1960s Mary Quant

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TODAY ... http://www.designerhistory.com/historyofashion/quant.html

Her clothes have continued to sell well, even today, but she never again achieved the popularity and volume of sales that she did in the 60's. Her cosmetic line however, sells very well today.

Mary Quant is now the CEO of the London house of Fraser. She also continues to work as a free-lance designer for various companies. At an age when most designers have put down their sketch pads, Mary still oversees all the creative aspects of her atelier just off London's King's Road.

 

[softgrey]

Oh god, then pass the Geritol! I am tall and - occasionally - proportioned, but with Hillary Clinton knees. In other words, how I loved black Danskins!

Funny about some horizontal stripes. Just the right ones can be quite non-fattening. I have a vintage dress like the MQ you posted, but made by like Beyer or Fritzi or something. It even passed the 3-way mirror test.

So the clothes here?
http://www.maryquantamericas.com/
I think I could go for the "lame top" (hee) for the iconic Quant posie...aaaaand I can't really see the graphics on the halter dress....but maybe... Other than that, though, not sure I see anything I couldn't live without. You?

You know the other thing I miss from the magaziones of that era? The long Young Edwardian ads along the side of the page.

hi linusrox...welcome to tfs...and thx for the link to the 'official' website...
i think the accessories on there are MUCH cuter than the clothes...i think that flowerr logo of hers works much better as a graphic on bags than it does on clothes...

your dress sounds adorable...of course once that look became popular...everyone started doing it...so there are many similar pieces out there... ...

 

[linusrox]

Thanks for the welcome I wonder if Mary still tries to carry off a black Sassoon. Any recent photos of her?

You know, I really just came to Fashionspot a'looking for some Project Runway chat. I wonder why that thread is dead, Fred? I find that show uniquely cracklike.
Here's some chatter about the show:
http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3118843&st=80

 

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well...a lot of our members are in other parts of the world and don't see the show...i find it very entertaining...but can never remember when it's on...i need some sort of alert system to remind me...

re-mary quant's coif...recent pic show no sassoon...still black however...

 

[ball79]

Mod Mary!!!

 

[SomethingElse]

Thanks for the tip, DosViolines.

Mary Quant: A New Approach in Chelsea 1955–1967

Window dressing at Bazzar, 138a King's Road, 1959. © Getty Images

'Snobbery has gone out of fashion, and in our shops you will find duchesses jostling with typists to buy the same dresses.' Mary Quant

Around this time a group of young artists, film directors and socialites gravitated towards the King's Road. Known by the media as the 'Chelsea Set', they made the name Chelsea synonymous with a new way of living and dressing.

Mary Quant's boutique, set up in 1955, epitomised this new philosophy and set the standard for later entrepreneurs. Called Bazaar, it was known for its surreal window displays and eclectic mix of clothes, accessories and costume jewellery. The clothes were decidedly modern. 'I want relaxed clothes,' said Quant, 'suited to the actions of normal life'.

With Quant's husband Alexander Plunkett Greene and friend Archie McNair providing the business backup, the venture was profitable, though it appeared chaotic. Some of the goods were sourced from art students, or made up overnight, and the mini shift dress soon became Quant's trademark.

vam.ac.uk

 

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1967 Bonded wool and nylon jersey.

Mary Quant began to design clothes for Bazaar, her shop in the King's Road, London, in 1957. She swiftly moved into wholesale production with her Ginger Group garments, which had an easy fitting, informal styling. This is an excellent example of a Ginger Group mini-dress. A similar jersey dress was illustrated in Honey (March 1967) and cost 8 1/2 guineas. This and similar dresses in the collection would have been worn with dense black or white tights (Mary Quant designed her first tights in 1965), and big-brimmed felt hats or berets in matching Ginger Group colours.

This dress forms part of the Cecil Beaton Collection, brought together by the society photographer Sir Cecil Beaton (1904-1980). With great energy and determination, Beaton contacted the well-dressed elite of Europe and North America to help create this lasting monument to the art of dress. The Collection was exhibited in 1971, accompanied by a catalogue that detailed its enormous range.

vam.ac.uk

 

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1960 "Peachy". Wool.

Now one of the earliest works by Mary Quant in the V&A's collection, this shift illustrates how she broke with convention and made clothes specifically for young customers. Its donor identified the work ("my scarlet runner") as "a seminal dress at the beginning of a new and still, to me, exciting decade". Until the beginning of the 1960s youth quake, daughters had no alternative but to dress like their mothers. In tune with the times, Mary Quant offered them identities of their own with styles such as this vivid red shift with youthful appeal.

vam.ac.uk

 

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1967 Yellow plastic, injection-moulded, cotton jersey lining.

