Celia Birtwell and Ossie Clark shaped London fashion during the 1960s and early 1970s with a partnership that blended fabric design and tailoring into bohemian glamour. Birtwell created botanical prints on chiffon while Clark cut them into sensual bias-cut dresses. Their aesthetic combined Hollywood elegance with rock and roll rebellion.
The couple operated from their Chelsea boutique, Quorum, which attracted celebrities including Talitha Getty, Marianne Faithfull and Anita Pallenberg. Clark designed stage clothes for Mick Jagger and toured with the Rolling Stones. A 1970 catwalk show drew both members of the Beatles, photographer Cecil Beaton and actress Brigitte Bardot.
David Hockney's 1972 portrait, Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy, painted Birtwell and Clark during their marriage when she was pregnant with their second child. The painting anchored their status in that era's cultural mythology.
Birtwell now reflects on the period in a new exhibition celebrating their fashion creations. She has spoken about her time with Clark and her feelings about Hockney's death.