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1971 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This image is a detail of a top designed by Pablo & Delia in 1971. It shows a large Peter Pan collar in natural suede with rounded, pinked edges, and trimmed with colourful machine appliquéd strips of leather in a criss-cross pattern. The shaped, two-piece collar is embellished in the centre with two large pompons in two shades of brown wool and with brightly coloured wooden discs.

Using simple dressmaking techniques with undisguised machine work, and naturally textured fabrics in unusual combinations, Pablo & Delia produced a bright and offbeat look typical of the early 1970s.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Felted wool and suede with machine applied leather and wood
Brief description
Top, ca. 1972, British, designed by Pablo & Delia, wool with suede trim
Physical description
Top with a soft and large Peter Pan collar in natural suede with rounded and pinked edges, and trimmed in colourful machine appliquéd strips of leather in a criss-cross pattern. With felted wool. The shaped two-piece collar is embellished in the centre with two large pompons in two shades of brown wool and with brightly coloured wooden discs.
Dimensions
  • Weight: 0.46kg
Style
Marks and inscriptions
'Pinked leather / Pablo Delia' (Label)
Gallery label
(1988)
TOP
Pablo and Delia, London, 1971
Felted wool and suede with leather appliqué

This short, loose top is cut simply from one piece of fabric with a V-shaped hole for the neck. The raw edges are oversewn with machine zigzag stitch. Patterned suede collar and cuffs and woolly pompons add finishing touches. A completed Pablo and Delia outfit pictured in British Vogue (Oct. 15 1971) shows the top worn with a striped, short-sleeved shirt, baggy tartan trousers caught into suede ankle cuffs and a jaunty sailor beret in bright red suede.

Having met at art school in Buenos Aires, Pablo and Delia spent some time in Paris and New York before arriving in London in 1970. Their 'caricature' clothes patterned with painted fantasy landscapes and colourful appliques reveal a witty approach to design.

T.304-1985
Subject depicted
Summary
This image is a detail of a top designed by Pablo & Delia in 1971. It shows a large Peter Pan collar in natural suede with rounded, pinked edges, and trimmed with colourful machine appliquéd strips of leather in a criss-cross pattern. The shaped, two-piece collar is embellished in the centre with two large pompons in two shades of brown wool and with brightly coloured wooden discs.

Using simple dressmaking techniques with undisguised machine work, and naturally textured fabrics in unusual combinations, Pablo & Delia produced a bright and offbeat look typical of the early 1970s.
Bibliographic reference
Wilcox, C. & Mendes, V. Modern Fashion in Detail. London: V&A Publications, 1991, p.54. ISBN 1 85177 032 1
Collection
Accession number
T.304-1985

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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