Biba, Biba, Biba!

Perhaps the greatest known of all the stores to come out of the London Boutique movement of the Swinging Sixties, Biba was IT!

Started in 1964 by Barbara Hulanicki and her husband, Biba aimed to provide young women with fashionable looks of the moment at more affordable prices than the contemporary department stores of the time. By the time it moved to its second location in 1966, the word had spread and everyone from teenage girls to scene queens and pop stars were scrambling to buy their own cheaply-made, stylish threads.

By 1968 Biba had its own mail-order catalogue, where the designs were all about reflecting a certain idealized look: skinny, small-breasted, curly hair (wild or soft like a doll), big round smoky eyes, and muted "retro" colors that Hulanicki refered to as "Auntie Colors" - dusty blues, rose, mulberry, plum, and blacks.

As the '70s moved in and the once bright colors of the swinging mod crowd faded away with the decade behind it, Biba's nod to the "retro" past with its hippie-glam look served it well as romance and decadence became all the rage. Biba's interiors were decorated as lavishly as the look its clothes conveyed. Art Nouveau swirls, Art Deco gold and gilded motifs and typefaces, and Victorian-inspired looks reigned supreme.

Biba shops were the first stores for both unique clothes and an innovative shopping experience. A storyteller in a castle kept children amused while their parents hung out in the restaurant or bought the most unusual floaty Edwardian clothes, jewelry, accessories and interior items.

It was also the place-to-be hangout for rockstars, artists, and pop stars throughout the '60s and '70s: the Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull, Twiggy, David Bowie, and even the New York Dolls (who played in the restaurant on the top of the store, called the Rainbow Room!). With merchandise perfectly equipped to serve the tall boot-sporting/feathered boa-wearing/glitter-loving set, Biba was the perfect setting for extravagant glam rockers.

Biba brought a shimmering vibrancy to its lavish celebration of beauty, art and glamour, and while the store itself may be long gone, its name holds a legacy that will last forever.





















(Marc Bolan of T. Rex in a Biba sequined jacket!)