#whatsohowore

Claire was born in Alexandria in Egypt, her family were Italian, she’s an Italian expat from Egypt, so she grew up learning French, which is why she spoke with a French accent. But when she moved to London she fell in love with an American man who’s surname was De Rouen, but he was fully American and he had previously had a different surname that was something like De Rainer, and he didn’t like it so he changed it to De Rouen because he thought it sounded chic.

So she ended up with a French surname and a French accent and she spoke French, it’s typical of her.

She set up the CDR shop in 2005. She went to art school as well and then she started working at the ICA in the bookshop and then after a while she was really good at that and she moved to The Photographers Gallery doing just the postcards there and she was so good at it that she ended up doing the books.

This is from an exhibition in the Exit Gallery, but yeah its just full of sexy ladies, pretty much naked sexy ladies. But she was very dark, she had a very darkly sexy mind I think.

I guess there was a saucy element to her being in Soho - because the person that connected her with the landlord of this building was Bob Carlos Clarke, who was a great admirer of hers. So she always loved his pictures and he loved her and he knew that she was unhappy when Zwemmers was brought by Shipley. Because there was a long rivalry between Shipley and Zwemmers and then she was really unhappy and Bob Carlos Clarke told the landlord of this building about Claire and said you should give her a space to open a shop and that’s what happened.

Obviously his pictures are very overtly sexual and that’s what he loves doing. Maybe being in Soho just nurtured her love of that or maybe she already had it I don’t know - and photography was really strong in this area. When St Martin’s was on the street it used to be much more creative and was much more happening in terms of exhibitions and it was only about 7 years ago that St Martins was on the street.

Text and image courtesy of  - Lucy Kumara Moore

I took this picture in ‘92, ‘93 when I was in college at Thames Valley uni. It’s Mark Anthony, Isaac/Alistair, Sodeye, Tom and someone’s older brother. We used to go to bars on the Kings Rd and then head to crazy Larry’s near Chelsea, Subterrania, The Wag and Slow Motion at Mazimus. The boys didn’t always get into the clubs, and never in a group, so we girls used to pair up (whether we were pairs or not) to get everyone in. We wore old Levis, leather flight jackets and secretly listened to the Smiths and New Model Army, but it was more fun to dance to soul and funk.

This may have been in the toilets of Subterrania, exact memories may have been compromised. We also went to canal Brasserie on Kensal Rd, Woody’s in Wood Field Rd and the Cobden.

In a club somewhere in Harlesden in the 90′s.

On my way to Raw at YMCA, I had arrived in London from Germany in the early 90′s to study Design and Media Management and found the London club scene invigorating and intoxicating, free uninhibited and unhinged, full of interesting people and love! Best years of my life!

Myself and Patrick, the mid 90’s were the best! Big hat from High St Ken market, hot pant catsuits from Hyper Hyper, platform boots from Buffalo and Woolford tights that did not run when someone’s cigarette burnt a hole in it. We went to Raw at the YMCA Tottenham Court Road, Ben and Andy and Seb Fontaine were DJing. We also went to Jceni in Mayfair and in the second half of the 90′s to Bar Rumba on a Monday Turmoil’s, Bagley’s and many other places I cannot remember. Babes in Toyland was my favourite, though I remember that sinking feeling when it got to 3am and the night was going to end…

Five friends in Silver Place, Soho in January 1981, stopping to have a quick pose in mainly 1960's revival gear, Sta- press trousers and bandmans jackets, while on a Soho shopping trip.

After thirty five years you would expect change. Silver place encapsulates the changing face of Soho, then its was grubby with its cobblers and sandwich shops, now its all bunting and flower baskets with hair and beauty salons. 

This was 1987 and I am outside 34 Wardour Street. I am wearing leather shorts, letter gloves a big bomber jacket and very rare Stephen Sprouse tights with winkle pickers from Hyper Hyper. I was living in London for the summer.

I remember this outfit because of the response that J. G. Ballard had to it later on. I was invited to the suburbs of Shepperton by another friend. I got drunk with some middle aged people at their dinner party and they mentioned JG Ballard , whom I was a huge fan of, and they insisted on drunkenly driving me over to his house and deposited me on his doorstep, and then sped off. I then had to make conversation with Mr. Ballard who was really nice.

These two images were of me in my biker chick mode, taken by my dad in my parent’s home when I was 12 or 13 in 1972.  I was heavily into Bowie, and had been hanging out in Soho since aged 11. I was tall and got into pubs already. My hair was still kinda Bowie in Ziggy mode and my clothes we a mix of glam rocker meets biker chick.  I used to hang out in The Intrepid Fox on Wardour Street, which was a biker bar in early 1970’s before going punky later on. I was going to gigs at The Marquee from 72 onwards too, where I first saw David Bowie.

Here we are, three drunk punks. This is me in Carnaby Street, with my two punk pals, the guitarist of The Casualties from NYC, who I helped get gigs in the UK,(I'm leaning on Jake) and Medhi, a Belgium punk. I have been a punk since 1975. I'm known as The Punk Queen of Soho, I'm still a punk till the  day I die. I wrote the ‘Punk and Disorderly’ column for Sounds mag from ‘78 until it went bust in 1987. We used to hang out in The Intrepid Fox pub and The Ship on Wardour Street.