Before Topshop and H&M, there was Biba -- a groovy Art Nouveau-inspired boutique that sold stylish, inexpensive clothes to London’s swingin-‘60s youth. Founded by former fashion illustrator Barbara Hulanicki, the small shop, filled with dark mahogany screens, plum curtains, dozens of potted palms, and blaring Beatles music, instantly became an overwhelming success.  Julie Christie, Sonny & Cher, Mia Farrow, Brigitte Bardot, John & Yoko, Jagger and then-girlfriend Chrissie Shrimpton all came in to stock up on Biba’s signature tight-sleeved smock dresses in every imaginable color. (Twiggy had to have them taken in.)

In 1973, Hulanicki and husband Stephen Fitz-Simon moved the shop to a seven-story department store in Kensington with room to sell everything from feather boas and brown lipstick (a must-have) to wallpaper and baby clothes. Flamingos roamed the rooftop tea garden, and everyone from Liberace to The NY Dolls played in the upstairs Art Deco restaurant, aptly named The Rainbow Room. But by 1975, the party, which couldn’t withstand the recession, ended. Biba closed, and Hulanicki moved to Brazil.

Thirty years later, Biba’s back. Fashion entrepreneur Michael Pearce, who brought Uggs to the U.K and now owns the rights to Biba, has relaunched it as a luxury brand, much to the disapproval of Hulanicki (who, word is, now lives in Miami doing interior design for hotels). Designed by Bella Freud – Sigmund’s great-granddaughter – the fall collection is replete with retro silhouettes and Biba’s sober burgundy-and-brown color palette. There are bell-sleeved silk blouses and wide-legged velvet trousers, corseted 1940s wool crepe dresses, and lamé mini-smocks. There are also, in the Biba vein, head-to-toe accessories: chainmail evening bags, Edwardian button boots, Art Deco necklaces, floppy hats; and coming soon, big babydoll eyewear, black nail polish and a fragrance. But perhaps most importantly, the new Biba line also includes a roster of celebrity clients. Hugh Grant, Jemima Khan, Laura Bailey, and Dan MacMillan all took in the spring show presented last week in London. And Kate Moss has reportedly ordered half the fall collection, certifying Biba as a big deal.

Get It:

For more on Biba, and a list of stores, bibaexperience.com

Read about Biba’s rise and fall, Biba: The Biba Experience, by Alwyn W. Turner, $44, amazon.com