One Antiques Roadshow expert had to stop herself from potentially angering show bosses in Sunday’s classic episode on BBC One.
In the instalment, which first aired in February last year, Fiona Bruce and her team of experts headed to Roundhay Park in Leeds to see what hidden treasures guests had in store.
One segment to catch the eye of expert Suzie Yang was a pair of dresses created by legendary British designer Ossie Clark.
“Wow, look at this pair of beautiful dresses. Can you tell me a little bit about them?” Yang said to the owner as she kicked off the discussion.
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Suzie Yang perused over a pair of Ossie Clarke dresses
BBC
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“They were created by Ossie Clark,” the guest replied. “I was at college with Ossie, he was a couple of years ahead of me. It so happened that I was standard size so I modelled for him (but) not these!
“I loved his clothes. He was a brilliant pattern cutter and basically he understood what looked good on women.”
“And how have you come to collect to these pieces, and have you worn them?” Yang probed, keen to learn more.
“Yes, I did used to wear them… when I was slightly smaller than I am now,” the owner replied with a chuckle.
“And my daughter over there, she wore them as well. I actually bought them at an upmarket jumble sale, probably very early 70s.”
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Suzie Yang admitted she wanted to keep one of the dresses
BBC
“And how much did you pay for them?” Yang inquired, to which the guest admitted she had no idea but that “it wouldn’t have been a lot”.
Yang then provided a history lesson: “Ossie Clark is a legendary British designer who really changed how people dress up in the ‘Swinging Sixties’. As you say, he’s a brilliant cutter with this shape that is often very flow-y, very comfortable to wear.
“It just looked good on women with any shape with a cinched-in waist and flowing bottom.
“As you can see, there are some beautiful stylised pointed collars, and that’s quite often seen in his work. The one on the right has a really interesting print. Do you know anything about this print?”
The owner explained that it was crafted by another designer, Celia Birtwell, prompting Yang to delve into Clark’s romantic history with his cohort, branding the couple a “creative duo”.
Yang added: “This pattern is called Step by Step, it has a geometric shape that she is sometimes inspired by artists like [Henri] Matisse so a dress that has both of their creative input is highly collectible.
“This is probably worth £500 or more. And this one with the pointed collar would have a value around £300. So both together, they would easily fetch £700-£900 at auction.”
“Well, I’m amazed… I’ve never really thought about it,” the owner replied, which led to Yang admitting she’d cheekily contemplated bending one of the show’s golden rules.
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Suzie Yang couldn’t hide her fondness for the items
BBC
Yang chipped in: “I really like this one especially.
“I would take it home with me if I could! It’s a lovely piece of history, isn’t it?”
Unfortunately for Yang, experts being able to purchase the finds on the show is a big no-no in the eyes of show bosses.
According to the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow website: “The specialists on the Antiques Roadshow are not permitted to engage in any commercial activity related to items seen on recording days, nor are they in a position to buy your items or to sell them for you.”