Celia, oh Celia!

Those in the know will probably know that Celia Birtwell, famous for her partnership with 1970’s designer Ossie Clark and as muse to David Hockney has designed a capsule collection for Topshop. 

This will be the biggest designer collaboration that Topshop has ever done and I think this is an example of how a revival should be done (as opposed to the dubious Biba label). The collection is both commercial yet retains Birtwell’s design aesthetic (prints, prints and more prints) and of course is AFFORDABLE.  This Topshop collection will also be available nationwide and online so as to not have the tag ‘limited’ tacked onto it and to have pieces appear on eBay an hour after being launched hopefully (Stella for H&M anyone?)

Here are some of the sketches that Birtwell did for Topshop, really showcasing her signature illustration style through and through:

And here are the actual pieces which I have my eye on…

Golden Slumbers Dress £100 // Monkey Puzzle Blouse £32 // Little Rock Dress £45

On the mini-site that Topshop have created for the collection, they also have a nostalgic-style video-reel of vintage Celia Birtwell images which I screengrabbed:

It launches tomorrow both on the website and in-store.  It is expected to be HUGELY popular because already 100 people are on the waiting list for that green dress.  Happy shopping people, if you get a chance because this is one designer collaboration that you might not want to bypass.