Fabulous Snapshots of Carnaby Street c. 1966

 

In the mid-1960s, New Zealand-born photographer Derek Brook was in London, Time magazine’s ‘Swinging City’. The English capital was stuffed with fashion, music, newfound freedom and possibility.

Housed at London’s Bishopsgate Institute, Brook’s pictures tell of a time that lingers. Jeroen Van Dijk, the venue’s Campaigns Manager, says the photographs are a “beautiful window into London during a fascinating time in the city’s history… My favourite snaps from the Derek Brook archive are those of a bustling Carnaby Street, with fashionable youngsters showing off their outfits. From tight jeans, turtlenecks, shiny leather jackets and flower motives to the famous Mary Quant dresses – it’s so exciting to see people express their identity through their looks.”

So let’s head to Carnaby Street c. 1966, to shop at the boutiques, like Lord John at Number 43 or Trecamp, one of the many shops in the area owned by John Stephen’s, ‘The King of Carnaby Street’. It’s just up the road from the low morals and high-lifers of Soho and the smarter shops on Regent’s Street.