Plastic was one of the new hot materials for 1960s clothing. These boots were produced for Mary Quant's footwear range, "Quant Afoot", introduced in 1967. Plastic was often dyed in attention grabbing artificial colours, though these are clear plastic over a coloured lining which shows through. They resemble the Chelsea boots with square heels and toes worn by the Beatles during the mid-sixties. The heels bear Mary Quant's signature daisy motif. The wearer would leave a trail of daisy footprints behind her after walking through a puddle.

 

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1967 - 68 Machine-sewn crêpe.

This evening mini-dress in black crepe was designed by Mary Quant for her Ginger Group collections in 1967-1968. Mary Quant was world-famous for championing the mini-skirt, and in the 1960s her name became associated with the predominantly black Chelsea look, with its beatnik overtones.

vam.ac.uk

 

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1965 (Mini-dress) Natural hessian trimmed with braid
(Jumper) Knitted artificial fibres.

This outfit, with its belt adapted to become a halter-neck fastening, is a good example of Mary Quant's practical ingenuity and surreal vision. It combines school uniform, beatnik bohemianism and futuristic chic - all elements of Quant's creative repertoire.

It was designed in 1965, the year Mary Quant published her autobiography, Quant by Quant . In this book, Quant recalls how she discovered the skinny rib jumper by trying an eight-year-old boy's sweater for fun, and in six months 'all the birds' were wearing them.

vam.ac.uk

 

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1966 Wool jersey.

Mary Quant's mini-dresses for her 'Ginger Group' label epitomise the 1960s fashion revolution. This jersey shift dress is like a sweater grown to dress length, and a version was modelled by Twiggy in a Vogue 'Young Idea' fashion spread in April 1966. With the hem well above the knee it was ideally suited to her boyish figure.

The dress was donated as unsold stock from a smart boutique called 'Merlyn', in London's East End, reputedly patronised by gangsters and their girlfriends.

vam.co.uk

 

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1967 Wool jersey.

The fluid cut, pliable jersey fabric and functional front zip of this 'skater' dress suggest the speed and grace of the ice-rink. Mary Quant designed informal, functional clothes for the emancipated woman. She said, 'I want free-flowing, feminine lines that compliment a woman's shape... relaxed clothes, suited to the actions of normal life'.

vam.co.uk

 

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Mary Quant's shop Bazaar on the Kings Road, photographed by John Bignell, 1959
Mary Quant caused a sensation when with her husband, Alexander Plunkett Green, she opened Bazaar on the King's Road in 1955. Suddenly the small useful shops of the past disappeared as boutique owners took over. The King's Road became a magnet for the beautiful and rich, and the Saturday afternoon parade became a 'must do' event. She broke the fashion mould when she launched the mini skirt in the early 1960s.

rbkc.gov.uk

 

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Biographical links and more images here and here.

 

[misssakura]

I personally love Mary Quant. Around 2002 I suddenly had this mad fetish for her tight (stocking) collections. So I went onto EBay and snapped up loads of vintage tights, bright orange, you name it. It's impossible not to feel sexy in MQ tights. (I even have a few pictures somewhere, although I shouldn't post them, bwahaha)

 

[dbear1000]

Thanks so much for posting those Somethingelse!

 

[SomethingElse]

^ My pleasure, dbear1000! I love researching these iconic designers and innovators! I didn't realize that Mary Quant also has a presence on the silver screen! Here is the IMDB link to her filmography works, and here are the films she was involved with - all too brief.

Costume and Wardrobe Department:
Georgy Girl (1966) (costume designer: Charlotte Rampling)
The Wild Affair (1963) (dresses: Ms. Kwan)
Live It Up! (1963) (costumes: models)
... aka Sing and Swing (USA)

Costume Designer:
Two for the Road (1967)
The Haunting (1963/I)

 

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Mary Quant Mini Dress, 1965 (approximately).

This simple cotton mini-dress typifies the designs of Mary Quant in the mid to late 1960s. The dress is stark and very simply made with bold panels of cream contrasting with the bright pink body of the dress. The dress closes with a bold zip fastener with a circular ring detail.

Together with French fashion designers such as Courreges and Cardin, Mary Quant produced fashion which typified the new lifestyle of the 1960s. Although the clothing she produced was relatively simple it was still quite expensive and sold through boutiques and larger department stores. Because her clothes were quite simple, they were often copied by cheaper stores and could even be made at home.

museums.leics.gov.uk

 

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Rare Mary Quant tri-color silk chiffon gown with jewelled embroidered daisy bodice. The visionary Quant defined the Carnaby street style of the 60s and 70s, and remains one of fashion's most dominant icons. Her staple, ultra-mod daywear are treasured and uncommon finds. This evening gown, (wht her signature daisy motif) is supremely rare and a wonderful testament to the range of her vision.

thefrock.com