Sandra‘s Closet

What a whirlwind of events! While filming in Istanbul with little time to spare, the fashion world delivered a major surprise: John Galliano announced his departure from Maison Margiela after a decade at the helm of the OTB-owned brand.

John Galliano

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Galliano shared the news, writing, «Today is the day I say goodbye to Maison Margiela… I am forever grateful for this safe space to create and build a new family that supports me with courage and dignity.» He extended his thanks to his atelier team and Renzo Rosso, OTB’s chairman.

The move marks the end of an era for the house, originally established by the famously reclusive Martin Margiela. The brand gave Galliano the opportunity to rebuild his career and reputation following his controversial exit from Dior in 2011. Over the years, Galliano transformed Margiela with his signature theatricality, camp-infused creations, and innovative, deconstructed designs. He also championed gender-fluid fashion and elevated the brand’s «Artisanal» line to unprecedented levels of craftsmanship.

Me in the Maison Margiela Haute Couture studio after the amazing show in the beginning of the year, which is just next to Galliano’s office.

Under his leadership, Margiela saw significant commercial success, with a 22% rise in sales in 2023, even as the broader luxury market faced challenges. His legacy was solidified with a sensational January 2024 show in Paris, where historical couture-inspired characters roamed a haunting, mist-filled space under a bridge, complete with striking, mask-like makeup by Pat McGrath. Galliano leaves behind a storied chapter in Margiela’s history.

Galliano did not elaborate on his future plans, instead saying that «when the time is right, all will be revealed.»

Matthieu Blazy for CHANEL

I was hoping that he would be appointed at CHANEL but today the French Maison announced Matthieu Blazy as its new creative director, succeeding Virginie Viard, who departed in June. Blazy, formerly the creative head at Bottega Veneta, is recognized for his craftsmanship and innovative designs. His appointment is anticipated to infuse fresh energy into the French Maison’s iconic aesthetic. Blazy is expected to present his inaugural collection for CHANEL during Paris Fashion Week in October 2025. 

Louise Trotter for Bottega Veneta

Meanwhile in the past hours, Louise Trotter has been announced as the new creative director of Bottega Veneta, taking over from Matthieu Blazy. Known for her transformative work at brands like Lacoste and Carven, Trotter brings a refined design aesthetic and a strong sense of cultural awareness to the role. She is set to start at the luxury house in January 2025, making her the only woman currently leading a brand under Kering’s ownership. This appointment highlights her unique vision and the potential for a fresh chapter at Bottega Veneta.

One of the conglomerate’s biggest fashion brands, Fendi, has yet to name a new womenswear designer after Kim Jones stepped down from the role in October. I guess that Galliano will head up there. These significant shifts reflect the dynamic nature of the fashion industry, with Galliano, Blazy and Trotter poised to shape new creative directions in their respective roles.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands / © Sandra Bauknecht
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Dries Van Noten announces a company insider, Julian Klausner, as the new creative director of his eponymous label, marking a significant transition after Van Noten’s 38-year career. Klausner, who has been with the brand since 2018 and served as the head of womenswear, will oversee its creative direction moving forward. Known for his deep understanding of the brand’s DNA, Klausner aims to honor its legacy while introducing fresh ideas to keep the label evolving.

Leaving behind a three-decade legacy of design that is celebrated worldwide, Van Noten announced he would be stepping back from his namesake label in March 2024. The Belgian-born designer, known for his innovative eye, revealed his decision in a letter, explaining that the decision has been on his mind for a while. Always bringing together an eclectic mix of textures, prints, and silhouettes, the creative director has consistently pushed the boundaries of conventional style, earning him a special place on the Paris Fashion Week schedule.

Dries Van Noten expressed confidence in Klausner’s vision, describing him as a natural choice to continue the brand’s innovative and artful approach. The 33-year-old Belgian designer will present his first women’s collection on 5 March in Paris.

TO SHOP DRIES VAN NOTEN, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

In Dries Van Noten this year in Boston, for the full outfit post click here please.

