The Twentieth Century Boutique

The third lecture by Bronwen Edwards in the series Twentieth Century Shops: From Arndale to Zara, marking the publication of 100 20th Century Shops.

Boutiques offer an eclectic celebration of the century’s fashionable architectures, clothes and commodities. During the twentieth century they have evolved from their initial incarnation in the 1920s as intimate, jewel-like, high-fashion shops influenced by French couturier salons. From the 1950s to the 1970s they became the creative expression of rebellious young designers whose exuberant clothes epitomised Swinging London, before evolving into today’s opulent showcases for global fashion. By their very nature, boutiques are ephemeral, changing as fast as the fashions they sell, and often housed within existing buildings. This talk will discuss some of the most striking and influential boutiques and look at interiors designed by architects from Ernö Goldfinger’s shop for Helena Rubinstein to Eva Jiřičná’s work for Joseph and John Pawson’s for Jigsaw.

Dr Bronwen Edwards is senior lecturer in geography and town planning at Leeds Beckett University. She specialises in feminist, cultural and historical geography and architectural history.