They seek him here, they seek him there, In Regent Street and Leicester Square... and, apparently, in Victoria Road in Swindon, Oxford Street in High Wycombe, and Upper Market in Preston. Yep, fashion takes centre stage on our high streets and issue #7 of To Have and To Hold delves into paper bags of the well-known chains, iconic boutiques, workaday haberdashers, and tailors and outfitters from Bath to Fort William.
Not unlike record bags, the fashion bag held a particular cache, especially if from legendary emporiums, such as I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet, Kleptomania and Gear, all serving the London dandies of the Swinging sixties, and all represented here (and fleshed out nicely in Jim Merrett's introduction).
Most of us though, were out in the burbs and small towns, picking out outfits in Chelsea Girl, Dorothy Perkins, C&A, and Dolcis - once high street behemoths, now all memories (thankfully preserved here). And then, the small independents, department stores (Bradford's 'Harrods of the North' Brown, Muffs makes an appearance), linen shops, children's boutiques, shoe repairs, and much more.
Again, this selection is more than a collection of paper bags; here there are memories of days out, of new garbs, of part-time jobs, and of keeping up.
To Have And To Hold is a beautifully produced publication from The Paper Bag Archive that presents the reader with selections of that most ephemeral of objects, the paper bag. We love this zine, and yes, part of that is a nostalgic response, but largely, this beautifully assembled title acts as a permanent record of the ephemeral - and something we can return to.
Size: 148 x 210mm (saddle stitched)
Pages: 72
