How to collect vintage Mary Quant
How To Spot
Authentic Mary Quant
Labels – Mary Quant had two labels in the sixties. One is marked with her name or you might come across “The G!nger Group” which was her more affordable line of clothes.
Fabrics – Mary Quant’s most famous look was her jersey dresses. It was the perfect material to use for chilly England – thick and stretchy. Her dresses often came in a shift style or with a drop down waist. She also began to make onesies, hot pants and tops in the fabric.
Later on down the line, she began to have fun with PVC and made a wet look collection. Shoes and coats were made from PVC and had a modern, fururistic look about them that she adored. She even made a dress out of paper (you probably wouldn’t find that on the vintage market today though).
Shapes – White dagger collars were her thing as well as a ring pull zip down the front of a dress. She also helped to make trousers fashionable for women including dungarees. Though she made many trousers, they’ve become a rare find on the vintage circuit.
One of my favourite Mary Quant pieces was a skinny rib sweater inspired by the laid back look of the beatniks. She loved androdgony and nothing said that more than a plain black sweater inspired by menswear.
Colours – Mary loved standing out so her choice of colours were obvious. Big bold colours like pillar box red, traffic cone yellow and football pitch green. She’d occasionally use stripes and other patterns but most of her clothes were block colours.
The Quant Girl – Who didn’t wear a Mary Quant dress? You can find every 60s face in a Mary Quant ensemble including Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy and Patti Boyd. My favourite look of all though, has to be Audrey Hepburn in ‘Two For The Road’.
For More Looks – I highly recommend studying books, and flicking through Pinterest boards dedicated to Mary Quant to get familiar with her pieces. In no time you’ll be able to spot one, even if the tag has been cut off.
P.S. I took all these photos at the V&A exhibition in London this year.
