1960s Mary Quant

[brian]

mary quant is such a great designer, whom i admire very much, but little is ever spoken of her or her collections here. she doesn't do runway shows to my knowledge, and her clothing isn't available in many areas, but she's still going strong. i love her vision and style.

here are a few looks from her a/w 2004 collection

 

[Lea]

didn't she invent the miniskirt?

 

[Spacemiu]

didn't she invent the miniskirt?

She says she did , Correges says he did

she is great , i have some vintage socks of her's

 

[utopia]

she's brilliant.

 

[Alura]

I didn't know she was still designing, she was big in the Mod era, her haircuts were big news as well . My friend recently got herself a 'Mary Quant' haircut as she said hehe.

 

[breathe0xygen]

I have seen a couple of Mary Quant shops around Tokyo, selling mostly cosmetics and bags. I don't remember seein any clothing though... but some of her clothing can be purchased on the net.

 

[vintage_princess]

^^ I love the last jacket..especially the single button at the top..I could see myself wearing that.

Im surprised there wasnt a topic on Mary Quant before, I the Mod look

 

[softgrey]

i've seen some of herr stuff at bendel's...
the stuff brian posted looks much better than the stuff i'd seen...which was a bit too retro and almost costume-y...

i believe that she sells mostly cosmetics and some accessories these days...
there is a mary quant store in nyc ...but i think it's only cosmetics and accessories...

thanks for the topic brian...she is truly a fashion legend...

 

[lady grey]

here

she has a boutique on madison ave. in the 50s in nyc.

tfs meet-up??

 

[metal-on-metal]

She's a legend but I don't think the current selection reflects her original talent or spirit.

 

[linusrox]

My favorite Mary Quant memories involve the cosmetics line. Those little white glass "Smudge Pots" - I can still smell them! I was too young to wear them, but that didn't stop me from getting in trouble with my sister when I dipped into hers.

So a few years back I was excited to run across the Mary Quant boutique near Rockefeller Center. I was prepared to drop a relative bundle for nostalgia's sake, but couldn't get a saleperson's attention (I'd been helping a friend move, and didn't look "nice"). Post-9/11 NYC and they're still acting like they don't need people's money? I just left.

 

[brian]

^ that's horrible, linus.
there's absolutely no need for them to treat you like that.
i say go back again if possible, and if they do this to you once more you should feel free to "assist" yourself B)

 

[thefashionista]

i have a mary quant dress of my mother's. . . i love it so much. i wear it when i'm feeling mod (obviously).

next time i'm in NYC i'm definitely going to that boutique.

 

[brian]

do tell us how it goes, fahsionista...
i want to go there so bad

i love her cosmetics line...really the best stuff

 

[Meg]

I had no idea she still designed clothing. Thanks for the pictures and info bri. I've seen her cosmetics around a lot but none of the clothes.

 

[LolitaLuxe]

havoc

more stuff my mother liked ( biba and now this... ) i had no idea that there was still clothing. ive been to the madison ave boutique, a few years ago, looking for a discontinued fragrance called havoc that she liked long ago, but they will not 'revive' it. but mary quant has a great line of cosmetics...great colors! i bought this lipstick that came in a little aluminum compact i should go back...i always forget about that place. good, fun color selection a lot of primary colors ( esp. nail polishes! )

 

[saturnine]

Wow, I had no idea her label was still producing collections!

Is Mary Quant still the creative force behind the designs though?

 

[softgrey]

"A woman is as young as her knees." mary quant...

 

[linusrox]

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.

 

[softgrey]

Though she's best known for the mini, her legacy is more than a single garment — it's an entire style known as the London Look, which by mid-decade meant clothes with simple lines, short/shorter/shortest skirts, bold colors, and flats. Photos of Mary in the '60s show her with the same short hair, the same short skirts, and the same tights and boots and blouses and eye shadow as any of her marvelous models. She's an expert on the subject of clothes and clothes history, of course: "I grew up making my own clothes because I didn't like clothes the way they were," she explained in Blown Away, "I had a very strong idea of how I wanted to look.

read full story here...http://www.swinginchicks.com/mary_quant.htm