Quote Of The Day By Mary Quant: 'Fashion As We Knew It Is Over...'

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When you think of 1960s fashion, miniskirts are likely one of the first garments to come to mind. If you've ever worn one, you have Mary Quant to thank. The English designer emerged in the 1960s as one of the most revolutionary creatives in women's fashion. Although Quant is widely regarded as the leader of the British mod fashion movement, she didn't consider herself as such. "The Chelsea girl, the original leather-booted, black-stockinged girl who came out of the King's Road to be copied by the rest of London, all over the country, and then internationally. This girl's clothes were accepted as a challenge," Quant wrote in her autobiography "Quant by Quant." She continued, "No designer is ever responsible for such a revolution. All a designer can do is anticipate a mood" (via Vogue).

Quant was born in 1930 in Blackheath, London. Her parents, both educators, refused to let her study fashion; instead, Quant attended Goldsmiths, University of London for illustration. One apprenticeship later, and with the help of her husband Alexander Plunket Greene and friend Archie McNair, Quant opened her boutique Bazaar on King's Road in Chelsea. When she grew tired of the garments available for wholesale purchase, Quant began sewing and selling her own original designs — working tirelessly overnight to ensure that each day brought fresh garments for her customers.

Quant's dedication to creating new styles that young people wanted to wear (including the girls who came in and begged her to make skirts "shorter and shorter") caused a mod fashion revolution that spread across the globe with her nontraditional "Chelsea girl" look. Even after her passing in 2023, Quant's legacy has made her one of the fashion industry's most iconic figures. Quant's lasting contributions to the fashion world make her the perfect fit for today's quote of the day.

One of English designer Mary Quant's most highlyncited quotes goes as follows: "Fashion as we knew it is over; people wear now exactly what they feel like wearing." While the exact origin of this saying is unknown, it is widely attributed to her rise in the mid-1960s. Quant's statement succinctly sums up the state of fashion in the U.K.'s tumultuous post-war era, yet can also be perfectly applied to the industry today as well. Like all of Quant's words of wisdom, it is an evergreen statement that anyone can glean inspiration from.

Mary Quant's iconic quote was both timely during her rise to prominence and evergreen for the fashion industry at large. When Quant said that fashion "as we knew it" has come to an end, she meant that the traditional, war-weary style that pervaded the U.K. in the years after World War II was on its way out. Instead, independent young women were taking over and breathing life back into the country. Quant's miniskirts, hot pants, and menswear-inspired garments emerged as the radical new guard coming in like a symbol of feminist liberation, replacing nylons, garters, and modest skirts for young working women. Given Quant's customer base, whom she said often came in requesting new styles and shorter hemlines, it's no surprise that she'd emphasize the freedom that comes with people wearing whatever feels right for them.

For modern women today, Quant's words should still ring true. Wearing what you want, no matter if it's on-trend or considered "tasteless," is how fashion moves forward. Most major trends were once frowned upon — just look at Quant's miniskirts. While her creations were rising in popularity among young women in the U.K., magazines and tabloids initially dismissed the short hemlines as a crazy fad. Over six decades later, miniskirts haven't left the mainstream in any significant way. Quant's mod fashion eventually became a global phenomenon precisely because she went against the grain and catered to the dynamic women who drove the fashion industry (despite being mocked for their revolutionary choices). Take advice from Quant, and dress how you like with confidence. 

• "Fashion is a tool... to compete in life outside the home. People like you better, without knowing why, because people always react well to a person they like the looks of."
• "People call things 'vulgar' when they are new to them. When they have become old, they become 'good taste.'"
• "Fashion is not frivolous. It is a part of being alive today." 
• "Being young is greatly overestimated. It was a terrible strain. Terribly frightening. You're always doing things for the first time."
• "The fashionable woman wears clothes. The clothes don't wear her."
• "Risk it, go for it. Life always gives you another chance, another go at it. It's very important to take enormous risks."