Photos: Courtesy of Dries Van Noten / Sarah Piantadosi, © Sandra Bauknecht
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Italian designer Alberta Ferretti announced that she is stepping down as creative director of the eponymous brand she founded more than 40 years ago. The S/S 2025 collection that the brand presented last week during the Milan fashion week was the last one carrying her signature.

«On Sept. 17th, you attended my last fashion show,» Ferretti wrote in a letter sent out by email. «I believe that at this point of my career it is a right and conscious choice to pave the way for a new creative chapter for the brand I founded and which will continue to bear my name.»

The new creative director for the Alberta Ferretti brand will be announced in the next few months, the group said, adding that Ferretti will retain her role as vice president of Aeffe, which also owns brands Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, Moschino and Pollini.

Together with her brother Massimo, Alberta Ferretti co-founded Aeffe S.p.A.

Ferretti, who grew up in her family’s dressmaking shop before opening her own boutique as a teenager, has remained true to her signature gentle feminine silhouettes since the launch of the brand in 1981.

«The Alberta of that day is in many ways still the Alberta of today, even if in the meantime a small family business has become a company with 1500 employees,» she wrote further.

Beautifully said. Thank you, Alberta, for the magic of all those years.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Courtesy of Alberta Ferretti
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LVMH has announced the appointment of Sarah Burton as creative director of Givenchy, effective immediately, according to a news release this week. Burton will oversee the women’s and men’s lines and will present her first collection for the house in March 2025.

Givenchy is back on the radar as LVMH has named Sarah Burton creative director for women’s and men’s collections, with immediate effect. She stepped down from Kering owned brand Alexander McQueen last year after two decades at the brand, and since 2010 as creative director.

Hubert de Givenchy

Sarah Burton said: «It is a great honour to be joining the beautiful house of Givenchy, it is a jewel. I am so excited to be able to write the next chapter in the story of this iconic house and to bring to Givenchy my own vision, sensibility and beliefs.»

Her first collection will be presented during Paris Fashion Week in March 2025. Givenchy named also a new CEO, Alessandro Valenti, in July. Burton becomes the eighth designer at the French luxury house founded in 1953 by Hubert de Givenchy, who stayed on until 1995. She is its second female creative director. History repeats itself as her predecessors at Givenchy include Alexander McQueen, who designed at the Paris fashion house from 1996-2001.

Sarah Burton with Lee Alexander McQueen

Sarah Burton was born in Macclesfield and educated in Manchester, before studying Fashion at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, graduating in 1997. She rose to fame when she created the wedding dress for Kate, the Princess of Wales. In 2012, she was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to the British Fashion industry. During her 13 year tenure as Creative Director at Alexander McQueen, Burton produced women’s and men’s collections to great critical acclaim, as well as establishing an extensive education programme supporting young creatives. In December 2023, Burton was awarded the Special Recognition Award at The Fashion Awards, honouring her outstanding contribution to the fashion industry. Owner Kering said upon her exit that she had left «an indelible mark.»

Personally speaking, Sarah was on my radar for CHANEL. I am a big fan of her work. I hope John Galliano could be the one for CHANEL, despite everything that happened. His talent is just outstanding and he would be such a great choice for the French Maison!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © GIVENCHY
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Breaking news today. Pierpaolo Piccioli is parting ways with Valentino after eight ears as the Roman couture house’s sole creative director, according to a company statement which called the move a «joint decision.»

With Pierpaolo Picciolli and Maria Grazia Chiuri in 2013.

Piccioli started his career at Valentino in 1999 where he oversaw accessories alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri. In 2007, the duo were handpicked by founder Valentino Garavani to lead the brand’s creative direction after his retirement. In 2016, Maria Grazia Chiuri left for Dior leaving Piccioli as the sole creative director. During his tenure, Piccioli’s haute couture collections rose to fame exuding a certain poetry, which is missing often in today’s fashion world. Outstanding proportions and bold colours were styled with a sophisticated, youthful edge, the same concept he applied to his beautiful ready-to-wear collections I have loved so much.

Beautiful memory: a handwritten note from Pierpaolo Picciolli and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

«Not all stories have a beginning or an end, some live a kind of eternal present that shines so bright that it won’t produce any shadows,» said Piccioli. «I’ve been in this company for 25 years, and for 25 years I’ve existed and I’ve lived with the people who have woven the weaves of this beautiful story.»

