Time Sucker

 

>> I have one contact lens in my eye because the other is killing me and I've yet to receive my crappy Specsavers cheapo specs to replace the Prism beauties I sent back.  I'm meant to be packing for a short trip to New York tomorrow.  I'm supposed to be going through a shed load of Ralph Lauren images I took at their stunning new store in St. Germain in Paris.   

Instead, I'm doing what I do best.  Procrastinate.  If I was at uni and someone emailed me a link to British Path√© Film Archive, I basically would have handed in no essays or dissertations.  Thankfully, it was only a year ago that British Path√© uploaded all their film footage from their underground vaults in Pinewood.  So fortunately, I was saved from the misery of degree failure.  I'm MOST grateful to whoever the kind soul was that tipped off Jack, who works at the British Path√© Film Archive, to contact me.  Somebody out there knows me well.  They probably didn't know that I'd be dawdling hours away though clicking through the 1,764 videos that came up under the search term 'fashion' – and that's just the tagged videos – there are potentially more…

Currently, these are available to view in their entirety to researchers and filmmaking professionals but all clips are available in preview format, which is still MORE than enough to satisfy the likes of me (and you?).  Apologies if I have pointed out something severely obvious but as far as I'm aware, not much of a noise has been made about this astounding amount of archive footage that is all ready for whiling away hours and hours.  I therefore dub this site the 'Time Sucker'.  Got time?  Stacks of it?  Come here and let the films suck it away… works a treat!

I didn't obviously watch all 1,764 of them…. as a pro series marathon watcher who relishes watching twenty episodes of something in one go, I've learnt that pacing yourself is the key.  Much like an all-you-can-eat-buffet.  This isn't all-you-can-watch necessarily but I'd arch my eyebrows at anyone that even got through a quarter of those vids in one go… pace, pace, pace…

I've picked out some of the ones that immediately jump out.  No embeddable vids alas, just click on the pics to go through to the site.  The loading of the vids can be a little dodgy.  I've had to refresh some once or twice.  That said, that could be my caned-in broadband connection.

'Woman's Own' Story, 1952 – Remember when magazines had readerships of up to 10 million?

'Dior' Comes to Blenheim, 1958 – Yves Saint Laurent presents his Dior collection for Princess Margaret et co….

Ladies shoe fashion in Germany, 1950 – Check out the predecessors of those Antonio Berardi shoes…

Observer Fashion Show, 1968 – When did the days of magazines putting on fashion shows die out? Somebody needs to bring them back as well as the spinning stairway catwalk?

Adam and Eve's Frocks – I love that it was ok in the 20s to retrogade several centuries back…

Autumn/Winter Fashions, 1969 – Among the designs here are styles by Patou, Gres, Nina Ricci, Balmain and Venet… they're getting me worked up over LONG and VOLUMINOUS again… no sound but I'm imagining Kate Bush, no?

Bathing Fashions in Paris, 1951 – I'm not sure what woven latex is doing in 1951 but I'm loving the look of it… as well as the lace overskirt over the satin bustier and an amazing black mesh number…

Beatnik Girl to Beatnik Beauty – With eggs, curlers and a shiny suit, you can ditch that *shudder* leather jacket and black poloneck…. please take three minutes out of your time to watch this one…

Winklepickers, 1960 – Seriously SERIOUSLY pointy shoes that come at the EXHORBITANT price of a fiver! Gah… kids in that heady decade!

Nina Ricci's Summer Collection, 1966 – Models posing in amongst the gymnasts…brilliant simultaneous jacket undoing motion…

Paco Rabanne 'Metal Fashions', 1969 – By far one the best colour vids that I came across… fringe, paper and a metal cape that looks seriously weighty…