MADAM, Re: your article on Teenage Fashion in 1960s Ross. I was the first person to work at the Birdcage Boutique when it opened in Ross' Broad Street. The proprietors were Mr and Mrs Brazier who came from Redditch. This came about as a result of speaking to Bill Preece from the Gwalia Stores which was next door.
He told me the owner was looking for an assistant and if I was interested I should go and see him then and there, which of course I did, as I was very interested in fashion being only 16.
I couldn't believe my luck when I?was given the job immediately. Having been told we would be going to London to choose the stock made it all the more exciting. We visited the well-known wholesale fashion areas and also the Kings Road in Chelsea, which of course was at the forefront of fashion at the time.
Fashionable wear included 'hot-pants' and chain belts which we sold hundreds of, also skinny rib sweaters and mini skirts.
Inside the boutique were two large floor standing birdcage-style displays with models dressed in the latest gear – hence the name, which made the shop new, different and exciting for teenage girls.
It was a great time for me and later, when I left, my sister Caroline (Lulu) James went to work there too.
The cutting from the Ross Gazette, below features a fashion show which took place in the early 1970s.
Tilly Wilson, Ross