MARY QUANT

Fashion Profile: Mary Quant

Mary Quant, a Welsh fashion designer, has become a British icon through her influential role in the Mod fashion movement of the 60s.

Born: 11th February 1934

Famous for: Helping create a the defining style of the 60s - mod fashion.

Style Characteristics: Quant designed the mini-skirt (one of the most defining fashions of the 1960s) and popularised hot pants.

Early Life

Mary Quant was born to Welsh parents, who had moved to London to start their teaching careers. Her family had originally come from a Welsh mining background, however, Quant developed an interest in art and applied to study Illustration at Goldsmiths College (where she would later meet her future husband, Alexander Plunkett-Green, whom she married in 1957).

After gaining a diploma in Arts Education at Goldsmiths, Mary Quant took up an apprenticeship as a couture milliner - tying her love of art and fashion. It was during this apprenticeship that Mary Quant decided fashion should not exist for the priveleged few (much like the clients at the milliners) but for everyone, and more importantly, young people.

King's Road

Leaving her position as a couture milliner, Mary Quant opened a clothes shop on the King's Road, in London. Quant opened the boutique, Bazaar, with her future husband and a former solicitor, Archie McNair. 

After graduating from Goldsmiths, Quant had begun to make her own clothes as she strongly believed that fashion was directed at older generations ("fashion wasn't designed for young people"). She used the skills she had developed during this time to design for Bazaar. 

Mary saw this need for more youthful clothing and began to design clothes inspired by dance outfits she remembered wearing as a child; pairing simple, bold shapes with strong colours to create her garments - creating the "Chelsea Look", which would later become known as "mod". Other garments that helped Mary create the Chelsea Look were plastic collars, sleeveless shift dresses and hot pants - these were more revealing than previous fashions and many items of clothing used man made fabrics which was something never before seen.

The reason for her success was that she saw that girls in London were seeking a fresh look, they wanted to differentiate themselves from their parents (who were still immersed in the restrictive and "bland" fashions of the 40s and 50s). The mini skirt provided girls with a look that pushed the boundaries of fashion, aiming to shock the older generations. This controversy earned Quant the popularity she needed to develop as an iconic fashion designer.

"It had begun to dawn on us that, by luck, by chance, perhaps even by mistake, we were onto a huge thing. We were in at the beginning of a tremendous renaissance in fashion".

The Mini Skirt 
Famed for popularising, if not inventing, the miniskirt in 1966, the Welsh designer had revolutionised fashion (becoming known as one of the most popular designers of the 60s).


Skirts had noticeably been getting shorter since the late 50s. Although there is some controversy as to whether or not she invented the mini skirt, Quant certainly noticed the difference in skirt length and exploited it to the extreme of the mini skirt. Mary Quant considered this development to be a practical and liberating design as it allowed women to embrace and almost flaunt their sexuality. 


"It was the girls on the King's Road who invented the mini. I was making easy, youthful, simple clothes; in which you could move, run and jump. We would make them the length the customer wanted, they would say "shorter, shorter" and we followed by command".


As Quant's designs were fashionable and affordable, it was suddenly acceptable and even mandatory to show a lot of leg as it was made available to everyone.


In accompaniment to the mini skirt, patterned tights were sold at Bazaar to complete the look that defined the 60s (later adapted by couture designers such as Cristobal Balenciaga).


The Look
Quant was a wonderful advertisement for her own designs. Her short, dark Vidal Sassoon hair style, easy-fitting blazer jackets and swingings skirts made her clothes more stylised. Customers would be inspired by Mary herself as she showed them how to create the more fashionable styles.

Like Barbara Hulanicki (designer for Biba), Quant designed for a girlish, less developed figure. The shift dresses and pinafores suited the boyish look promoted by models like Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. 

Mary Quant revolutionised 60s fashion by providing new clothes for younger markets. Fashion was not catering for the youth of Britain at the time, and so Quant designed to target such a gap in the market. She became popularised by the controversy surrounding the garments she created and her business thrived off this - eventually turning her into a British fashion icon.

Nigel Bamford talking about working with Mary Quant - for the V&A

A showcase of some of Mary Quant's designs from the late 60s.

KATE MOSS

Fashion Profile: Kate Moss

Kate Moss, (deemed the "anti-supermodel" of the 90s) was discovered at a young age, and has grown to become one of the most iconic Brits of the fashion industry.

