My first brushes with fashion came from an old teenhood scrapbook belonging to my mother. It was the swinging sixties, and she was obsessed with the model Twiggy; tearing out pages from magazines and newspapers to keep.
There were torn, well-loved pages of shift dresses, mini skirts, berets, flat shoes and painted on lashes, all of which became early and enduring style influences for me.
The book was also, by default, a DIY tribute to the designers of the era: Mary Quant, Paco Rabanne, André Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, designers who shaped the look of the 1960s.
With Quant’s sad passing at the age of 93 today, they’re now all gone, the end of a particularly groovy era.
Mary Quant was revolutionary; a leader of that decade’s Youthquake and an early example of fashion marketing and brand. We all know – or should know – her incredible influence on the possible invention of the mini skirt, tights and waterproof mascara; things we take for granted today.
She designed clothing to ‘liberate’ women from the restrictive styles of the 50s – the ‘new look’ of Dior – embracing pockets, flat shoes and stretchy fabrics (practical details with a playful attitude).
She was fantastic at a pithy quote, too, including one where she described her wish to create clothes “that you could move, run, catch a bus, dance”. Her clothes were both futuristic and with a sense of retro nostalgia; always fun and a bit cheeky. Another quote: “Good taste is death, vulgarity is life.”
Importantly, she wanted her designs to be accessible and affordable – whether it was her clothing, accessories or cosmetics.
Many New Zealanders of a certain age will remember Mary Quant Cosmetics. Launched in 1966, the line was widely available here in New Zealand – and it also appeared on the cover of the very first issue of one of our oldest fashion magazines.
When I was the editor of Fashion Quarterly in 2020 we were preparing to celebrate 40 years of the magazine, and paid tribute to the early years with an interview with founding editor Paula Ryan.
“The very first Fashion Quarterly covers were supplied and funded by Mary Quant cosmetics,” she reminisced. “They paid to be the cover shot and the very first was a David Bailey shot of Marie Helvin.”
Quant’s style revolution came to Aotearoa again in 2021, with a large exhibition from London’s V&A, showcasing her work and influence at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
The designer was one of the design heroes of local fashion designer Kate Sylvester, who shared a tribute on Instagram earlier today.
“Her memoir was my bible, my road map for how to be a designer, how to build a business. Genius, kook and world changing legend.”
Quant was a genius. In her 1966 autobiography, she wrote about her love of fashion and its place in the world; how clothing can help us express who we are: “The young intellectual has got to learn that fashion is not frivolous; it is part of being alive today.”
