Mary Quant Research Paper

Mary Quant, one of the most influential designers in the 1960s, practically invented the mini skirt. “Arrogant, aggressive and sexy.” This was one of Mary Quant’s famous quotes about how the ‘60s style should be. To invent the mini skirt, the rules of fashion had to bend. Back in 1910, women wore hobble skirts. Hobble skirts were modest and kept women from revealing too much skin. It was inappropriate for women to go out in public with their bare legs showing. Decades have gone by, and the concept of wearing a long skirt to cover skin did not change. Around the 1920s, the fashionable skirt took a turn and became a little shorter. The idea of “hobbling” from place to place grew old. Thus, the knee length skirt became the new hot trend allowing women
to feel more comfortable when they went out, but still kept it modest. Mary Quant took a risk to change the fashion industry; she was bold and had no idea how the people would respond to her work. A skirt has experienced different stages from the ‘60s to today; all thanks to the peak of Mary Quant’s daring outlook of how fashion should be. From plaid mini skirts, pencil skirts, pleated skirts, and maxi skirts, fashion has changed drastically over time.
A personal favorite fashion era of mine was the 1990s.
This era was different from all of the previous eras in fashion. In the past, men and women were always best dressed, regardless if they were going to the supermarket or to their best friend’s wedding. Men and women continually dressed at their best prior to the ‘90s. Since fashion was always changing, the American people lost interest in the expensive taste, therefore, many people in the ‘90s began shopping at Wal-Mart and K-Mart to buy their clothes rather than an expensive store like the GAP. Although the clothing was cheaper, the style was idolized. One could take a plain turtle neck, tuck it into a pair of high waisted jeans, and dress it up with a colorful, geometric, jacket. Each article of clothing was inexpensive and did not meet the standard of formally dressed. However, it did make a fashion statement for most. Some people in the ‘90s had the attitude of not caring about how well dressed they were, but about how well they rocked their favorite baseball cap styled with their oversized joggers they bought from a consignment store. Fashion no longer had the expensive taste that it did in the previous eras, allowing everyone to feel good in whatever they
wore.
In spite of the fact that fashion is always changing, it is also repeating and being recycled. Fashion equals fads. Styles are hot for a couple of years and then suddenly no longer popular. The idea behind fashion is to express yourself, and style the person you desire to be. Years go by and someone is looking to jump back on to the wagon of a certain article of clothing wanting to bring it back; this time better than before. The reinvention of Converse Chuck Taylor’s, denim jackets, Doc Martens, chokers, and flannels make their peak in today’s fashion and suddenly they are back to being statement items in a wardrobe. The beauty behind fashion is that there is no right or wrong way; though many people wear a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor’s, it is never styled the exact way. To be different is the way the world should be viewed. New York Fashion Week, thrift shops, boutiques, and retail stores in a local mall give the power to anyone to be bold and express themselves in the way they want to. Back then, fashion had rules to follow; today we live in a world where fashion is anything you want it to be. Today’s fashion is so widespread that it is changing every day and many people are expressing it in their own unique way.