Born: 16th January 1974

Famous for: Being a fresh-faced model, turned temporary drug addict, turned designer.

Style Characteristics: Heroin chic & festival fashion (Kate often embraces the "model off-duty" look and is loved for her casual style of dress).

Early Life

Kate was born in Croydon, to a humble family (her mother was a barmaid, and her father, a travel agent). She was scouted in 1988 (at the age of just 14 years old) and her modelling career quickly catapulted her to the forefront of the fashion industry.

The Supermodel

Although Kate Moss is not often considered a supermodel; as in contrast to classic supermodels (such as Cindy Crawford and Elle McPherson), Kate embraced the waif-ish look of the 90s; she has still become one of the most famous models (of all time...?).

 

Moss changed the polished look of modelling and began to create controversy - she played a large role in the rise in size zero fashion as her slender figure was embraced throughout the industry.

She almost created a brand for herself (before her days of fashion design) where she gained the public's attention for her tempestuous romances, drug abuse and apparent eating disorders.

Heroin Chic

Kate "Mossy" Moss' modelling career truly began in the mid 90s after she became the face of Calvin Klein. She developed the "heroin chic" look which was characterised by pale skin, dark circles below the eyes and a bony bod. 

The popularity of heroin chic was due to the drugs increase in popularity within popular culture (appearing in many defining films such as Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting) and its overall use in society (it's price had decreased by the 90s due to the AIDs epidemic of the 80s).

 

... And so, fashion was influenced greatly by the decade's everchanging lifestyle.

The aesthetic soon became unpopular, however, as debates arose about the welfare of models who were demonstrating the trend by becoming "size-zero"; (many also felt that models and films were glamorising heroin).

Kate: The Designer

Modelling through to the noughties, Kate Moss decided to try her hand at designing clothes; as by then, she had become a fashion icon herself.

In May 2007, Moss released a collection of clothing designs for the British chain, Topshop. This chain was hyped with a "countdown to launch" leaving the fashion loving public eagerly awaiting the clothing range. She had caused a media frenzy as this was the first iconic model creating her own brand.

Reportedly, Topshop had paid Kate Moss £3 million for her collection of fifty designs (including skinny jeans, leather jackets and minidresses).

Since then, Kate Moss has designed a further 13 collections for Topshop - which have been sold worldwide (due to popular demand). She has also branched out to design for brands such as Longchamp and cosmetics company, Rimmel. Her design career has been greatly supported by designers and past clients such as Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, who saw her as muses.

Love Life

In 1994, Johnny Depp (then, a divorced, but still young, actor) and Moss (a fresh faced model) started their four year long relationship. The couple were famed for their multiple break ups, one of which happened in 1998, their last. Depp has recently spoken (of Kate) that they wanted different things for their lives:

"I don't think I was very good for her... She went on to bigger and better things, and I went on and fell in love and had kiddies".

Kate was also famed for her "festival fashion" as her relationship with Pete Doherty merged the couple's careers of fashion and music. The pair attended Glastonbury and The Isle of Wight Festival during their relationship, where Kate Moss made muddy wellies and dishevelled hair look good (for once).

Doherty, influenced Moss in other ways than music, he was an avid drug user and throughout the relationship is became apparent that Kate had developed a cocaine addiction (causing her career to suffer, as she was dropped from several campaigns as a result of her "bad image"). Doherty and Moss broke up (after a short engagement) in 2007.

After other relationships, Kate Moss finally settled down and married Jamie Hince earlier this year. The marriage took place in the Cotswolds and the bride wore a cream, bias-cut dress (with sheer skirt, gold leaf embroidery and rhinestones) designed by her friend and fashion designer John Galliano - in true supermodel style.

Kate Moss starring in the video of "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" by The White Stripes

A young Kate Moss, at a casting for L'Oreal

PETITION FOR ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTY EXHIBITION TO COME TO LONDON

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bringmcqueenexhibitionhome

Please sign this to ensure the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition comes to London!

Elle x

BARBARA HULANICKI

Fashion Profile: Barbara Hulanicki

Barbara Hulanicki built her brand "Biba", named after her younger sister, from a mail order company. It soon grew into one of the most influential and popular clothing shops of the 60s & 70s.