Spread your wings and fly like me in Valentino S/S 2020.

A new creative configuration will be announced soon, the statement said.

«I am grateful to Pierpaolo for his role as creative director and for his vision, commitment and creativity that have brought the Maison Valentino to what it stands for today,» said Valentino chief executive Jacopo Venturini.

For F/W 2022 Pierpaolo created its own color Pink PP.
For the full look, click here.

«We extend our deepest gratitude to Pierpaolo for writing an important chapter in the history of the Maison Valentino,» added Rachid Mohamed Rachid, Valentino chairman and chief executive of owner Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, which controls Valentino.

Last year, Kering acquired 30 percent of Valentino for €1.7 billion – implying a valuation worth of €5 billion – as part of a broader partnership with Mayhoola. The agreement gave Kering the option to acquire 100 percent of Valentino «no later than 2028».

Pierpaolo walking his last finale for Valentino F/W 2024 earlier in March.

In 2023, former Valentino ready-to-wear director Sabato De Sarno’s departed to lead the designs at Gucci. The fashion wheel is turning and some big names are still out there, such as Alessandro Michele and Sarah Burton. In addition Givenchy and Lanvin are all currently missing a designer and Dries van Noten also announced this week that he is stepping down from his own brand.

Piccioli presented a black on black manifesto for F/W 2024 in Paris this month – probably a sign of his departure …

Thank you, Pierpaolo, for all your magic!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and © Valentino
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Meet Wanda, the new contemporary bag from the House of Ferragamo honouring the late Wanda Miletti Ferragamo, who took over the reins when Salvatore Ferragamo passed away in August 1960. Until her death on 19 October 2018, at the age of 97, she was the intelligent and steadfast leader of the Salvatore Ferragamo company, overseeing the growth of the entire company from management and finance to inventory and technical issues. Her mission was striving to push forward and maintain her husband’s legacy in the world of quality Italian goods.

Ferragamo’s new creative director, Maximilian Davis, reimagined the bag in three new geometric proportions. «I want each piece to feel playful, but also desirable as an object,» he says. «I want it to stand on its own.»

Compact and sparkly, the micro version of the Ferragamo Wanda bag is my favorite and comes covered in tonal micro-crystals so it can go with yours on your most special occasions. The lines are geometric, with the handle integrated into the panels and Gancini buckles on the sides that are a lovely nod to the Italian brand’s heritage. Carry it as a handbag or crossbody bag with the detachable strap.

TO SHOP THE FERRAGAMO WANDA BAG, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos:© Ferragamo / © Sandra Bauknecht / @georgiashane
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Gucci proudly commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Horsebit 1953 loafer, an enduring emblem of the House’s heritage and savoir-faire, with a new campaign starring actor and Ambassador Paul Mescal and Global Brand Ambassador Xiao Zhan.

Gucci Catalog in 1968

Introduced in 1953, the Gucci Horsebit 1953 loafer revolutionized the world of footwear, blending sophistication with comfort. Its distinctive design, featuring a miniaturized horse bit—a double ring connected by a bar—soon became a hallmark element of the House effortlessly bridging the gap between the heritage of the past and contemporary fashion. Over the decades, the Gucci loafer has evolved into an essential part of the wardrobe thanks to its ability to seamlessly blend Italian craftsmanship, the American outdoor lifestyle, and the classic British equestrian aesthetic.

Ad Campaign in 1990

The legendary Horsebit 1953 loafer encapsulates Gucci’s rich history, with its enduring appeal that transcends generations, it serves as an example of Italian design excellence and elegance.

The new campaign showcases the timeless yet contemporary allure of this style, as both Paul Mescal and Xiao Zhan are captured at ease wearing the original design from 1953. Their portraits elegantly demonstrate how the heritage hardware and silhouette continue to inspire and captivate generation after generation.

