Thursday, May 23, 1968
Apple Tailoring opens
Last updated on October 5, 2024
Thursday, May 23, 1968
Last updated on October 5, 2024
Location: 161 King’s Road, Chelsea, London, UK
Article May 19, 1968 • The Beatles attend a housewarming party by Harold Pinter
Article May 21, 1968 • Paul McCartney attends Andy Williams' concert
Article May 23, 1968 • Apple Tailoring opens
Article May 24, 1968 • Paul and Jane attend a Scaffold concert
Article May 26, 1968 • Paul McCartney directs promo film for Grapefruit
The Beatles hire Alexis “Magic Alex” Mardas
Aug 24, 1967
Apple Corps open offices in London
Jan 22, 1968
Designing the Apple Records logo
February - July 1968
Mar 29, 1968
Apple publishes an ad to find new talent
Apr 19, 1968
Paul and John meet Ron Kass in New York
May 12, 1968
The Beatles promote Apple Corps in New York
May 14, 1968
Paul and John fly from New York to London
May 15, 1968
The Apple shop mural is being removed
May 15-18, 1968
Paul McCartney celebrates his 26th birthday
Jun 18, 1968
Paul McCartney spends time with Linda Eastman
Jun 22, 1968
In December 1967, The Beatles opened their first business venture, the Apple shop, also known as the Apple Boutique. By January 1968, Apple Corps was established, encompassing a variety of subsidiaries, including Apple Retail Ltd, which was in charge of the Apple shop.
In early 1968, Apple Retail Ltd. took over Dandie Fashions, a boutique owned by John Crittle, and rebranded it as Apple Tailoring.
Originally, Dandie Fashions opened in October 1966 at Queen’s Gate Mews, Kensington. It was created by 23-year-old John Crittle and 21-year-old Tara Browne, heir to the Guinness fortune and a friend of Paul McCartney. In December 1966, Dandie Fashions relocated to 161 King’s Road, featuring a vibrant storefront painted by the design collective Binder, Edwards & Vaughan, who also painted Paul McCartney’s psychedelic Alfred E Knight piano. Tragically, Tara Browne died in a car crash in South Kensington on December 18, 1966, and John Crittle bought his shares.
In January 1968, Apple began negotiations to acquire Dandie Fashions and turn it into Apple Tailoring. John Crittle, alongside Neil Aspinall and Stephen Maltz from Apple, was appointed Director of the new venture.
The colorful storefront by Binder, Edwards & Vaughan gave way to a white and apple-green sign reading “(Civil and Theatrical) Apple Tailoring by John Crittle.“
On May 22, George Harrison and John Lennon, accompanied by Yoko Ono (one of their first public appearances together), attended the press launch and fashion show to launch Apple Tailoring, just a day before its public opening.
After the Apple Boutique closed down in July 1968, a press release written by Paul McCartney announced that Apple Tailoring would continue to operate independently from Apple Corps.
In August 1968, Apple Tailoring also added a private men’s hairdressing salon in the basement of Apple Tailoring, overseen by Leslie Cavendish, a former apprentice of Vidal Sassoon and hairdresser of the Beatles.
By November 1968, Apple Tailoring had severed its Beatles affiliation and was reestablished as “John Crittle & Co – ‘Your Friendly Tailor & Outfitter.’” Leslie Cavendish’s hairdressing studio continued to do business in the basement of number 161 until 1970.
We bought a few things from [John Crittle], and the next thing I knew, we owned the place!
George Harrison – From New Musical Express – June 1, 1968
The Beatles’ dresssense is quieting down now, like everyone else. They all went mad last year [1967], but now they’re all coming back to a normal way of life. We won’t get teenyboppers here, because prices will be too high for them. We’re pushingvelvet jackets and the regency look, although The Beatles put forward plenty of suggestions. They have pretty far ahead ideas, actually. We’re catering mainly for pop groups, personalities, and turned-on swingers. The teenagers seem too frightened to come in, even though they know this is The Beatles’ place. Maybe it’s because the place is too elegant and too expensive.
John Crittle – From Beatles History : 1968: Apple Tailoring opens in London (upto.com)
I had started cutting Paul McCartney’s hair in late 1966. In 1967, I was asked to go on the Magical Mystery Tour. When we came back, the Beatles mentioned that they wanted to open a hair styling shop up and that’s how it happened. There was a shop called Dandie Fashions that became Apple Tailoring. The owner, John Crittle, was a friend of George Harrison. The combination of opening a tailoring shop and a hairdressing shop downstairs appealed to them at the time, I suppose. The Beatles funded everything. They spent around £10,000 on the shop. There was no salary. I just paid some token rent to John [Crittle], who was then supposed to pay Apple. Whether or not that ever happened I don’t know. I was paid by the clients. I was on call for all of the Beatles and would cut their hair at either the salon or Savile Row. I would go from James Taylor and Grapefruit to even Doris Troy. I would do all of their hair and other artists, too, like Keith Moon. I thought Apple Tailoring was a revolutionary shop. They started with all those crushed velvet jackets and pirate shirts. It wasn’t cheap. And I charged two pound twenty for haircuts, which was a lot in those days.