Born: 1936

Famous for: Founding BIBA, so popular in the 60s and 70s that is has been relaunched in England.

Style Characteristics: Maxi dresses and bold, individual prints.

Early Life

Barbara Hulanicki was born in Warsaw, to Polish parents, however she was brought to England at a young age. 

Hulanicki studied at Brighton School of Art, and began an early career drawing illustrations for popular fashion magazines such as Vogue and Tatler.

   These illustrations were extremely ornate and led to her designing her own clothes, rather than drawing others'...

Mail Order

Although Barbara only had a few designs, she began to sell them in small quantities through adverts in newspapers such as The Daily Mirror. 

Hulanicki was surprised that the designs sold out so fast as she could only afford to produce them in one size and style. The first design she sold was a pink gingham dress, similar to one style icon, Brigitte Bardot, had worn around the same time. 

As popularity grew, Barbara Hulanicki felt pressure to create her own brand and line of clothing. This led to the launch of "Biba". 

The first shop was in Kensington, a fashionable part of London at the time it opened in September 1964. The shop opened at 10am and everything was sold out by 11, "no one asked if there were any other styles or sizes".

The shops' main target market was teenage girls as in the late 50s/early 60s, there weren't any specialist clothes for fashion conscious teenagers. Barbara observed this and created a revolutionary brand specifically to bring new styles of dress to an audience that was in need of a change.

Big Biba

After many changes in location, Biba had evolved into a brand. Hulanicki was now designing for everyone - menswear, children's clothes, maternity wear and make-up were now added to her collection. 

In 1974, Biba was housed in a seven-storey department store (attracting up to a million customers weekly). It became a tourist attraction as Barbara Hulanicki had created a shopping experience as well as a brand.

It soon became known as "Big Biba" and the Art Deco-interior was reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Although Barbara was introducing new styles to fashion conscious Londoners, she was greatly influenced by the Twenties. The models and sales assistants wore dark make-up, not dissimilar to that worn by Josephine Baker or Louise Brooks.

"Big Biba" grew in popularity, and was favoured by the rock and fashion glitterati (such as Twiggy, Bianca and Mick Jagger).

Biba's Demise

Bib Biba was a huge responsibility financially and Barbara Hulanicki decided to sell her company off.

Barbara moved to Miami and carried out a career as an interior designer, a continuation of her combined love for Art Deco and illustration.

Biba is Back

Since its demise, Barbara has continued designing clothes, most notably for Topshop, and following such success has decided to relaunch Biba in England. 

The designs and styles that defined the 60s and 70s remain similar, as Barbara noticed the rise in popularity of vintage fashion. 

-CLICK HERE TO READ MY ARTICLE ON THE RETURN OF BIBA-


"There is very little difference today as opposed to the ‘70s, although, there is much more choice now. Both periods share the same enthusiasm, if you press the right buttons."

-Barbara Hulanicki

-CLICK HERE FOR BARBARA HULANICKI'S WEBSITE-

&&

-CLICK HERE TO SEE BIBA'S LATEST COLLECTIONS-

TOMMY NUTTER: REBEL ON THE ROW

Photos I took at the exhibition (more photos & a fashion profile on Tommy Nutter to follow)...

Sketches & Swatches

Lay Plan & Suit Pattern

The exhibition is still being held at the Fashion and Textiles Museum in London, so go and check it out!

http://www.ftmlondon.org/exhibitions

ANDY WARHOL'S "POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL"

Starring Edie Sedgwick
(for my fashion profile on Edie Sedgwick, please visit http://ellefrances.blogspot.com/2011/04/edie-sedgwick-article_11.html )

JIMI HENDRIX

Fashion Profile: Jimi Hendrix

Even though he died young, Jimi Hendrix is often considered one of the most influential musicians in recent history.

Born: 27th November 1942

Famous for: Being widely considered the greatest electric guitarist in musical history.

Style Characteristics: Hussar jackets, blouses and bandanas.

Early Life

Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, the oldest of five children, and grew up in an unstable household (due to his sickly siblings and the death of his mother when he was just fifteen). As a result of such disruption, Hendrix grew up as a shy child.

A young Jimi Hendrix developed his music abilities on a ukelele his father had found and strumming a broomstick in imitation of his idols. After the death of his mother, Hendrix found comfort in  teaching himself to play guitar through listening and repeating records. 

