In Memory of Mary Quant & Vivienne Westwood
Apr 16, 2023 0:38:06 GMT
gwyn, politicidal1, and 2 more like this
Post by petrolino on Apr 16, 2023 0:38:06 GMT
In the space of less than 4 months, we've lost my two favourte English fashion designers, pioneers who had a profound impact on film, music, art and culture globally. Vivienne Westwood, who died on December 29, 2022, was 81. Mary Quant, who died earlier this week, on April 13, 2023, was 93.
I'd like to recommend the documentaries 'Westwood : Punk, Icon, Activist' (2018) which was directed by Lorna Tucker and 'Quant' (2021) which was directed by Sadie Frost.
Here's something I wrote on 'Quant' after seeing it recently ...
'Quant' (2021, Documentary - Directed by Sadie Frost)
Sadie Frost has directed an engaging documentary on one of the great pioneers of modern fashion, designer Mary Quant, who was born on 11 February, 1930 in Blackheath, London. Some of Quant's finest work is showcased here within, including pinafore mini-dresses and multi-coloured miniskirts.
Quant hit her stride in the 1960s and was a great believer in what the French call "accoutrements", or fashion accessories, which led her to create items like bright berets, dress collars, patterned tights, glass slippers and kinky boots, clothing articles designed to dress women up nice from top to bottom. She also took classic items of men's clothing and adapted and modified them for women.
In 1968, Quant stepped in to the world of make-up by developing her own make-up kits which became an essential item for girls on the go.
Quant hit her stride in the 1960s and was a great believer in what the French call "accoutrements", or fashion accessories, which led her to create items like bright berets, dress collars, patterned tights, glass slippers and kinky boots, clothing articles designed to dress women up nice from top to bottom. She also took classic items of men's clothing and adapted and modified them for women.
In 1968, Quant stepped in to the world of make-up by developing her own make-up kits which became an essential item for girls on the go.
"The names and packaging of Quant cosmetic products continued to amuse and delight : 'Cheeky' was a liquid 'non-greasy blush-rouge' and 'Blushbaby' a powder-based blusher, while 'Jeepers Peepers' referred to powder eyeshadows. Initially, colours were designated by numbers but soon these were replaced by names such as 'Ginger Pop', 'Cherry Pop' and 'Banana Shine' (1972) and the four shades of the 'Naughty Nails' polishes brought out in 1973 : 'Sultry Sapphire', 'Evil Emerald', 'Forever Amber' and 'Tempting Turquoise'."
- Beatrice Behlen, Victoria And Albert Museum
"Mary Quant celebrated colour in all its spectrum and this had a huge influence on how I saw make up as an instrument of self-discovery and self-expression."
- Toyah Willcox
With the 1970s approaching, Quant diversified further by designing hot pants and matching underwear sets, though she retained her sense of patterning and continued to explore stripes, zig-zags and pastel tartan fusions. She also launched her 'Daisy Dolls' line and fulfilled a lifelong dream to design dolls which had been a source of inspiration to her since childhood.
"Like Coco Chanel, Mary Quant had an instinct for designing clothes that women wanted to wear. In the 50s, her first job after art school was working for a snobby Mayfair milliner. She rebelled: “I didn’t want to look like a duchess.”
In 1955, Quant and her husband, Alexander Plunket Greene, opened a boutique in Chelsea. She made clothes for the youthquake generation – young working women with jobs, pay cheques, the pill and a taste of freedom. Quant gave them flat shoes to run and dance in, colourful tights, PVC macs and the miniskirt (there’s a bit here on the hoo-ha over who actually invented the mini: Quant or the French designer André Courrèges).
Quant herself was at the centre of her look; she was the best advert for her clothes, with her trademark Vidal Sassoon bob. The story that emerges here is that, guided by her business manager Archie McNair, Quant grew her brand in modern, innovative ways."
- Cath Clarke reviews 'Quant', The Guardian
In Memory of Mary Quant ^ Vivienne Westwood _ Rest in Peace
