Mary Quant established the Ginger group selling mass produced clothes direct to people on the high street instead of a launch in an exclusive salon. Mini skirts and dresses were worn with boots, coloured tights, large caps, short hair and heavy eye make-up.
Courreges launched his space age collection and Paco Rabanne his metal dresses in the mid 60s. Vidal Sasoon introduced his layered bob to reflect the geometric shapes of the clothing.
Twiggy was the decades leading model, her gawky, knock kneed androgynous look became a significant style element of the 60s. The boutiques of King’s Road and Carnaby Street turn ‘swinging London’ into the fashion capitol of the world. To achieve the boyish look, dresses had high waists and side darts, helping to flatten the bust.
In the 60s simply to be young was to be fashionable. Teenagers no longer wanted to dress like their parents. Street style had taken over to such an extent that Balenciaga retired in 1968 announcing that couture was dead.
The Beatles set trends for sharp, collarless Pierre Cardin suits and later the bright satins of Sergeant Pepper. Flower power reached it’s height in 1967. The hippy movement encouraged a general fascination with the East which led to ethnically inspired designs.