Hendrix was introduced to blues by his father and was heavily influenced by musicians such as Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters and BB King.

Musical Career

Hendrix played formally in bands such as The Velvetones and The Rocking Kings, however, he didn't finish High School. He later got into trouble with the law and so his music career was put on hold as he was given the option of going to prison or joining the army. He chose the latter and enlisted in 1961.

After leaving the army, Hendrix became involved in various bands once more. His first studio recording was in 1964 when he recorded "Testify" with the Isley Brothers. After collaborating with Ike and Tina Turner, Jimi joined an R&B group in 1965, "Curtis Knight and the Squires". 

Many of his recording sessions were advertised as solo albums when Hendrix became famous through the "Jimi Hendrix Experience" with which he released three albums and performed at Woodstock in August 1969.

During his musical career, Hendrix and his friend Eric Clapton popularised the use of the wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock which allowed them to deliver such complex guitar playing.

Fashion

Hendrix was well known for his uniquely flamboyant dress sense and "Dylan-esque" hairstyle (he was famed for taking a set of hair curlers with him on tour). 

Whilst touring in London, he took the opportunity to scour the fashion capitals' streets in search of boutiques such as "I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet" and "Granny Takes a Trip" - both of which were vintage shops. It was here that Hendrix discovered military fashion and in particular, the iconic hussar jacket (worn by many musicians since).

In his early career, photographs show Hendrix wearing scarves, rings, medallions and badges advertising his support for the hippie movement made popular in the 60s.

In the late 60s, Hendrix favoured a style of hat known as "the Westerner", however, he gave it up in 1968 in favour of bandanas to go with his custom made stage costumes (often including waistcoats and shirts with fringeing along the sleeves).

Death

Allegations of murder were made in relation to the death of Jimi Hendrix, however, it is said that he died of an overdose of sleeping pills. He died on the 18th September 1970 in a flat in London.

His career and death grouped him with Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Brian Jones - known as the 27 club as they all suffered drug-related deaths, aged 27, all within a two year period.

STEVIE NICKS

FASHION PROFILE: STEVIE NICKS

Stevie Nicks became famous in the 1970s when she joined Fleetwood Mac with boyfriend, Lindsey Buckingham. Audiences were captivated by her soft, sultry voice; and so, paired with her floaty style, a true icon was born.

Born: 26th May 1948

Famous for: 1/4 of the 1970s Anglo-American rock band, Fleetwood Mac.

Style Characteristics: Romantic/hippie stagewear.

Early Life

Stevie was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and first learnt to sing with her grandfather (who was a dwindling country singer). She recalls performing duets with him as a young child.

Stevie's gyspy style (in both fashion and music) was heavily influenced by her love of fairy tales - a by-product of her mother's overprotective nature. Instead of going out to play with friends, Stevie would immerse herself in stories. 

Stevie wrote her first song on her sixteenth birthday, it was called "I've Loved and I've Lost, and I'm Sad But Not Blue". With this, she joined her first band, however, later met her future musical and romantic partner at High School, Lindsay Buckingham, leaving "The Changing Times" to join "Fritz".

Fritz became a popular live act, and they soon began to support iconic musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

Fleetwood Mac

Stevie and Lindsay left Fritz in 1972 to pursue a career in music together, however, Stevie endured many years of waitressing and cleaning before her career with Fleetwood Mac turned her into the 70s icon she is today.

Nicks and Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac at the end of 1974 (only after Buckingham insisted that he would only join if Stevie be invited into the band too - they insisted they were a "package deal" - something that paid off as Stevie is the most iconic member of the band!).

Stevie Nicks worked with designer Margi Kent to develop her unique onstage look - this often included flowing skits, shawls and platform boots (influenced by the floaty dresses often pictured in fairytales). 

Although Fleetwood Mac as a band became extremely successful, tensions started to grow between Stevie and Lindsay; Nicks eventually ended the relationship as she felt it was affecting their creativity. Despite this, the band continued to record their  album Rumours. 

Nicks' most notable contribution to Rumours was "Dreams" which was the band's only No.1 hit single. Regardless of the tensions and affairs within the band, however, they continued recording well into the late 70s.

