During the autumn 2013 collections Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff, the poster-boys for London’s avant-garde, filled their catwalk with frills, lace panels, puffed sleeves, floor sweeping hemlines and even more lace decorating collars and cuffs, that evoked the rose-tinted memory of the late Laura Ashley. How timely then that Ashley, who in the late 1960s and early 1970s, provided women with a fantasy wonderland wardrobe, is about to be celebrated with an exhibition, Laura Ashley The Romantic Heroine, at the Fashion Museum in Bath.

It is not surprising that Meadham Kirchhoff should choose this moment to revisit this brand of romantic idealism, as there are certainly parallels between the eras. By the tail end of the 1960s, the sense of optimism that had washed over the decade had ebbed. Widespread disillusionment swept through society and around the world there were protests on the streets against the established order, militarism and materialism. Sound familiar? Against this backdrop, the public yearned for escapism, so that is what filmmakers, musicians, artists and fashion designers (always among the first to be plugged into the prevailing mood swing) provided.

"It is not surprising that Meadham Kirchhoff should choose this season to revisit Ashley's brand of romantic idealism, as there are certainly parallels between their eras."

While some fashion designers such as Zandra Rhodes, Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo and Thea Porter took an exotic trip to Africa, North America and the Far East, Laura Ashley looked backwards to the authentic antiquities of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Ashley offered a cast of novel characters – the governess, the nanny, the wench and the milkmaid – and even turned the anachronistic apron into a desirable fashion accessory; Meadham Kirchhoff gussied up the same garment in rubber for their collection. But the quintessential Ashley look – the high-necked, long, flounced dresses in naively printed cotton – was totally in tune with the public’s desire for all things nostalgic.

On TV, millions of viewers tuned in to The Forsyte Saga and Upstairs Downstairs (the original Downton Abbey), and cinemagoers swooned at Doctor Zhivago, Far From the Madding Crowd and Ryan’s Daughter. In day-to-day life there was a volte-face as fashionable young couples swapped the future gazing and modernity of synthetic fabrics, Formica and G-plan furniture for Art Nouveau objets, peacock feathers and framed Alphonse Mucha prints. While canny fashion fans rummaged through stalls at Antiquarius on the Kings Road or Portobello Market for original lace blouses and petticoats, Ashley proposed a ready-made fashion version for just a few pounds. Her pastoral look was incredibly seductive at a time when all the modern day ills seemed to be rooted in urban, industrialist values.

So in their new collection, Meadham Kirchhoff’s continued pursuit of perfection in an imperfect world is as quixotic as Laura Ashley’s sanguine vision of the good old days. Yet, this wistful quest for a romantic idyll has proved an on-going inspiration for designers such as John Galliano and even Vivienne Westwood who, despite her punk roots, would go on to offer collections filled with historical references, abbreviated crinolines and plenty of costume drama. As Ashley herself adroitly observed in 1975, 'People love the idea of dressing up in the sort of clothes you might find in an old trunk.'

Laura Ashley The Romantic Heroine opens at the Fashion Museum, Bath, on 13th July, and at The Bowes Museum on 21st September