1970s Harper's Bazaar Magazine "Mother of Pearl Face"

This is the February 1970 issue of the British Harper's Bazaar, with the cover line Mother of Pearl Face; the cover model appears to be wearing Zandra Rhodes. Inside are The New Atlantis by Peter Carvell, satins from Jean Varon, Jilly Cooper on friendship between women, a profile of W. H. Auden by Jon Bradshaw, and maxi dresses. The British edition had been published since 1929, and later in 1970 it merged with Queen to become Harper's & Queen.

At the start of the 1970s London was home to a generation of inventive designers. Zandra Rhodes, with her printed textiles, and John Bates, who designed under the Jean Varon label, were among the names shaping a romantic, theatrical look. Maxi dresses had replaced the miniskirt as the dominant silhouette, and make-up took on pearlescent, ethereal tones.

Harper's Bazaar continued to mix fashion with writing. Jilly Cooper, then a journalist and columnist, wrote about relationships and manners, and a profile of the poet W. H. Auden placed literature alongside fashion. The mix reflected a reader interested in ideas as well as clothes.

The issue's themes, mother-of-pearl faces, satin and maxi dresses, describe a soft, luminous, romantic aesthetic that would characterise the early 1970s. Fashion pages and beauty features together show how the decade's new look was being defined.

Issues of the British Harper's Bazaar from 1970 come from the final year of the title in its original form. This February issue, with Zandra Rhodes and Jean Varon among its fashion names, is of interest to collectors of British fashion history and is in very good condition.