The 1960s were a time of sweeping changes in society, politics and culture. Britain began to prosper again, and the young enjoyed a new freedom. As Time magazine famously explained to its American readers, 'London has burst into bloom. It swings; it is the scene'.
Fashion, together with pop music, became Britain's most spectacular export. Like music, it flouted the rules of propriety and gender. It plundered the past, invented the future and travelled the world to find new ways of dressing. Fashion designers ignited the explosion in the youth market and became celebrities in their own right. Their clothes were manufactured in huge quantities for the mass market but also emulated by top couturiers. Their boutiques defined a new approach to shopping.
This exhibition explores the development of Sixties fashion from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, linking it to London's different fashion districts and celebrating the contribution made by young British designers to a world-wide fashion revolution.
Paper dresses were a brief but spectacular Sixties sensation. They were cheap and disposable, and their simple 2-D shape was ideal for the bold graphic prints that were so fashionable. Some were produced as free gifts to promote paper products, and though prone to tearing and creasing, they were marketed as 'instant fun from London'. Dress, USA, 1967. Museum no. T.32-1992
Dress
'Waste Basket Boutique' (T.M.) by Mars of Asheville N.C.
USA
1967
Museum no. T.32-1992
Bequeathed by Andie Bancroft
'In the 1950s youthful clothes were non-existent; I used to make my own. At that time if you were on the tube you were expected to wear a pair of gloves…It was all old lady stuff.' Vanessa Denza, buyer
In the post-war period exclusive dressmakers and their wealthy clients set the standards, just as they had done before. They looked to Paris for inspiration but their work and lives revolved around the West End in London.
There was a distinctive London style, shaped by traditional tailoring, the events of the Season (Ascot, Henley, Glyndebourne) and a very English sense of decorum. The epitome of elegance was represented by the twelve most prominent Mayfair couturiers who belonged to the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers.
By the early 1960s this Mayfair generation was fading in significance, its sophisticated and elitist approach at odds with the new spirit of egalitarianism. But the Society still provided a useful precedent for younger pioneers, in its attention to cut, its inventive use of fabric and its clever approach to marketing.
Dress and Jacket, John Cavanagh (1914-2004), 1961, Lent by the Museum of Costume, Bath. BATMC I.09.868&A
Dress and Jacket
John Cavanagh (1914-2004)
1961
Egyptian cotton and silk
Lent by the Museum of Costume, Bath, BATMC I.09.868&A
Given by the Hon. Mrs John Ward from the estate of the late Hon. Lady Ward
Of all the London couturiers Cavanagh perhaps presented the most youthful collections. With its fresh print and deceptively simple construction, this cotton suit anticipates the lighter mood of the 1960s, yet there is still an element of formality in its well-mannered neatness.
Suit, Charles Creed (1906-66), 1954, Wool and silk. Museum no. T.62&A-1966
Suit
Charles Creed (1906-66)
1954
Wool and silk
Museum no. T.62&A-1966
Given by Charles Creed
Creed's work was characterised by a military precision that owed much to the techniques of traditional men's tailoring. Here Savile Row detailing forms the basis of a very feminine suit, perfect for the lunch and shopping excursions that were the focus of many middle-class women's lives.
'Polar Flight', suit, Sir Hardy Amies (1909-2003), 1959. Museum no. T.63&B-1988
'Polar Flight'
Suit
Sir Hardy Amies (1909-2003)
1959
Mohair (possibly by Ascher)
Museum no. T.63&B-1988
Worn and given by Mrs John Rickett
Hardy Amies created one of London's most progressive and successful fashion businesses. This suit exemplifies his witty and immaculately crafted approach to women's tailoring. While designing for the queen and other prestigious clients, he also developed lines aimed at a wider UK public and the export trade, entering the menswear market in 1959.
Dress and Coat, Norman Hartnell (1901-79), 1958. Museum no. T.170&A-1990
Dress and Coat
Norman Hartnell (1901-79)
1958
Silk
Museum no. T.170&A-1990
Worn and given by Mrs Wingate
Hartnell enjoyed a high profile due to the patronage of the royal family. This ensemble is typically regal and luxurious, its exquisite pin-tucking making full use of the couturier's craft. By working for wedding gown manufacturers Berketex, Hartnell also made his version of romanticism available to a wider market.
