Mary Quant
Marie Claire - UK|April 2019

‘The 60s Were Just The Most Exciting, Wonderful Period. I Wouldn’t Choose Another Era To Live In’

Michelle Davies
Mary Quant

She revolutionised fashion and caused a ‘youthquake’ with her miniskirts and bold patterns. Now aged 85, she has collaborated on a retrospective of her work at the V&A

The girl tap-dancing in the room next to Mary Quant’s ballet class was older than she was. But that wasn’t why Quant couldn’t take her eyes off her: it was what she was wearing that transfixed her. ‘[She was] the vision of everything I wanted to be… bobbed hair, wearing a black skinny-rib sweater, seven inches of black pleated skirt, black tights under white ankle socks and black patent leather shoes with ankle straps,’ Quant would recall of the late 30s encounter. ‘The image of that girl stayed with me and I started trying to make my own clothes [by] cutting up bedspreads. That’s all I wanted to do: design clothes.’

What she ended up doing was so much more than that: Quant revolutionised the way women dressed. A key figure of the Swinging Sixties, chief among her achievements was ‘inventing’ the miniskirt, pioneering mass production fashion and modernising the beauty industry’s approach to cosmetics.

To celebrate her status as one of the 20th century’s most influential designers, this April the V&A museum in London is staging a retrospective of Quant’s work from 1955, when her first shop opened on Chelsea’s King’s Road, to 1975. Among the exhibits are rare Quant outfits donated by former customers after the museum launched a #wewantquant call-out. ‘Mary Quant transformed the fashion system, overturning the dominance of luxury couture from Paris,’ says exhibition co-curator Jenny Lister. ‘She dressed the liberated woman, freed from rules and regulations, and from dressing like their mothers.’

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2019 من Marie Claire - UK.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2019 من Marie Claire - UK.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من MARIE CLAIRE - UK مشاهدة الكل
Uma Thurman
Marie Claire - UK

Uma Thurman

‘I Managed To Stay In The Business That I Love All My Life, And I Know That’s Not A Given. I Can’t Not Feel Lucky About It, No Matter What The Downsides Can Be’.

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2019
Pollution Proof Your Life
Marie Claire - UK

Pollution Proof Your Life

From your daily commute to your wood-burning stove, you’re unwittingly inhaling a variety of toxic substances. But you can take action to reduce their impact, reveals Claire Thorp.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2019
We Love Lucy
Marie Claire - UK

We Love Lucy

From a star-making turn in Bohemian Rhapsody to a leading role in sassy new Netflix show The Politician, Lucy Boynton is ready for her close-up. Here, she tells Jane Mulkerrins about her life-changing year.

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2019
Human Touch
Marie Claire - UK

Human Touch

Connecting with others can have a confidence-boosting effect, support skin health and help you live longer. Here’s why the wonders of physical contact really matter...

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2019
Facing The Floods
Marie Claire - UK

Facing The Floods

Photographer Gideon Mendel has spent 12 years capturing the extreme rise in flooding across the globe. Here, he tells Marie Claire about the devastating human impact.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2019
'Learn How To Please Yourself First' –and Other Sex Tips From Our Mums
Marie Claire - UK

'Learn How To Please Yourself First' –and Other Sex Tips From Our Mums

Three mothers and daughters explain how talking openly to each other about sex, identity and pleasure has strengthened their relationship and enriched their love lives

time-read
9 mins  |
September 2019
10 Mindful Ways To Approach Health And Well-Being
Marie Claire - UK

10 Mindful Ways To Approach Health And Well-Being

From cortisol-free fitness to stress-busting diets and calm skin, Fiona Embleton reveals ten mindful ways to approach health and well-being

time-read
6 mins  |
May 2019
Sex Crimes on Campus
Marie Claire - UK

Sex Crimes on Campus

This month, thousands of female students will head for university, but many will become the victims of sexual assault and harassment.Polly Dunbar investigates the alarming rise of college rape culture.

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2016
Fight The Fear
Marie Claire - UK

Fight The Fear

Approximately ten million people in the UK suffer with a debilitating phobia. When Charlotte Haigh’s fear of flying threatened to damage her mental health, she took action…

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2017
Celine Dion
Marie Claire - UK

Celine Dion

‘Growing Up, I Used to Feel Awkward and Insecure. I Remember Not Feeling or Looking My Best’

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2017