1963, Fashion: Mary Quant, Ginger Group Line

In 1963 London fashion designer Mary Quant launched the Ginger Group Line to distribute her designs. With this new line Quant moved into mass-production. Shortly afterwards, Quant cosmetics and underwear were introduced marketed using the famous Quant daisy design. By that time, Mary Quant was the leading fashion designer outside Paris.

Jean Shrimpton in a Ginger Group Line dress

Jean Shrimpton in a Ginger Group Line dress

Jackie Bowyer in a Ginger Group Line outfit

Melanie Hampshire and Jill Kennington in Ginger Group Lines dresses

1971, Fashion: “Hot Pants”

Hot Pants, introduced to the fashion scene by Mary Quant during the sixties, replace the mini skirt in 1971. During the seventies, for a brief time, hot pants were even acceptable to wear to the office, weddings, and even as a Flight Attendant. They soon disappeared from the mainstream fashion scene but were still worn on the street and in the disco.

Veruschka Rome (1971)

Summer Shorts Dior (1971)

Miss Hot Pants, The Netherlands (1971)

Hot Pants, New York (1973)

Hot Pants, Hawai (1971)

Hot Pants Southwest Airlines (Texas, 1972)

Sally Carr (Middle of the Road)

Madeline Smith (1971)

Debbie Harry (Blondie)

Agnetha Fältskog (1972)

Car Wax Advert (1972)

1962, Fashion: Yves Saint Laurent stages his first couture show under his own name

The French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent presents his first rather conservative collection under his own label on 29 January 1962 at Hôtel Forain, rue Spontini 30bis Paris. In July follows the second collection with more adventurous items that hint at street chic, such as suits with tunics.

Yves Henri Donat Matthieu-Saint-Laurent, born on 1 August 1936 in French Algeria, grew up with his two younger sisters, Michèle and Brigitte. In his early teen years he created dresses for his mother and sisters. At the age of 18 in 1954 he went to the Ecole Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris. In 1955 Yves Saint Laurent meets Christian Dior and he begins working as his assistant. After a short while he starts to design for Dior’s accessories lines and contributes ideas for the couture collection.

Yves Saint Laurent Debut (1962)

Yves Saint Laurent Debut (1962)

Yves Saint Laurent Debut (1962)

On 23 October 1957 Christian Dior dies of a heart attack and in November the company announces that Yves Saint Laurent will be its new design head.

Yves Saint Laurent Debut (1962)

In January 1958 Yves Saint Laurent presents his first couture collection for Dior, including his famous trapeze dresses. The same year in August he shows his Arc Line collection for Dior with looser silhouettes and longer, below-the-knee hemlines.

Yves Saint Laurent Debut (1962)

Yves Saint Laurent Debut (1962)

In September 1960 Yves Saint Laurent was conscripted to serve in the French Army during the Algerian War of Independence. There was speculation that Marcel Boussac, owner of Dior, had put pressure on the government not to conscript Saint Laurent in 1958 and 1959 but reversed his demand and asked that the designer be conscripted after the disastrous 1960 season so that he could be replaced. Saint Laurent was in the military for 20 days when he received news that he had been fired by Dior and replaced by Marc Bohan. He suffers a mental breakdown and is admitted to Val-de-Grâce, a psychiatric hospital in Paris.

Yves Saint Laurent Dress (1962)

Yves Saint Laurent Dress (1962)

After his release from the hospital in November 1960, Saint Laurent sued Dior for breach of contract and won. In November 1961 Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé started their own fashion house with funds from Atlanta millionaire J. Mack Robinson. Ukrainian-French painter, commercial poster artist, and typeface designer, Adolphe Mouron Cassandre designed the iconic "YSL" logo in December 1961

Yves Saint Laurent Collection (French, 1962)

1966, Fashion: Mary Quant receives OBE

In 1966 Mary Quant receives the O.B.E. (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for her services to the fashion industry. She went to receive this honour from the Queen dressed in a mini-skirt.

Mary Quant is immortalised by the fashion world as the originator of the mini skirt. The London designer Mary Quant has an art-school background and has been designing and manufacturing her own clothes since the late 1950s. Convinced that fashion needs to be affordable and accessible to the young, she opens - aged 21 - her own retail boutique, “Bazaar”, on the Kings Road in 1955, introducing the 'mod' era and the 'Chelsea Look.'

