Michael Fish (born 1940) is a British

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

famous for designing many of the notable British looks of the 1960s and 1970s, such as the

kipper tie A kipper tie is a type of necktie primarily fashionable in Britain in the mid-1960s to late 1970s. The primary characteristics of the kipper tie are its extreme breadth (normally ) and often garish colours and patterns. Design origin Wide neckt ...

Career

As a fashion designer

Michael Fish was born in

Wood Green Wood Green is a suburban district in the borough of Haringey in London, England. Its postal district is N22, with parts in N8 or N15. The London Plan identifies it as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London, and today it forms a maj ...

, London in 1940. His Mother Joan, worked in a chemist shop in Winchmore Hill, his father, Sydney, was an on-course bookmaker. He had one sister, Lesley and a brother named Philip. Fish was apprenticed in shirtmaking, and by the early 1960s was designing shirts at traditional men's outfitters Turnbull & Asser of

Jermyn Street Jermyn Street is a one-way street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster in London, England. It is to the south of, parallel, and adjacent to Piccadilly. Jermyn Street is known as a street for gentlemen's-clothing retailers. Hist ...

. His designs reflected, and to some extent brought on, the "Peacock Revolution" in men's fashion design, which was a reaction against the dull conservatism of men's dress. His shirts were floral in pattern and often included ruffles and other adornments. By the middle 1960s, he had opened his own boutique in Mayfair, with Mr Barry Sainsbury, the exclusive establishment was named Mr. Fish, and was situated at 17 Clifford Street.''ibid'' ''Peculiar to Mr Fish'' became a fashion icon known for designing flamboyant, attention-getting clothing for notable celebrities of the 1960s and 1970s such as Peter Sellers, Lord Snowden and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. By the middle 1970s, the Mr Fish shop had closed, and he took a job with Sulka in New York, a label famous for its silk

foulard A foulard is a lightweight fabric, either twill or plain-woven, made of silk or a mix of silk and cotton. Foulards usually have a small printed design of various colors. ''Foulard'' can also refer by metonymy to articles of clothing, such as scar ...

dressing gowns. In 1978, he returned to London to work for

Jeremy Norman Jeremy Gordon Norman (born 1947) is a British entrepreneur, whose ventures have included ''Burke's Peerage'', Mayfair's Embassy nightclub, the gay 'ultradisco' Heaven, the clubs Embargo and Leopard Lounge on Fulham Broadway, the Power Station gym ...

as greeter at the fashionable Embassy Club in Bond Street, the London equivalent of

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater was ...

. Mr Fish designs set fashion trends, the kipper tie being one unique example, the polo neck sweater look, which proved a major success in New York and London in the winter of 1967. Perhaps the most controversial of Fish's designs was the "dress" designed to be worn by men, which was occasionally worn by such rock stars as David Bowie (including on the cover of the album '' The Man Who Sold the World'') and

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

in the Hyde Park charity concert (including in the film ''

Performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

''). In 2004, Fish suffered a ruptured aorta which led to a severe stroke. He has been in a nursing home for the last ten years. Fish was never married and has no children. His brand has now been purchased by David Mason who is bringing out a range of Mr Fish clothing.

Film work

Fish's designs could be seen in films between the middle 1960s and the early 1970s as well, such as ''

,'' in which Mick Jagger wears one of Fish's dresses for men. Fish was credited as a costume designer for the

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

film ''

There's a Girl in My Soup '' There's a Girl in My Soup'' is a 1970 British romantic comedy film based on the stage play of the same name, directed by Roy Boulting and starring Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn. The film was Sellers' last commercial success until '' Return ...

.'' He also designed the ruffled shirts worn by

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...

for the duration of his five-year tenure as the

Third Doctor The Third Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord fro ...

on ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

''.BBC (1989-03-10)
Interview with Jon Pertwee
''Terry Wogan''.

Literary references

Jerry Cornelius Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The character is an urban adventurer and an incarnation of the author's Eternal Champion concept. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous ...

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has work ...

's fictional poster child for this era, often wore elaborate tailor-made suits by Mr. Fish.

External links

The Peculiar ’60s Designer Who Redefined Men’s FashionPeacock revolution back with label that dressed Mick Jagger and David Bowie

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Michael English fashion designers Artists from London Living people 1940 births Menswear designers