The very best designers should be able to capture the spirit of the times. It is important to start designing at the moment something becomes fashionable. For example, the era of short skirts, long legs, and boyish hairstyles was embodied by model Twiggy, who became a fashion icon of the 60s.
Mary Quant\’s fashions represented exactly what she was good at, which made her an authority in the fashion world. She now cuts her models\’ skirts to a length that is quite shocking to some. It is a length well above the knee. She has given this type of skirt the name of her car.
She also has a boutique called Bazaar. Her clientele is mainly students and bohemians. Mary herself likes to wear short skirts. Customers even ask her to make the skirts shorter and shorter, so that the women are in tune with the youthful dresses she designs that allow them to move freely, run, and even jump.
So the mini-skirt became a hit.
Soon Bazaar became known and very popular among London\’s youth. Its store windows attracted people who loved pop art and color. There was even contemporary music playing in the store. Her modeling of crazy pajamas for the opening was a huge success. She was also featured in Harper\’s Bazaar magazine, showing Mary the way.
Mary had graduated from art school but had no training in sewing. So she immersed herself in making clothes at night. The clothes she created at that time successfully captured the trends that were popular among the youth of the time. She was at the beginning of a fashion renaissance.
Chelsea\’s bazaar soon ran out and another was opened. Finally, there were 150 bazaars in the UK. Worldwide, there were more than twice that many. The bazaars succeeded in creating a new era of clothing while keeping prices low. They were conceived for a younger clientele who usually had only half a purse.