Mr. Fish | A Peacock Revolution

REMIND ME     REQUEST A VALUATION     CONTACT A SPECIALIST

Deep in the thickets of 18th century Britain, a new term had started to emerge that described men who "exceeded the ordinary bounds of fashion".¹ The ‘Macaroni’ was a kind of early subculture of men that dressed, spoke and presented themselves in an androgynous manner. They displayed an obsession with luxury clothing, meticulous eating habits and excessive bourgeoisie practices – in short, they were here for a good time not a long time. This kind of Dandyism would influence a plethora of males throughout the coming centuries to explore new ways of dressing and most importantly expressive themselves freely. The culmination of this philosophy would come to rear its head in the 1960s through the social movement of the ‘Peacock Revolution’. It primarily involved men incorporating more feminine or epicene elements to the way they dressed in floral prints, bright colours and unusual patterns. Looking to Africa, Asia, the 18th century and the queer community for inspiration, the germination of these ideas grew out of the flamboyant boutiques of London’s Carnaby Street.

^{A Mr. Fish collarless crochet and cheesecloth shirt (£100-200) and two tailored sets (one pair of trousers pictured) (£200-300)}

The real pioneer of this colourful movement was Michael Fish, who, with his brand Mr. Fish would change the world of menswear irrevocably. Fish was born in 1940 in Wood Green, London. He first apprenticed as a shirtmaker before swiftly moving to renowned traditional men’s outfitters, Turnbull & Asser of Jermyn Street where he became a designer. In 1962, he created the famous ‘Cocktail Cuff’ shirts that Sean Connery wore in ‘Dr. No’ in his first role as James Bond. By 1965, he had even become dissatisfied with the necktie and sought to widen the blades of a tie to such an extreme that they began to resemble the features of a kipper. This coupled with his ichthyic surname gave birth to the ‘Kipper Tie’. In 1966, Fish had opened his eponymous store on Clifford Street, a stone’s throw from Savile Row. One can’t help but think the placement of his store, in such close proximity to London’s tailoring epicentre may have been another conscious move to change the status quo.

^{A Mr. Fish collarless two-piece blue silk suit and a pink silk stand collar shirt (£300-500)}

As the late 60s wore on, many bands and iconic media personalities began to embrace the Mr. Fish aesthetic, from Jimi Hendrix to Mama Cass and even Lord Lichfield, but it was in 1969 where an iconic look was forged. The Rolling Stones hadn’t publicly performed in over two years by this point and a concert in Hyde Park was arranged to introduce the public to their new guitarist Mick Taylor, following the untimely death of Brian Jones. The set began with Mick Jagger reciting two stanzas from Percy Bysshe Shelly’s poem Adonaïs about the death of John Keats. What cemented this moment was what Jagger was wearing, a white Renaissance inspired two-piece outfit designed by the one and only Mr. Fish. Another iconic look that was designed by Michael Fish was the outfit featured on the alternative cover of David Bowie’s 1970 single ‘The Man Who Sold the World’. Bowie wore a ‘man-dress’ cut in a gold and blue silk flock pattern which was considered too controversial for the US audience, hence why it was featured on the British edition of the single.

^{A Mr. Fish snake print shirt (£100-150) and a 1960s silk petrol blue silk two-piece suit (£100-200)}

In addition to dressing the iconic musicians of the day, Mr. Fish also crafted designs for film and television. Fish was credited as a costume designer for the 1970 Peter Sellers film ‘There’s a Girl in My Soup’. He also designed the velvet jacket and various ruffled shirts John Pertwee wore during his tenure as the third doctor in Doctor Who.

^{Two Mr. Fish silk shirts (one shirt pictured) and a cream herringbone cream suit (£200-400)}

The design language of Mr. Fish continues to bear influence, with designers such as Alessandro Michele incorporating the label’s androgynous stylings into his collections, firstly at Gucci and now at Valentino, as well as Harris Reed and a whole cohort of others. Michael Fish created a world free from the constraints of gender, societal norms and conformity, allowing men to express themselves through colour, pattern and cut in way never seen before.

Sworders is pleased to announce a collection of Mr. Fish and other late 1960s clothing will be offered in our 29 April Jewellery and Luxury sale.

_{¹ Amelia F. Rauser. Eighteenth-Century Studies: Hair, Authenticity, and the Self-Made Macaroni. John Hopkins University Press. 2004.}

Jewellery and Luxury

Wednesday 29 April | 10am

zacharywoodhouse@sworder.co.uk

01279 817778

REMIND ME