Dress
Worth
1960
Silk taffeta and lace
Museum no. T.216-1973
Worn and given by Mrs Roy Hudson
By 1959 the famous Paris couture house of Worth had dressed the world's richest and most fashionable women for over a century. The London branch supplied the British aristocracy with timelessly elegant clothes - as this example illustrates - for every occasion in the London season. However, the house could not adapt to the new spirit of youthful informality and it closed in 1967. View a rotating image of this dress.
Dress and Jacket, Horrockses Fashions, About 1955. Museum no. T.639&A-1996
Dress and Jacket
Horrockses Fashions
About 1955
Printed cotton
Museum no. T.639&A-1996
Worn and given by Mrs Elizabeth Payze
Horrockses' crisp cotton dresses, with their brightly coloured prints and full gathered skirts, were a fashion success story for the post-war period. They appealed to women of different ages and social backgrounds as the perfect summer dress. This example was worn by Elizabeth Payze as a teenager.
'Snobbery has gone out of fashion, and in our shops you will find duchesses jostling with typists to buy the same dresses.' Mary Quant
Around this time a group of young artists, film directors and socialites gravitated towards the King's Road. Known by the media as the 'Chelsea Set', they made the name Chelsea synonymous with a new way of living and dressing.
Mary Quant's boutique, set up in 1955, epitomised this new philosophy and set the standard for later entrepreneurs. Called Bazaar, it was known for its surreal window displays and eclectic mix of clothes, accessories and costume jewellery. The clothes were decidedly modern. 'I want relaxed clothes,' said Quant, 'suited to the actions of normal life'.
With Quant's husband Alexander Plunkett Greene and friend Archie McNair providing the business backup, the venture was profitable, though it appeared chaotic. Some of the goods were sourced from art students, or made up overnight, and the mini shift dress soon became Quant's trademark.
Dress
Mary Quant (1934-) for Ginger Group
1967
Wool jersey
Museum no. T.86-1982
Given by Mrs Lina Salmon
It was not only Chelsea 'dollybirds' who wore Quant's designs. This youthful jersey dress, combining the practicality of tennis kit with Mod chic, was part of the stock of Merlyn, a smart boutique in Whitechapel reputedly patronised by East End gangsters and their girlfriends.
Photograph by Ronald Traeger, 1966(detail) Vogue ©The Condé Nast Publications Ltd
Dress, USA, 1967. Museum no. T.32-1992
Dress, 'Dispo', Diane Meyersohn and Joanne Silverstein, Britain, 1967. Museum no. T.181-1986
Dress, Manufacturer unknown, Probably USA, 1967. Museum no.T.34-1992
Dress, 'Dispo', Diane Meyersohn and Joanne Silverstein, Britain, 1967. Museum no. T.174-1986
Skirt, 'Dispo', Diane Meyersohn and Joanne Silverstein, Britain, 1967. Museum no. T.175 -1986
Dress, 'Dispo', Diane Meyersohn and Joanne Silverstein, Britain, 1967. Museum no. T.176-1986
Dress and Jacket, John Cavanagh (1914-2004), 1961, Lent by the Museum of Costume, Bath. BATMC I.09.868&A
Suit, Charles Creed (1906-66), 1954, Wool and silk. Museum no. T.62&A-1966 
'Polar Flight', suit, Sir Hardy Amies (1909-2003), 1959. Museum no. T.63&B-1988
Dress and Coat, Norman Hartnell (1901-79), 1958. Museum no. T.170&A-1990
Dress, Worth, 1960. Museum no. T.216-1973
Dress and Jacket, Horrockses Fashions, About 1955. Museum no. T.639&A-1996
Window dressing at Bazzar, 138a King's Road, 1959. © Getty Images 
Dress, Mary Quant (1934-), 1967. Museum no. T.86-1982
Mary Quant pink T shirt dress. Photograph by David Montgomery. Vogue, April 1966. David Montgomery/Vogue © The Condé Nast Publications Ltd 
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