Director: Sadie Frost
Cast: Mary Quant, Kate Moss,
Camilla Rutherford, Vivienne Westwood
British Film Festival
Documentary
Another fascinating British documentary about a young lady who scorned traditional views of women’s fashion and, after seriously hacking the hemline of her skirts, invented the mini skirt! The fashion was eagerly adopted by young women in Britain who finally could buy garments that defined them and their femininity – much to the disgust of older men and women!
“The sixties mini was the most self-indulgent, optimistic ‘look at me, isn’t life wonderful’ fashion ever devised. It expressed the sixties, the emancipation of women, the Pill and rock ‘n’ roll. … It was the beginning of women’s lib.” – Mary Quant
The documentary follows the career and rise of Mary Quant as a household name in the UK and the incredible growth of an empire that shook the fashion world. Her boyfriend (who became her husband) had the marketing nous and she had the design ideas. When they started to grow then the Quant corporate structure was created.
Mary’s creativity never stopped and she was always buying vast quantities of material to try new ideas and expanded into bed linen, then to curtains and on and on! When she became frustrated with fairly bland makeup she came up with her own cosmetic brand which sold complete makeup kits with vibrant colours to complement her outlandish fashion designs.
With some great archival footage and playful re-enactments, this documentary offers a vibrant examination of how Quant influenced the culture of the period. Offering a reflective commentary on social change, music, and style, this effervescent piece reveals how a revolution can be charted across twenty inches of fabric.
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