Mary getting her signature crop trimmed.
A trip to London is such a treat and I’d been wanting to see this exhibition at the V&A for ages, so when the opportunity came up last weekend I jumped at it. For me, ‘Mary Quant’ conjures up images of swinging sixties London, mini skirts, PVC macs and crazy tights. I wasn’t disappointed.
Classic Mary Quant mini-dresses in her signature vibrant colours.
Who doesn’t love a bright yellow PVC rain poncho?
What I didn’t realise was that although Mary wasn’t brought up in Wales, she was born to Welsh parents, and her clothes were manufactured in Pontypridd. In fact, there were lots of little influences and nods to her Welsh heritage throughout the exhibition.
I loved this dress. The main fabric pattern reminds me of Welsh tapestry blankets. The colour palette and style also look like something you might find by Orla Kiely.
This evening dress is made from traditional Welsh flannel — a modern twist on the Welsh costume?
During the exhibition planning stages, a social media campaign named #WeWantQuant had been launched in order to find original pieces which could be donated or borrowed. Lots of the dresses on display were attributed to their owners, along with anecdotes, photographs and historical context. It was very interesting to read them. One dress, I was delighted to learn, is still being worn on special occasions by the original owners’ daughters — forty years later.
The flocked rayon and nylon mini-culottes dress, still being worn 40 years later.
I particularly loved the use of video throughout the show. There was plenty of original footage of Mary in her design studio, the groundbreaking fashion shows and her London shop ‘Bazaar’, as well as interviews with fashion pundits and ex-employees etc. It really brought that extraordinary period in time to life.
‘Cry, baby. But only if you’re wearing Mary Quant new tearproof mascara’.
I was very keen to see the graphics on display — posters, advertisements and packaging. The make-up packaging in particular looks so modern even by today’s standards — truly ground-breaking. I loved the black and white hand-drawn style of the posters that were used to show how to achieve the Mary Quant ‘look’. The main message seemed to be: use lots, then add some more!
Detail from a graphic poster used by demonstrators to sell Mary Quant cosmetics.
Spot the mascara refills! Mary was saving the planet decades ago.
When I was a child my dad worked for Colgate (yes, the toothpaste company) and at one time they must have been doing some sort of collaboration or promotion with Mary Quant make-up. I remember my dad bringing home two eye-shadow palettes for me to play with. I loved them! Even years later when I was a teenager, those precious eye shadows were an important part of my make-up bag. I wish I still had them.
More is more.
‘Mary Quant’ is on at the Victoria and Albert museum, London, until Sunday 16 February. Tickets (£12, or free if you are a member) are still available if you want to catch it before it goes. Have you been already? Comment below to tell me what you thought of it.
