CELIA BIRTWELL SAVES THE SUBWAY RIDE HOME

Last Saturday, there were terrible delays on the downtown/Brooklyn-bound trains. Huge waits at the Columbus Circle station and long stalls on the subway itself meant time with nothing to do.

I was so happy that with the last $2 in my wallet I could purchase the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal from the subway news stand at 59th Street. I often purchase The New York Times, but I went for the fatness of the WSJ and the fact that it included a magazine with profiles of innovators.

In the Style and Fashion section, there was an interesting piece about a woman I had never heard of before: Print Pioneer Celia Birtwell.

The article began like this:

Thanks to the queen, 70-year-old Celia Birtwell is now not only a designer, she's a Commander. Earlier this month she was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) at Buckingham Palace for her lifetime of service to the fashion industry. But Ms. Birtwell has been a leader and innovator in her own right for decades, known the world over as one of the most important textile designers of her generation. In the 1960s and '70s together with her then-husband, designer Ossie Clark, she virtually invented bohemian chic. Ms. Birtwell's fluid, ethereal and dynamic mix of patterns became a mainstay in the wardrobes of The Beatles, Mick and Bianca Jagger, Twiggy and Jimi Hendrix, among others. Her look also inspired artist David Hockney, who regards Ms. Birtwell as one of his principal muses.

To read the rest of the article, click HERE.

Photo Credit: Andrew Lamb