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Sex, drugs and floral fabrics: Celia Birtwell relives her wild times – and wilder outfits – with Ossie Clark

the GuardianEnglish

About this story

They dressed – and partied with – the innermost in-crowd. As a swirling new show celebrates their fashion creations, Birtwell recalls her happy days with Clark and her sorrow at the loss of David Hockney

Summary from the Guardian

Section: Culture
By: Jess Cartner-Morley
Published: Sep 28, 2026, 7:00 AM UTC
Updated: Sep 28, 2026, 7:00 AM UTC

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#sex #drugs #floral #fabrics #celia

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Context from Wikipedia on the organisations, people and places in this story.

Celia Birtwell

British textile designer

Celia Birtwell, CBE, is a British textile designer and fashion designer, known for her distinctive bold, romantic and feminine designs, which are influenced by Picasso and Matisse, and the classical world. She was well known for her prints which epitomised the 1960s/70s. Until the arrival of Vivienne Westwood, Birtwell's textile designs dominated the London fashion industry.

Ossie Clark

English fashion designer (1942–1996)

Raymond "Ossie" Clark was a British fashion designer who was a major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry in that era. Clark is now renowned for his vintage designs by present-day designers.

David Hockney

British artist (1937–2026)

David Hockney was a British painter, stage designer and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. He was known for his vivid, stylised realism and championed figurative work, often in a bold style, during a period when abstract art predominated.

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Sex, drugs and floral fabrics: Celia Birtwell relives her wild times – and wilder outfits – with Ossie Clark

About this story

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Celia Birtwell

Ossie Clark

David Hockney

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Celia Birtwell

Ossie Clark

David Hockney