Kitty Boots

In the early eighties or there about, I had a small business in the
 centre of Brum with a staff of about ten working with me in a rented
 building that backed on to the canal, which was nice, ha.
   One afternoon a young student (from Brum Uni.) walked in and asked
 me if I could sew Latex, her name was Karen Storey her "look" was
 half Goth and half punk, and I of course replied yes. She was about to
 leave Uni. and her intention was to open a stall at the Oasis in Dale End.
 Her trading name then was Forbes Hamilton, her plan was to make a
 few bob in the Oasis selling printed T shirts and latex clothing before
 moving to Kensington Market in the smoke and then New York City,
 all of which she did.

     We worked together for two or three years I guess and the
 memories make me smile, memories of shows in town, one
 outside the Oasis while I was still finishing off dresses for the
 models as Karen was in her office ( an old red telephone box)
 being interviewed by Central TV. Memories of a guy saying that
if you had enough money any one could have a number one
 hit and he did it. Don't remember the name of the one-hit wonders
 but we dressed them up for top of the pops in latex, the lead
 singer dressed in a pink latex cat suit.
    We also made the front cover of Elle, a beautiful lady dressed
 in a classic "little black dress" except I made it in gold latex,
 hand fitted of course. It was for sale at £99 but the printers
 made a mistake and listed it at £999 and, yep, Karen still got
 orders for it.
    It was about this time Karen was to leave for NYC, I hate
 goodbye's so I avoided her phone calls and visits to the factory
 until she gave up on me and left for New York.
 Some years later I was watching a fashion show on BBC2
 when the presenter said he was going to interview Kitty Boots
 the London designer in a taxi outside.  Red telephone box?
Yellow taxi? It couldn't be could it? It was, ha ha Kitty Boots
 aka Karen Storey, attagirl..... miss you ace.

Karen