Billy: Bill Gibb’s Moment in Time at Fashion & Textile Museum

Film showing in the main gallery shows a young Twiggy at a crowded fashion show. As a devotee who wore his creations she has contributed to a new book Bill Gibb: Fashion and Fantasy by Iain R Webb which had its launched at the museum.

"Bill made me the most beautiful clothes which always made me feel like a princess and which I still treasure" she says. "He was unique and ahead of his time, the forerunner to some of our great designers today. I am delighted to see his great talent showcased in this exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum."

Bill Gibb was the designer sort out by those who wanted more than the Biba label. Some of his dresses on show, usually known as a 'Billy', still have the large Bill Gibb label.

There are few photographs of Bill Gibb and none in the exhibition. But the chain-smoking and slightly bearded figure of the young Billy can be spotted in the film.

Bill Gibb brought the romance of life in ruined Scottish castles from his Aberdeenshire homeland to London where his evening gown creations gave him fame and then financial disaster. He survived to come back with exclusive patterns for Daily Telegraph readers and Harrod's shoppers. Cancer in 1988 brought it all to an end at the young age of 44.