Below you can enjoy some making of photos.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Gucci – Creative Director: Sabato De Sarno – Art Director: Riccardo Zanola – Photographer & Director: Heji Shin DoP: Karol Jurga – Styling: Felicity Kay – Grooming: Josh Knight – Set Design: Danny Hyland DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

Tiffany & Co. today announces the debut of its latest jewelry collection: Tiffany Forge. Crafted from sterling silver, Tiffany Forge celebrates the unique path that every individual creates. With a design that showcases links that are not closed; rather, they are open and unrestricted, the collection symbolizes a sense of openness to the twists and turns of life.

Tiffany Forge pays tribute to the House’s long tradition of crafting sterling silver masterworks, a metal that is deeply engrained in in the House’s heritage. Over a century ago, Tiffany & Co. set the U.S. standard for sterling silver purity (9.25 parts per 1,000 parts silver) and Tiffany Forge honors this legacy. When conceptualizing the collection’s signature open-link motif, Tiffany & Co. designers reimagined archival designs, including a pocket watch from the 1880s, a bracelet from Blue Book 1958 and a necklace from Blue Book 1975–76.

«Tiffany Forge and the collection’s signature open-link motif proudly honor our exceptional craftsmanship and showcases our hollowware workshop capabilities,» said Alexandre Arnault, Executive Vice President, Product and Communication, Tiffany & Co. «Each design has a bold look and feel. The silver collections have always been an integral part of our legacy and we are excited to expand our silver offering to include Forge.»

The full suite of the new Forge creations is featured in multiple expressions of an open-link motif with bold designs, offered in either high-polished or blackened sterling silver. The collection will include both narrow and wide chain iterations in necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings that play with scale and dimensionality.

The collection will be available at Tiffany & Co. stores globally, as well as on Tiffany.com, in October.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Tiffany & Co.
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The eldest of a modest family of eleven children, Jeanne Lanvin was born in Paris on January 1, 1867. From an early age, her independence and strength of character foretold Jeanne’s extraordinary fate. At the age of thirteen, Jeanne earned her first wages working for a milliner on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. In charge of delivering hats all over Paris by omnibus, she found a clever way to save the cost of a bus ticket: she followed the vehicle on foot. Nicknamed the «Little Omnibus», Jeanne had already gotten herself noticed and quickly worked her way up the ladder.

A hard worker, Jeanne Lanvin began her milliner’s apprenticeship a few years later and proved to be quite creative. The hats created by «Mademoiselle Jeanne» were met with great success, and Jeanne started dreaming of opening her own shop. The dream would soon become a reality for the then 22-year-old milliner. Through her many sacrifices and persistence, she managed to get her creations, labeled «Lanvin (Mademoiselle Jeanne) Modes», worn by the most fashionable Parisians.

Portrait of Jeanne Lanvin, 1934 © Studio Harcourt / Patrimoine Lanvin

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

On August 31,1897, Jeanne Lanvin gave birth to Marguerite: her only child, her greatest love, and her muse. From their close bond was born one of the most famous French fashion houses. Nothing was too beautiful for Marguerite. The little girl became the first source of inspiration for Jeanne Lanvin, who designed an incredibly sophisticated wardrobe for her from a very early age. The mother and daughter never left each other’s side. It wasn’t uncommon to catch sight of Marguerite meandering around the hat shelves in the store, where she was often complimented on her elegant outfits. A new opportunity then presented itself to Jeanne Lanvin, who decided to delve into children’s clothing.

This extraordinary mother-daughter relationship is deeply connected to the brand’s history: it was out of her love for Marguerite that Jeanne Lanvin began designing dresses. It was also for her daughter, who by then had become Countess Marie-Blanche de Polignac, that Jeanne launched the legendary perfume Arpège in 1927, as a birthday present. Through this extraordinary bond of maternal love, the brand’s iconic logo was born: a drawing of a woman and her child, imagined by the Art Deco illustrator Paul Iribe.

Marie-Blanche de Polignac, circa 1930 © Roger Schall/ Patrimoine Lanvin

A STEP AHEAD

A true visionary, Jeanne Lanvin captured the spirit of the times throughout her career in order to bring her fashion house to heights of elegance and modernity. The designer was a pioneer in many fields. It was important for her to forge ahead and never fall behind. A jack of all trades, Jeanne Lanvin developed the brand’s business by regularly opening new departments in order to meet the needs of an evolving society.

