Mary Quant

Mary Quant in one of her defining 'black and white' dresses
Designer Mary Quant was one of the dynamic forces that helped shaped the iconic styles of the 1960s. Quant was born in Wales in 1934 and when the 60's hit full swing she was in her thirties and already had experience in the clothes industry. In the 50s she had completed an apprenticeship in couture millinery (hat-making) and in 1957, with her future husband and business partner, Alexander Plunkett-Green and former solicitor Archie McNair, she opened a clothes shop in Kings Road, London, called Bazaar and another branch later the same year.

It was the height of the beatnik era, which favoured drama and existential black, so Quant sold black tights and white collars to enliven black dresses and tees. This black and white combination was to become one of Quant's defining style features and the basis for the famous 'Mary Quant" dress that was such an icon of the Mod era.

Youth Revolution

By the time the 1960s rolled around, the youth cult revolution, born of a new affluence and consumerism, was driving the fashionable trends of the decade. For the first time, young, working Brits had disposable incomes they could spend on clothes, records and accessories. Everything about Mary Quant exuded style and originality and in many respects she exemplified the fearlessness, boyish androgyny and playful experimentation of the era. Quant had her hair cut in striking, geometric bobs by Vidal Sassoon, another 60s icon...and wore equally bold, eye-catching dresses, tights and shoes. - she took risks and among other things, was credited with inventing the mini-skirt and hot-pants. Quant was the right designer at the right time and part of the visionary apparatus that made London swing.

Quant fans---  

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