Icon-Worthy

Stevie Nicks is known for her romantic image, flowing skirts, shawls, lace and long blonde hair have become her most notable style characteristics. Nicks collaborated with designer Margi Kent  in order to perfect her style which she still calls her "uniform".

During the late 70s/early 80s, Nicks adopted the style of Renaissance velvet berets decorated with plume feathers, this was a continuation of her romantic/gypsy style.

Stevie's shawls and capes have great significance within her live performances, for example, she wears red/crimson for "Sara", white for "Edge of Seventeen" and gold for "Gold Dust Woman".

Although they are often associated together, Stevie Nicks admitted to being inspired by Janis Joplin and Grace Slick (from Jefferson Airplane) as her first band "Fritz" began as one of Joplins' supporting acts.

Stevie has commented on her style in interviews, conveying her shock in finding out she was not only appreciated for her music, but also for her "Bella Donna/Witchy" image. Most of her clothing, she says, was for practical reasons. She often wore platforms so as not to feel short in comparison to the rest of the band.

"I'm timeless, I got that Dickensian, London street-urchin look in high school. I'll never be in style, but I'll always be different."

"I've always liked long, flowing clothes,...I used to rummage around in my grandmother's trunks trying to find them. I love the feeling of chiffon and lace."

'Remember Now', a short film by Karl Lagerfeld

BRIGITTE BARDOT

Fashion Profile: Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot became a sex symbol during the late 50s - early 60s because of her elegance conveyed through modelling, acting and singing.

Born: 28th September 1934

Famous for: Becoming an international sex symbol.

Style Characteristics: Soft make-up, bouffant hair, elegant clothing.

Early Life

Brigitte Bardot was born in Paris in the early 30s, and was introduced to dance at an early age (by her mother, Anne-Marie). Bardot was extremely focused on ballet in particular, and at the age of thirteen was accepted at the Conservatoire de Paris to pursue her dance career.

Although Brigitte wanted to pursue ballet as a career, she became involved in modelling due to her soft, yet striking features. 

Fame

Modelling soon led Bardot to the world of acting; she appeared in her first film after WW2 and so became an icon by breaking through pre-War boundaries. At a time where fashion, music, art and society in general was changing, Bardot inspired others because of her elegance and talent.

Bardot was first noticed by a young film director, Roger Vadim (who was later to become her first of four husbands). Vadim saw Bardot on the cover of ELLE magazine in 1950 - when she was sixteen years old - and was offered a part in a film. 

Although the film was cancelled, Bardot made her film debut in a comedy entitled, "Le Trou Normand" (Crazy for Love). As Brigitte's career began to develop, she gained popularity (and not just in Europe). Bardot's popularity continued to grow as many of her films were dubbed for international release; this made her more accessible as an actress and soon became one of the first European actresses to gain the attention of the media within the United States.

Sex Symbol

Bardot became a sex symbol because she had an extensive media following; her films, singing and modelling flaunted her sex appeal to the public. As she became most widely known during the 50s and 60s, she became part of the generation of people who challenged accepted behaviour. 

Post-war society was changing rapidly, the formation of rock and roll music challenged the strict laws around sexual expression and so other art forms followed this new way of thinking - which is why this era produced so many icons who continue to influence modern society (such as Marilyn Monroe, Mick Jagger, Elvis...).

During her career, Bardot was openly idolised by many other influential people of the time as her body image had a significant impact on fashion trends during the late 50s. She helped make the bikini a popular form of swimwear as well as the "Bardot neckline"  (a wide open neck, exposing both shoulders).

Bardot's contributions to the fashion world are endless, she popularised the choucroute hairstyle (beehive) and by doing so, created her recognisable "sex kitten" image. This image was promoted in her seductive thriller "And God Created Woman" (1956) as Bardot was portrayed as a young woman with a high level of sexual energy - "it pushed the limits of censorship in America and the public loved it".

Animal Welfare

Brigitte Bardot announced her retirement before her 39th birthday, she had appeared in over forty films and recorded several albums. It was in 1973 that Bardot felt it was time to use her fame more effectively and began to promote animal rights (something she is continuing to do, to this day).

Read about other 60s icons here: 

Edie Sedgwick http://ellefrances.blogspot.com/2011/04/edie-sedgwick-article_11.html

Nico http://ellefrances.blogspot.com/2011/04/fashion-profile-nico.html