Hats, children’s clothing, young ladies’ and women’s collections, furs, lingerie, wedding gowns, sports attire, men’s collections, perfumes, and even interior design: through her audacity, Jeanne Lanvin gradually built an empire and heralded a lifestyle revolution. Her career boasts a long list of firsts: Jeanne Lanvin was the first designer to launch a children’s fashion line in 1908; the first to offer a made-to-measure men’s collection in 1926; and even the first to create a mixed eau de toilette in 1933. At its peak, Lanvin had nearly 1,200 employees, many stores, and several branches throughout the world, all thanks to the vision of an exceptional woman.

Modèle Sport, Hiver 1928. Gouache Drawing © Patrimoine Lanvin

TRAVEL JOURNALS

The success of Lanvin was unmistakably due to the curiosity, inventiveness, and creative energy of its founder. With each new collection, Jeanne Lanvin sought to reinvent herself and drew inspiration from traveling, the artists of her time, and everything around her. When she wasn’t working on her next collection, Jeanne Lanvin would frequently travel, taking the time to jot down her experiences and inspirations. Her travel journals were never far from her when she was working, carefully stored away in her office.

In addition to her memories, Jeanne Lanvin would write about objects she had found, fabric samples, or the traditional clothing of the countries she or her close friends and family would visit: Indian saris, Chinese attire, toreador outfits, or ethnic embroideries and materials.

Egypt, circa 1930 – © DR / Patrimoine Lanvin.

AN ARTISTIC SENSIBILITY

Although she mostly kept to herself, Jeanne Lanvin’s artistic sensibility and creative spirit opened the doors very early on to the most avant-garde artistic circles of her time. The designer would frequently socialize with painters from the Nabis movement, in particular Édouard Vuillard, with whom she shared an obsession with color.

Jeanne Lanvin was also a collector, amassing works by Renoir, Degas, Fantin-Latour, Fragonard, and many others. She was highly influenced by the use of light in Impressionist paintings as well as the symbolic works of Odilon Redon. These artistic affinities could often be seen in the brand’s collections. Jeanne Lanvin’s passion for color even led her to open her own dye factory in 1923.

Jeanne Lanvin at a fitting with Yvonne Printemps, circa 1936 – © DR / Patrimoine Lanvin.

THE LANVIN STYLE

Jeanne Lanvin had many inspirations, but elegance, femininity, and modernity were the designer’s key words. In the 1920s, Lanvin stood out for its use of bold colors combined with innovative decorative techniques. Ribbons, embroideries, pearls, and precious details adorned dresses without ever compromising the ateliers’ cutting work and exceptional construction.

The use of black and white was frequently incorporated with the brand’s iconic colors, such as the Lanvin blue. This combination, sometimes interspersed with touches of silver, represented the peak of chic in the mid-1920s. It was the result of geometric research inspired by the Art Deco movement, which was then at the height of its influence.

Embroideries and beading created in the Lanvin ateliers between 1925 and 1935 – © Patrimoine Lanvin.

MADAME LANVIN

The success of Jeanne Lanvin’s fashion house lay in her long years of persistent work. Reserved and meticulous, her unique personality made her stand out from her contemporaries.

«Madame,» as her staff called her, was a demanding boss who, nevertheless, put great trust in the talented individuals surrounding her. Jeanne Lanvin was self-taught and did not draw. She worked a lot with the materials and exchanged her ideas directly with her head seamstresses, who were responsible for creating the models. Refusing to participate in most social events, the designer evolved within restricted and intimate circles of artists, writers, and musicians. It was very rare to see her at a ball or at the Longchamp races, and if by chance you ran into her there, it was because she came to observe the elegant Parisians in order to better anticipate their future desires.

On July 6, 1946, Jeanne Lanvin passed away peacefully at the age of 79. «Madame» Jeanne—the milliner, the designer, the decorator, the perfume manufacturer—left behind an empire in her wake.

