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Obituary: Thea Porter
Independent, The (London), Jul 27, 2000 by Linda Watson
IN THE fleeting period when British fashion became a fine art, Thea Porter had her moment. From the mid-Sixties to the early Seventies, before London designers knew the meaning of the word "commercialism", Porter reigned supreme. Her exquisite Oriental dresses, kaftans and harem trousers, often overlaid with ethnic embroidery, applique and sequins - invariably made from iridescent silks sourced from remote souks - were not merely fashion fixes, but food for the soul.
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Porter's immaculate blend of English and Eastern design was a product of her unconventional upbringing. She was born in Syria of an English father and a French mother; both worked as Presbyterian missionaries in the Middle East. Her father, the Rev Dr Morris Seale, was the author of The Desert Bible (1974), subtitled "Nomadic Tribal Culture and Old Testament Interpretation", a pioneering work which provided translations and expositions of biblical passages.
Petite, red-haired, and already fluent in Arabic, Porter studied French and English at Royal Holloway College, London University, before - moving to Beirut in 1953, where she lived with her diplomat husband and trained as an artist - studying with Georges Cyr, a contemporary of Delaunay. As the Sixties started to swing towards psychedelia and spirituality, Porter returned to London with her daughter, Venetia.
In 1966 she opened a shop in Greek Street, Soho, selling Oriental carpets and exotic fabrics; soon she added clothes to the equation. Her opulent collections were shown in this souk-like environment, models negotiating the space between the Middle Eastern ornaments, huge floor cushions and a 9ft lily designed by Andrew Logan.
Porter's foray into fashion happened almost by accident: she imported kaftans to deconstruct into furnishing fabrics and realised that they were already objets d'art. It was here she made her name: by taking the original idea and putting a new spin on the kaftan.
Thea Porter's clothes were worn by the beautiful, the Bohemian, the elegantly unconventional people. The designer Selina Blow's mother, Helga de Silva, was a 17-year-old Ceylonese beauty who married a member of the English aristocracy in the Sixties. As a Thea Porter customer, Helga felt perfectly at the home in Porter's perfect balance of East and West. "Her clothes were elegant, strong and vivacious without veering towards fancy dress," remembers Blow:
One of my strongest childhood memories is of my mother walking around in a wonderful deep red Thea Porter gypsy dress - very striking with sequins and chiffon - which floated about three miles behind her. Growing up in the wilds of Gloucestershire, that's not a sight you forget very quickly.
An international fan base followed: Thea Porter was worn by a roll- call of the rich, royal and glamorous including Princess Margaret, Baroness von Thyssen, Elizabeth Taylor, Raquel Welch, Joan Collins, Charlotte Rampling, Babe Paley and Marie-Helene de Rothschild. Men, too, were seduced by her Orientalism: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Franco Zeffirelli all wore Thea Porter.
Although her clothes were unforgettable, Porter herself was unrecognisable to the public at large. Rarely photographed, interviewed or quoted, she kept a relatively low profile, preferring to entertain friends like Peter Langan, Edna O'Brien and the archaeologist Honor Frost, at her elegant Mayfair home. "She was a great hostess," remembers Marylou Luther, a former Fashion Editor of the Los Angeles Times. "To be invited to her house was to know you would meet some very interesting people."
In 1968 Thea Porter opened a store in New York, followed by a Paris outlet six years later. Porter's relaxed yet opulent style was particularly suited to the Hollywood crowd. "She had an amazing Los Angeles following," recalls Luther:
Gregory Peck's wife Veronique would have virtual Avon parties, with Thea bringing her beautiful collections along and the wives of movie stars - like Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon - buying in droves. Her clothes were very Hollywood in that they were very special and particularly suited for entertaining at home. I always called her the mother of the rich hippy look. She was the first to make the rich look hip.
Thea Porter's signature was Eastern shapes in opulent fabrics - chiffon, brocade, silk and velvet - often richly decorated with antique braid. Wearable, desirable and considered delicious works of art, Thea Porter's collections were perfect for international party animals who were exotic drifters at heart.
Often photographed by Vogue during the Sixties and Seventies in exotic settings, Porter was talked about in the same breath as Bill Gibb, Zandra Rhodes and Ossie Clark. When the musical Hair premiered, Porter's career was at its height. "They were clothes to dream about," remembers Anna Harvey at Vogue,
amazing textures, beautiful jewel colours, kaftan-like shapes, braided velvet. She pioneered the vintage side of fashion, the proliferation of treasured fabrics and invention of hippy chic. She was one of the original hippies. An exotic, Bohemian creature who I always thought looked rather like a nut - a very sweet nut.
