British designer Mary Quant has died at the age of 93, her family announced Thursday. The famous couturier made a name for herself in fashion history for her invention of the miniskirt in the 1960s, as well as for her fun, colorful and informal perception of ready-to-wear at a time when sobriety prevailed. on the streets.
Originally from a small town in south-east London, Blackhealth, Quant began her fashion studies in the 1950s and opened her first boutique in 1959, The Bazaar, with her husband Alexander Plunket. Her designs soon became popular among young Londoners as she was one of the few dressmakers of the time who offered colorful, daring and radically different pieces from the overly formal and sober dress codes that characterized British fashion at that time. .
"A woman is as young as her knees," said the consecrated inventor of miniskirts. This garment, as well as the short dresses and shorts, were her hallmark and revolutionized urban fashion beyond Europe, becoming popular in the United States in less than a decade.
Inspired by the dance uniforms worn by girls, Quant created a fashion full of color, with geometric cuts and prints, two-tones and pleated skirts that became the reference wardrobe of an era and still influences current designs today. , at street level and on the catwalks.