After Jeanne Lanvin passed away, her daughter Marie-Blanche became president of the company and continued to design collections until 1950. Several designers succeeded her with the ambition of keeping the brand’s expertise, state of mind, and excellence intact.

Since 2018, it has been a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Lanvin Group, originally named Fosun Fashion Group. Stay tuned for the next post, in which I will tell you how Lanvin does new-tailoring today under the creative vision of Bruno Sialelli, a 31-year-old French designer!

LoL, Sandra

Jeanne Lanvin and a mannequin, 1935 – © New York Times/Rea

Photos: © LANVIN
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Mary Quant (Feb 11, 1930 – April 13, 2023), one of the most influential figures in the fashion scene, died at age 93 peacefully at home in Surrey, UK. Being credited with making fashion accessible to the masses with her sleek, streamlined and vibrant designs, she is also known as the pioneer of the mini skirt and hot pants. While this claim has been challenged by others, it became the trademark of her style, and she is cited as the inventor of this style. However, Mary Quant liberated more than just our legs. Her real legacy was more profound, and her vision of female freedom still feels as fresh as it did back in 1955.

Dame Mary was the daughter of two Welsh teachers but was born in Blackheath, London, in 1930. She gained a diploma in the 1950s in art education at Goldsmiths College, where she met her husband Alexander Plunket Greene, who later helped establish her brand and with whom she married until his death in 1990. The couple had a son, Orlando, who was born in 1970. In 2014, she was made a dame for services to British fashion in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

The V&A Museum, which hosted an exhibition about Dame Mary’s designs in 2020, wrote: «It’s impossible to overstate Quant’s contribution to fashion. She represented the joyful freedom of 1960s fashion, and provided a new role model for young women. Fashion today owes so much to her trailblazing vision.»

Quant initially sold clothing sourced from wholesalers in her new boutique in the Kings Road named Bazaar, that she had opened in 1955. Being the first concept store in the world, she created a special environment, including music, drinks, and long hours that appealed to young adults. A groundbreaking service at that time – this environment was unique for the industry, as it differentiated from the stale department stores and inaccessible high-end designer store environments that had a hold of the fashion market.

The bolder and more unique pieces in her collection started garnering more attention from media like Harper’s Bazaar, and an American manufacturer purchased some of her dress designs. Because of this attention and her personal love for these bolder styles, she decided to take designs into her own hands. Initially working solo, she was soon employing a handful of machinists; by 1966 she was working with a total of 18 manufacturers. A self-taught designer inspired by the culture-forward «Chelsea Set» of artists and socialites, Quant’s designs were riskier and more unique than standard styles of the time.

Dame Mary named the mini skirt after her favourite make of car, recalled its «feeling of freedom and liberation» . She said: «It was the girls on King’s Road who invented the mini. I was making clothes which would let you run and dance and we would make them the length the customer wanted. I wore them very short and the customers would say, ‘shorter, shorter’.»

In 1988, Quant designed the interior of the Mini (1000) Designer (originally dubbed the Mini Quant, the name was changed when popularity charts were set against having Quant’s name on the car). It featured black-and-white striped seats with red trimming.

Quant’s designs revolutionized fashion from the utilitarian wartime standard of the late 1940s to the energy of the 1950s and 1960s’ cultural shifts. Modern fashion owes a great deal to the trailblazing 1960s designer Mary Quant. She stocked her own original items in an array of colours and patterns. From skinny-rib sweaters, to coloured tights and ‘onesies‘, you will be amazed that Dame Mary also revolutionized the high street with trousers for women, as well as accessories, tights and make-up, while using the daisy brand design that became synonymous with her creations. Quant looks changed the way we dress, proving there was more to Mary than just miniskirts.

Here are some things that you might not know about that are credited to Mary Quant:

THE JERSEY DRESS

Quant saw the potential for easy jersey garments as outerwear in the ’60s. Leading then the jersey dress boom by producing thousands of designs in hundreds of different colors, including different shaped collars, sleeves, zips and buttons, with skirts swishy or straight, the jersey dress became a driving force in the democratization of style.

