Frankie's Idea - 23rd July 1971

                                                                         

 Frankie says 'Heeeeyyyyy'

Thanks to my friend Kayleigh for finding this fun gem in work today, it oozes retro style! The article is about a suave young fashion designer who worked at the infamous nightclub Tiffany's. It's taken from the Daily Express 23rd of July 1971 and is written by Pam Harley-

Women's fashions featuring all that's frilly and feminine, and men's fashions featuring flamboyant, but not feminine clothes is the new trend a 21 year old Wakefield fashion designer would like to see followed in the near future.

The young designer is Frankie Johnson, a Nigerian, who lives at 90 Pinderfields Road. He is employed as a photographer, display artist and disc-jockey at Tiffany's, Southgate, Wakefield. 

As a former pupil at Wakefield Technical and Art College, where he did a three-year course in designing, Frankie feels that English fashions for men and women are at a virtual standstill.

For Himself 

Nevertheless, he isn't too worried about this state of affairs because in his spare time he designs clothes for himself and his friends. Pictured here is one of his recent designs for himself. It is a black and white small check suit in lightweight wool to be worn as everyday gear. The jacket has two large patch pockets and a top pocket, fish-mouth cuffs and Spanish braiding around the collar and down to the front. The trousers are in the French style, with narrow hips and wide, unflared bottoms.

£45 Suit

The suit was made to Frankie's specifications by a firm of Southgate tailors. The suit cost him around £45, but he told me that it could have been a lot cheaper had he not been so choosy about materials. The shirt he is wearing with the suit is also one of his designs. Made up by a Wakefield girl, it is in white and mauve spotted cotton. It is round-collared and has long, tight cuffs, giving a slight puff to the sleeves.

Bridal Outfit

Frankie's latest creations are two bridal outfits for two friends. For the bride, he has designed a full-length gown in white crepe cut on Tudor lines with a hood. His sketches show a delicately embroidered bodice and leg-o-mutton sleeves. For the bridegroom, he has designed a brown-grey suit in lightweight wool with braiding around the collar, wide lapels and imitation belts on the front of the jacket. The trousers are in the French style. 

With a careful eye for detail, he has drawn dozens of sketches for men's and women's fashions. If we adopted some of his colourful and stylish creations there would certainly be a lot of snappy dressers brightening up our cities and towns.