Sometimes my research comes to a dead-end after dead-end—I’ll follow every path I can think of, set it aside for a few months or even years, then try again, following new ideas to no avail. Usually, I then tuck it away indefinitely. This time, I’m going to try something new and share with you a very patchy history. Quite often, I write about someone here, and then months or years later, I receive an email or a DM from a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or friend who has recently come across my biographical newsletter and wants to thank me for remembering their loved one. Perhaps by sharing this incomplete history, I’m hoping for a similar discovery: a family member or friend will come forward and fill in the gaps, letting me know what actually became of costume designer Vanessa Clarke.
I first became interested in Vanessa Clarke through her costumes for the 1967 satirical film, Privilege—most notably the little silk mod dresses worn by the film’s star, supermodel Jean Shrimpton. Known as “The Shrimp,” Jean Shrimpton was, at that time, the most famous and most expensive model in the world. Seeking something new, she agreed to take well below her normal rate for her first feature film, playing the role of an artist hired to paint a portrait of the world’s most famous pop star (played by real-life pop star Paul Jones of Manfred Man), who then has an affair with him. If Privilege was supposed to make her a movie star, it failed; not only was her acting stilted in the few scenes she was in, but both critics and (particularly) the public found the movie difficult. Set in the near future of a dystopian Britain in 1970, “this powerful film is a cold-blooded look at the corruption of modern society as seen through the pop culture of the ‘60s and its heartless merchandising methods. [Director Peter] Watkins shows how a teenage idol is used by money powers, the State and the Church to control man’s mind and to deny one’s individuality.” Likely too close for comfort, British critics responded to the film largely with anger, calling it “hysterical,” and, according to Peter Watkins’ website, “The national cinema circuit in the UK, J. Arthur Rank, refused to show the film for something to do with what they deemed its ‘immoral nature’. Universal Pictures withdrew the film after brief screenings in a few countries, and the film has been rarely shown since—very occasionally on TV.” Regardless, Shrimpton is luminous as she pads around groovy parties and banquets in little silk empire-waist dresses—all made for her by the then-24-year-old Vanessa Clarke.
Once I started researching Clarke, I found very little. According to IMDB, Privilege was her second film—she previously worked with Peter Watkins on The War Game in 1965—but she did not do costumes for another movie for almost 20 years, until she worked on Space Riders in 1984 and Car Trouble in 1986. Who was Vanessa Clarke? And why did she have such huge gaps in her career? Below is the little I’ve been able to piece together.
