King’s Road in 1967. |
| Summary | This long-sleeved man’s silk shirt was designed and sold by Hung On You, one of 1960s London’s most fashionable avant-garde menswear boutiques. The black and white swirl print is highly evocative of the psychedelic ‘peacock’ style, popularised by designers such as Mr Fish and Tommy Nutter. The typography of the label matches that of the store’s original premises on 22 Cale Street and suggests that it may have been made between 1965 and 1967. At Hung On You fabrics were designed in-house with production outsourced to experienced East-End tailors who made limited numbers of its products. The clothes were expensive, with a shirt costing between 6 and 7 guineas, and a suit costing upwards of 35 guineas. As one of the customers, Richard Neville recalls, "Groovers didn't mind paying triple for a floral chiffon shirt, because Mick Jagger had probably bought one like it the day before" (Gorman, p.83). In his 1971 book, There Are No Longer Gentlemen, music writer Nik Cohn recalls: “When you shopped at Hung On You, you felt like both Oscar Wilde and Captain Marvel, locked up inside one body(...)” Gorman, P. (2006) The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion, p.83 Cohn, N. (1971) Today There Are No Gentlemen, p.120 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.54-2021 |
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| Record created | March 6, 2020 |
| Record URL |
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