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Surreal Couture 1975-1982

Billy Boy – A Young Man in Manhattan1

Surreal Couture BillyBoy* Card. A woman in a gown is juggling with three lobsters. A definite Surrealistic reference to Elsa Schiaparelli and her "Lobster Dress". The drawing is by....
Surreal Couture Show invitation. Drawing by Amelia Faulkner, New York, 1978.
Aged 15 years old, Billy Boy is in his Park Avenue apartment, wearing one of his Surreal Couture jacket and holding a pair of scissors as if they were theater binoculars.

“Seventh Avenue’s work is from sun to sun but… a Surreal Couturier’s work is never done”

Billy Boy, aged 15, dressed in his own fashions. The jacket is part of the collection of Musée des Arts Décoratifs (previously U.F.A.C) in the Louvre. Schiaparelli and Surrealism were one of his earliest inspirations and leitmotivs. Note the 1949 Schiaparelli “door knob” hat. Photo by Horst P. Horst, New York, 1975.

The windows of Fiorucci in New York, 1980: "A Christmas Ball With Billy Boy". Various mannequins are dressed in Surreal Couture evening wear, notably a newspaper print gown with Billy Boy press articles on it.

A CHRISTMAS BALL WITH BILLY BOY

Windows at Fiorucci decorated by Billy Boy with Surreal Couture fashions. Gowns have include numerous references to Schiaparelli: newspaper print fabric (with real Billy Boy press clippings, an idea that was used by Galliano in the 2000s), also used for a boat hat (below), “surrealistic” gloves with nails. lobsters, lobsters, lobsters everywhere.

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“In 2000, I’ll be the King of New Baroque” – Billy Boy , Actuel Magazine, 1978.
Invitation for a Fashion Show
  1. The spelling of Billy Boy is respected as is until circa 1983 when it was written BillyBoy* ↩︎