Leslie Cavendish – From “Those Were The Days 2.0: The Beatles And Apple“, by Stefan Granados, 2021
The Kings Road shop, which is known as Apple Tailoring, isn’t going to be part of Apple anymore but it isn’t closing down and we are leaving our investment there because we have a moral and personal obligation to our partner John Crittle, who is now in sole control.
Press release written by Paul McCartney – July 31, 1968
An order form from Dandie Fashions Ltd, dated July 5, 1967, details a custom-made ‘gold brocade’ jacket for customer Paul McCartney. Five days later, photographs captured by Brazilian fan Lizzie Bravo outside Paul’s house at 7 Cavendish Avenue depict him with a Dandie Fashions shopping bag in the back of his Aston Martin DB6.
Widening the world of women – SHIRLEY LOWE and ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON
THE BEATLES disagreed with The Fool, the group who were designers at their first Apple shop. So The Fool left Apple last week. This week the Beatles opened their second Apple shop, in Kings Road, Chelsea. It sells colourful clothes to garnish the once swinging London scene. John Crittle is the designer.
Here, you see a young man dressed in the style of Apple and Mr. Crittle. He wears a black and white herringbone suit (25gns.) with matching hat (3gns.). A custom-made suit from Apple costs from 30 gns.
The Beatles are going in for hairdressing, too. Soon there will be what the Apple spokesman describes as a private, exclusive and ex-directory men’s hairdressing salon in the basement of the shop.It will be run by ex-Sassoon cutter Leslie Cavendish who cuts the Beatles’ hair. It would be nice to be able to sing like the Beatles or write Beatle ballads. But are there enough young men who still want to look like a Beatle? I doubt it. The Beatles may find that they have bitten off more Apples than they can chew.
From The Sunday Mirror – May 26, 1968
BEATLE GEORGE TODAY HAPPIER, CALMER
CLEAR smile. Open eyes. Tapestry jacket. White wine. Arm affectionately around his ever-attractive wife, occasionally drawing her close for a photograph… letting her go… sitting on the edge of a hard-backed chair in earnest conversation with an earnest John Lennon.
The room rumbles with chat at the movement of guests looking around for famous faces, and dancing along a piece of clear floor space is a male model in an orange shirt and a coloured scarf to match.
This is the George Harrison of late May, 1968, sitting against the background of a Chelsea reception at the weekend, far from the Indian scene and all the trappings of life with the Guru.
The occasion is a launching party for Apple Tailoring, a new Beatles’ venture in the Kings Road, featuring men’s and women’s clothing designed by a Beatles friend, John Crittle.
Explains George: “We bought a few things from him, and the next thing I knew, we owned the place!”
The conversation moves briefly on to some happy chat between George and a friend about them designing a flower-covered dustbin. Then we talk.
Says George: “We’re still involved in a hectic recording scene at the moment, although I’ve spent this week at the office. All that paper-work. There’s about 35 songs we’ve got already, and a few of them are mine. God knows which one will be the next single. You never know, not till you go right through them. I suppose we’ve got a vague idea of the overall conception of the kind of album we want to do, but it takes time to work out. We could do a double album, I suppose… or maybe a triple album. There’s enough stuff there.”
I tell George I hate to bring up the topic, but… “Yeah, I know,” he smiles, “what about the Maharishi? The thing is, we just went off him. I’m not against spreading the word of meditation — I still believe in it as deeply as I ever did — but he started to go about it the wrong way and make the whole thing seem a drag. That Beach Boys things, for instance…”
I’m not sure whether it’s done anything at all for John. He stiff looks like the old gum-chewing ’ard case to me. And the way he always seems ready to clobber his enemies, with a few well-chosen words of vitriol, still frightens me off the way it used to. Maybe I’m the one who needs the meditation.
From New Musical Express – June 1, 1968
Getting around with VIV
MORE clothes shops are opening in the King’s Road. Last week a reception and fashion display compered by Simon Dee marked the opening of John Crittle’s Apple Tailoring.
The reception took place in King’s Road Club Dell’ Aretusa, and was packed with people from all walks of show business and the fashion world. John Lennon and George Harrison were there; the Grapefruit with manager Terry Doran, and Julie Felix.
Also watching the proceedings was Joe Massom, the talented young American director of the film “Wonderwall” for which George Harrison wrote the music, and an an array of Press photographers.
The fashion show, which followed the inevitable drinks and cocktail goodies, highlighted the talents of John Crittle as a designer.
The clothes were very bright and beautiful — that’s my impression, anyway. Go and see for yourselves. The shop is on the site of where Dandle Fashions used to be and is the first branch of the Beatles’ Apple firm — or as John Lennon said when asked for comment by a Pressman: “We have just planted some seeds. We’ll see what grows!”
Also at the Apple reception I met Jay, ex-partner of Chris Jagger, Mick’s brother. He tells me he is still designing clothes for England and abroad. He’s very hung-up at the moment with his ideas of coloured hats for the summer. I hope he makes some Persian rug type ear mullers for next winter.
From Westminster and Pimlico News, June 7, 1968
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