Mary Quant with O.B.E.

Mary Quant Designs



Mary Quant for J.C. Penney (1966)

Mary Quant for J.C. Penney (1966)

Mary Quant boots

Mary Quant shoes

Patti Boyd (and The Rolling Stones) in a Mary Quant dress

Jean Shrimpton in a Mary Quant dress

 
Mary Quant fashion in 1966 (British Pathe)

1968, Fashion: Pierre Cardin Space Age look

As space became popular in 1960's television programs like 'Star Trek', 'Barbarella' and '2001: A Space Odyssey' Pierre Cardin explored the idea of dressing for the future. Cardin's embrace of science and technology, together with the notion of progress was expressed in his Space Age Collection, which featured white knitted skin tight catsuits, ta-bards worn over leggings, tubular dresses, and his growing interest in man made fibres. Some of his fashions were made entirely of metal and plastic. His female models were dressed in shiny vinyl, skin-tight catsuits, high-legged leather boots and even space helmets. Collars, when used, were typically over sized and cut-outs were very revealing. He created his own fabric, Cardine, in 1968, a bonded, uncrackable fibre incorporating raised geometric patterns.

Pierre Cardin, born Pietro Cardin, is an Italian-born French fashion designer who was born on 7 July 1922, at San Biagio di Callalta near Treviso.

Pierre Cardin design 1967

Pierre Cardin design 1968

Pierre Cardin design 1968

Pierre Cardin design 1968

Pierre Cardin design 1968

1966, Fashion: Twiggy, The Face of 1966

In 1966, Lesley Hornby was about to change her name and experienced her first taste of fame which all began on a January afternoon and a trip to Leonard's hair salon in Mayfair.

Young Lesley had her hair coloured and cut by celebrity hairdresser Leonard. The hair stylist was looking for models on whom to try out his new crop haircut and he styled her hair in preparation for a few test head shots. Professional photographer Barry Lategan took several photos for Leonard, which the hairdresser hung in his salon. Deidre McSharry, a fashion journalist from the Daily Express, saw the images and asked to meet the young girl. McSharry arranged to have more photos taken. A few weeks later the publication featured an article and images of Hornby, declaring her "The Face of ’66." In it, the copy read: "The Cockney Kid with a face to launch a thousand shapes ... and she's only 16!" - The Daily Express, 23 February 1966.

And so the Twiggy phenomenon begun. She will always be remembered as the first international supermodel and a fashion icon of the 1960s.

Patrick Macnee & Twiggy

1961, Fashion: Simone d’Aillencourt

One of the top fashion models in 1961 was Simone d’Aillencourt.

1955 Dress by Lachasse	1957	1957 Dress by Dior
1957 Dress by Horn	1957 Dress by Horn	1957 Dress by Horn
1957 Dress by Horn	1957 Dress by Horn	1957 Dress by Jean Patou

1957 Dress by Pierre Balmain	1958 Dress by Guy Laroche	1959 Dress by Galanos
1959 Dress by Gustave Tassell	1959 Dress by Traina-Norell	1960 Dress by Fabiani
1960 for Harper's Bazaar	1960 for Harper's Bazaar	1960 for Harper's Bazaar

1960 Dress by Lanvin-Castillo	1960 Dress by Nina Ricci	1960 Dress by Simonetta
1961 for Du Pont	1961 for Du Pont	1961 for Du Pont
1961 for Du Pont	1961 for Du Pont	1961 for Harper's Bazaar

1961 for Harper's Bazaar	1961 for Harper's Bazaar	1961 for Harper's Bazaar
1961 for Harper's Bazaar	1961 for Harper's Bazaar	1963 for Harper's Bazaar
1963 for Harper's Bazaar	1963 for Harper's Bazaar	1963 for Harper's Bazaar

1963 for Harper's Bazaar	1963 for Harper's Bazaar	1963 for Harper's Bazaar
1963 for Harper's Bazaar	1964 Dress by Barentzen	1964 Dress by Galitzine
1965	1965	1965 Dress by Uli Richter
1967 for Vogue	1967 for Vogue