Jacket, blouson

This blouson forms part of a three piece Katharine Hamnett suit bought by Kim Philpotts in around 1987. Philpotts has donated a number of items of clothing to the museum, and her collection provides an interesting insight into one woman's wardrobe during the 1980s and 1990s.

Philpotts grew up in Stratford Upon Avon in the 1960s, and studied Set and Costume Design in Birmingham before moving to London in 1982. Her clothing represents fashionable designer and high street clothing in London during this period, and while the receipts for these items have since been lost, Philpotts can still remember where many of them were bought.

Katharine Hamnett is a British designer who studied fashion at Central Saint Martins College in London, launching her own label in 1979. This suit was bought from Hamnett's Sloane Street store in Knightsbridge. Philpotts often wore the blouson with the pleated mini skirt, black Wolford tights, a black roll neck, and Shelley Chelsea boots (all within the museum's collection).