Monday 3 October 2011

King's Road... Chelsea Fashion?

Nowadays Chelsea is considered a posh area of London and King's road is one of its most legendary locations. 




It was a private royal road used by Charles II to travel to Kew until 1830 but only gained popularity among the fashion crowd during the 60s, when it was home to the Hippie counterculture.




Mary Quant, who is generally accepted to be the instigator of the mini-skirt fashion, opened her first Bazaar boutique in King's road.

In 1971, Malcolm McClaren, the former manager of Sex Pistols, also entered the realm of fashion history with Vivienne Westwood.




Let It Rock, which was later renamed Sex during the height of the Punk movement, was their revolutionary boutique selling bondage and fetish fashions of rubber and leather.

"The clothes Malcolm and I did at the time were wild and heroic, and meant to shock people and get their attention." Vivienne Westwood





But today King's Road is a far cry from these subversive movements, and the style you see around you is much more conventional.




Dogs seem to be a big hit among Chelsea ladies! And even though there are no trend setters in this area, they certainly are chic.  

Ian Flemming's James Bond lived in a trendy unnamed square just off King's Road which remains part of the popular culture.




E4 is broadcasting Made in Chelsea, a series documenting the lives of privately educated and hedonistic young people, who hang out in London's most exclusive bars, restaurants and health clubs. (Just don't expect anything too deep...)

Maybe I was unlucky, after all Mondays are never good business for retail, not many people go shopping right after the weekend, but I was expecting a bit more from this area... Why blend in when you can stand out?




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Location:King's Rd,Kensington,United Kingdom