TIGHTS

Where would the modern women be without stretchy tights, in black, or a choice of colours? Sixty years ago, most women were still unquestionably wearing stockings in the shade «American Tan» (black stockings were a hangover from the Victorian era). Held up by garters, or attached to a separate suspender belt with hard metal clips, stockings were fiddly and uncomfortable to wear. Skirts meanwhile fell below the knee to keep all this hardware, and naked thighs, firmly hidden from view. Mary Quant, always looking to develop new ideas, wanted stockings and tights in bright colors, such as mustard yellow, ginger and prune, as well as black – the perfect accompaniment to her knee-skimming skirts and dresses which enabled women to dance, run and move. She partnered with the Nylon Hosiery Company, set up in 1954 by the Curry family, who had recently emigrated from India. They developed a technique of making long stockings which joined together at the top, and were specially dyed to contrast and co-ordinate with Mary Quant separates. The partnership proved to be long-lived, with an ever-expanding range of new colours and patterned knits, including the 1966 «Highball» glitter stockings in silver, gold, green, blue and red.

TROUSERS FOR WOMEN

From skinny jeans and culottes to harem pants, bell bottoms and power suits, trousers have been an essential part of fashionable women’s wardrobes for over 50 years. This was thanks largely to Mary Quant, who was one of the first designers to promote trousers and suits as fashionable womenswear. When Quant opened her famous boutique, Bazaar, trousers and jeans were popular with female students and subcultures on the outskirts of mainstream fashion. Appropriating trousers for women remained a strong theme throughout Quant’s career, as she pushed towards an increasingly androgynous look, playfully challenging established gender norms.

THE SKINNY-RIBBED SWEATER

As with many of Quant’s designs, the inspiration for the skinny-rib came from childrenswear. In her 1966 autobiography, she describes how she «pulled on an eight year old boy’s sweater for fun» and was «enchanted» with the result. Six months later, Quant had put the skinny-rib into production and «all the birds were wearing the skinny ribs». Pinafores paired with sweaters were the building blocks of Mary Quant’s Ginger Group – the wholesale label she set up in 1963, which promoted good-value, mix-and-match separates.

PVC RAINWEAR

In the 1960s, Quant was «bewitched» by polyvinyl chloride (PVC), «this super shiny man-made stuff and its shrieking colours… its gleaming liquorice black, white and ginger.» (Quant by Quant, 1966). The plastic-coated cotton was a new material in the fashion world, having previously only been used for protective garments. Quant launched her «Wet Collection» in April 1963 at the Hôtel de Crillon, Paris, featuring entirely PVC garments. The show was attended by influential fashion editors, and it earned the designer her first magazine cover for British Vogue, featuring a brilliant-red PVC rain mac.

LOUNGEWEAR AND HOT PANTS

Writing in 2012, Quant recalled how she discovered the «house-wear» market in the US around 1965 and decided to bring this new concept to Europe. She designed «a collection of jersey tops and hotpants in striped jersey-knit fabrics with matching bras, pants, socks, leg warmers and minis – all using knitted fabrics of various thicknesses and weights». The idea of special clothes for lounging in at home was quite a change in mindset for most of the British public – who only had the ubiquitous dressing gown until then. The range included brightly coloured jersey and stretch towelling one-piece suits, with short zip-up versions and full-length styles that included feet. These easy-to-wear garments were the ultimate in comfort and freedom, made in the fun colours that were at the heart of Quant’s brand. Quant’s experiments with loungewear can be seen as the forerunner to the contemporary «onesie» craze.

WATERPROOF MASCARA

Quant also made her mark on the makeup world. Her cosmetics line, with its daisy logo and colorful crayon formulations, shared the same sunny, childlike outlook as her fashion. And she brought the world a truly innovative invention: waterproof mascara.

BOB HAIRCUT

Mary Quant made London swing in the early 1960s. But her look was completed by the liberating geometric haircuts of Vidal Sassoon. In 1964, Vidal Sassoon provided Mary Quant, then 34, with her signature haircut, that is now as closely associated with Quant as Sasson. The Bob is the most trending hairstyle at the moment again.

One of the most important figures in fashion, Quant’s influence can still be seen on catwalks. Rest in Peace, Mary, thank you!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Mary Quant, V&A, AP
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