Design Inspiration: SWINGING SIXTIES
1960s was a decade of shifting attitudes and sweeping social change. It was a time in history when the traditional hierarchies begin to dissolve, and the modern age of liberation and equality was born. Most of the working class as well wanted to look different from the past and normal. The people were ready to take risk and go for an adventure in their outlook and the way they dressed was an important part of how they expressed themselves. Innovative designers and more informal modes of shopping created a new market for the youth fashion. It was a fast-accelerating style revolution with very influential designers who observed and adapted the popular trends. Their designs became a strong form of expression and an integrated part of the swinging sixties. 1960s saw different trends from early 1960s to mid-1960s to the late 1960s. Different styles became popular also based on what was happening in the economic and social background at the time. Out of the many creative and popular designers, Mary Quant was the iconic designer who revolutionized fashion and made it accessible to all. Her designs were popular beyond the fashionable looks, they helped women in feeling the freedom and liberation with a childlike innocence. She created the mini-madness and many other revolutionary ideas including her wet look, that engulfed the world of fashion.
There were different movements going on across the world fighting for equality, like the Civil Rights movement in 1963. 1960s was also the decade of assassinations of important leaders like Martin Luther King and John F Kennedy. There was also war of Vietnam and the Cold War burgeoning, contributing to the hopelessness of the era where youth did not see the purpose of such a waste of humans and resources. All this trauma led to the temptation of escape from everything wrong that was happening. This escape came in the form of music, fashion and psychedelic drugs. Music bands like Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who and so on gave a happy, fun, musical escape to the Youth looking for a chance to evade the reality. The fashion responded to the creative scene especially in England and the focal point of fashion shifted from European cities like Paris, Rome, Milan to London. The Mod movement encouraged the clean lines and monochromatic outlook be it the Italian suits or their famous scooters.And that is when a revolution began, when the direction of flow was flipped for Fashion. Till then it was designers like Christian Dior and the likes who conceived the latest trends in their minds, converted into designs that were featured in fashion shows and magazines, and then were sold to rich clientele who made them popular enough that the retailers made rip-offs and sold at much cheaper price to the middle class. But now, there was Mary Quant who observed the creative and Mod movement in London, especially on the Carnaby Street and responded with her designs that appealed to the people as designs close to their life and philosophy. She observed that the kids on the Carnaby Street were shortening their hemlines and although she doesn’t take the credit of inventing the mini skirt, she took the inspiration from the youth trends to create a mini-madness revolution.
Mary’s designs gave the feeling of liberation, freedom, childlike innocence that clicked and the designs were embraced with all the love and admiration also as a great way to escape all the wrong that was happening in the decade. The feeling of equality and freedom gave confidence to the people they could achieve anything and that anything could be possible. Quant also changed the shopping experience for the customer who can buy everything she needs in a boutique that included cosmetics, lingerie, tights, shoes and bags. She embodied her own fashion by wearing her own designs and inspired countless women. Mary’s designs were always ‘from’ the people and ‘for’ the people, she was truly the designer of the decade.
The late 1960s were about finding escape in nostalgia of Victoria and Edwardian ages. Stores like ‘Granny takes a trip’ popularized the styles of 1920s and ‘I was Lord Kitchener’s Valet’ glamourized antique military uniforms as fashion items. These trends were popularized by celebrities like Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and Jimi Hendrix who made the historical fashion look cool.It was also the era of fashion inspired by Psychedelic drugs as the youth tried to run away into a world full of colours and fantastic visions. These brightly coloured exotic designs were a rage also amongst the young people who did not take these drugs but wanted to feel how it could be. Moving on to the hippie era, youth began travelling to exotic south Asian countries like India leaving the worldly possessions in search of higher existence in brightly coloured, formless clothes.Although the 1960s had many contrasting trends, so different from each other that they looked like from different decades altogether. The dominant revolution that defined Swinging Sixties in the history books was Mary Quant’s contribution to fashion due to the fact it was original to the decade and unlike other trends that were inspired from the past, it was inspired by the youth trends of the time. Therefore, the fashion revolution led by Mary Quant, that was so different from the past, appealed to the popular culture across the world and fuelled the Modern Age.