Monday 12 August 1968 | Miscellaneous
John Lennon and Yoko Ono attended a fashion show at the Revolution nightclub in London on 12 August 1968. The event was staged by Quorum, the fashion company owned by designer Ossie Clark and business partner Alice Pollock. Revolution was situated at 14–16 Bruton Place, Mayfair, London.
Ossie Clark and Quorum
Ossie Clark (1942–1996) was one of the most celebrated British fashion designers of the 1960s and 1970s, widely regarded as a defining figure of the Swinging London era. Born Raymond Clark in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, he studied at the Royal College of Art and became known for his fluid, bias-cut dresses and his use of luxurious fabrics, often printed by his wife Celia Birtwell.
Clark’s designs were worn by many of the most prominent figures of the era, including Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Bianca Jagger and members of The Beatles. His work was immortalised in David Hockney’s 1971 painting Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy, one of the most famous British portraits of the twentieth century, which depicts Clark and Birtwell in their Notting Hill flat.
Quorum was the boutique and fashion house Clark ran with Alice Pollock from the mid-1960s. Originally based in the King’s Road, Chelsea, it became one of the most fashionable addresses in London and a gathering point for the city’s creative elite. The Revolution nightclub in Mayfair was a natural venue for Quorum’s fashion shows, attracting the same celebrity clientele.
Clark was tragically murdered in his London flat in August 1996 by a former lover.
John Lennon — officially licensed merch
John Lennon: Imagine Peace Unisex T-Shirt (Black).
Lennon and Ono in August 1968
August 1968 was a significant month for Lennon and Ono. The couple had become publicly inseparable following Lennon’s separation from his wife Cynthia earlier in the year. They were deeply embedded in the London avant-garde art and fashion scene, and their attendance at events such as the Quorum show reflected their status as central figures in the city’s cultural life.
The Beatles were also in the midst of recording what would become The White Album at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, during this period. The sessions, which ran from May to October 1968, were famously fractious, with the four members increasingly working separately. Lennon’s attendance at the Revolution fashion show on 12 August fell between recording sessions.
Just ten days earlier, on 2 August 1968, The Beatles had gathered at Tittenhurst Park for the Mad Day Out — a wide-ranging photographic session across London that produced some of the most celebrated images of the group in their final years together.
John Lennon — officially licensed merch
John Lennon: Imagine Peace Ladies T-Shirt (Black).
Revolution nightclub, Bruton Place, London
Bruton Place, Mayfair, London — where the Revolution nightclub was situated at numbers 14–16, hosting Quorum fashion shows attended by London’s creative elite in the 1960s.
Key Facts
| Date | Monday 12 August 1968 |
| Venue | Revolution nightclub, 14–16 Bruton Place, Mayfair, London |
| Event | Quorum fashion show (Ossie Clark and Alice Pollock) |
| Context | During The White Album recording sessions; ten days after the Mad Day Out |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ossie Clark?
Ossie Clark (1942–1996) was one of the most celebrated British fashion designers of the 1960s and 1970s, a defining figure of Swinging London. He was known for his fluid, bias-cut dresses and fabrics printed by his wife Celia Birtwell. He was immortalised in David Hockney's 1971 painting Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy.
What was Quorum?
Quorum was the boutique and fashion house run by Ossie Clark and Alice Pollock from the mid-1960s. Originally based in the King's Road, Chelsea, it became one of the most fashionable addresses in London and a gathering point for the city's creative elite.
What were The Beatles doing in August 1968?
The Beatles were recording what would become The White Album at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, in sessions that ran from May to October 1968. The sessions were famously fractious, with the four members increasingly working separately.
What was the Mad Day Out?
The Mad Day Out was a wide-ranging photographic session across London on 28 July 1968, which produced some of the most celebrated images of The Beatles in their final years together. It began at Thompson House, 200 Gray's Inn Road.
→ The Beatles live: International Amphitheatre, Chicago – 12 August 1966
→ The Beatles are photographed by Richard Avedon – 11 August 1967
→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub
→ August in Beatles History
→ On This Day in Beatles History
Shop John Lennon merch: Imagine Peace T-Shirt (Unisex) | Imagine Peace T-Shirt (Ladies) | John Lennon collection
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