How Leeds brought two British institutions together

Picture James Hardisty.Katie Cameron, Archive and Outreach Office, for M&S Company Archive, looking at the 1940's collection.

Vogue and Marks & Spencer – two British institutions but not necessarily two you would put in the same sentence.

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But the fashion expert from British Vogue magazine has been in Leeds this week to curate an exhibition from the extensive archives of one of the nation’s most popular department stores.

Claudia Croft, the contributing editor for the ‘fashion bible’ jumped at the chance to delve into fashion history and select an edit from the Marks & Spencer fashion back catalogue as part of the Leeds International Festival.

Claudia Croft

She returned to Leeds last night to give a talk about her fashion picks and told City Buzz why Leeds was so formative in her fashion career as an English student in the 1990s.

Croft became involved in the festival for the first time last year doing a talk with John Vial from Revlon but her return to Leeds evoked memories of the city and she wanted to come back and do a bigger project.

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She said: “I was into fashion and the amazing club scene. I could dress up, express myself. I knew I wanted to get into fashion and it could be a career and that was in Leeds.“It was really nice to get back here, I knew M&S had the archive was fascinated by it. It was a really good opportunity to so shine a light on a fascinating resource.”

Going through the years Croft picked out 1930s beach pyjamas, a woman’s woollen work suit and a mini dress both from the 1960s and a high-waisted skirt from the 1940s among many others.

They are all vibrant and colourful until the shoulder pads and pussybow blouses of the 80s where it all went dark. Prior to that black was only worn at funerals and suddenly everyone owned a LBD.

They say fashion trends come back around and current designers at M&S are constantly referring back to the archive and vintage pieces and taking inspiration from little things such as collar details.

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Referring in particular to the 60s clothes Croft chose them because they reflect personal and social stories such as the cultural shift of the 60s and the freedom of the post war years.

She explains: “You feel an emotional resonance. People remember this and that or their mother used to wear it. This a good reminder of the power of clothes.“I also chose these pieces because they tell a story and reflect how people used to live, who they wanted to be, how they wanted to dress and what their idea of glamour was.”

Glamour, it is safe to say, is more synonymous with Vogue than the high street safe staple but Croft argues, the two actually sit together.

Even the most flush of fashion savvy followers can swan down Bond Street with a Balenciaga bag but the likelihood is that they also have pieces from M&S.

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“There are lots of designer brands and I cover the high street and a whole host of price points. We know that is how people dress and how people shop.“M&S is part of the fabric of every day life – everyone has a connection and it is a really great British institution.“It is not trying to be Balenciaga or change how people dress but reflects a mainstream market. It has been criticised for being too fashionable or not and there are lots of competitors but it is still doing a great job.”

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