Advocates for female equality in the 60s & 70s

In terms of the areas that have taken my interest with regards to fashion history in the 60s and 70’s, I have thoroughly enjoyed research into the role of women within society and the industry.

Firstly, although it was not advocated initially by a woman, designers such as Pierre Cardin in the 60’s were responding to the social changes such as space and tech advances, to create a new look for the modernized women of the era. His garments sported sharp geometric shapes as an integral part of style. He also combined these shapes with contemporary materials such as plastic and vinyl to translate innovation within silhouette, sculpting and re-shaping the female figure.

Following on, designers such as Mary Quant and Yves Saint Laurent were also responsible for responding to social changes within society, post war, by producing garments that intended to shock and translate an aesthetic that was far from the feminine women that graced society before WW2. In regards to the assertion of women, Yves Saint Laurent’s take on androgyny started a revolution at a time when many second wave feminists were avoiding discussing fashion in a social context. He freed the nipple before social media platforms such as Instagram even existed, focusing more on asserting sexual equality, rather than pleasing the onlooker. As for Mary Quant, as a designer to valued popularizing risky garments such as the mini-skirt with the intention to shock, whilst also capitalizing the 1960’s new found love affair with synthetic materials such as PVC, to create a ‘wet look’ for experimental and daring women of the era.

Not only did the 60s and 70’s change the face of feminine fashion, but it also saw the rise of some of the most utterly British style icons, that would continue to have a lasting reign within the world of fashion still today. Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy, both enlightened the fashion industry with their wear of Quant’s and Biba’s modernized silhouettes and donning short, daring haircuts to translate the idea that the fifties feminine woman was out and a new, youthful looking girl was here to stay.

However, Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton were not the only advocates in the modelling industry to change the face of fashion. With the 70’s just around the corner, the era saw an array of diverse models such as Jerry Hall and Iman come onto the scene, who were popularized for their unconventional yet flawless beauty. Discovered by her long neck and narrow yet sharp physical attributes, Iman did not fit with the typical conventions of beauty but instead, these alternative qualities were ones that allowed her to catch the eye of one of the biggest icons of all time in the 70’s, David Bowie.

Lastly, a game-changer for paving a rebellious sense of fashion for women in the 70’s as punk began to bring anarchy to society, Vivienne Westwood graced the industry with her assertive vision in this era. Selling fetish and bondage wear, Westwood’s SEX boutique, with Malcolm McLaren dressed rock stars of the era, who were most likely to be dating the likes of Iman, Jerry Hall or Jean Shrimpton. Their slogan T’s caused controversy, with slogans like ‘Cambridge Rapist’ sparking outrage. All of this was a youthful reaction from both women and men against the older generation, reflecting England’s depressed economic and socio-political condition at the time in the mid-70s. However, it was Vivienne Westwood who really provided that vision for women, that it was not just men who could be outspoken and express themselves against the state of society but the voice of women could be utterly rebellious to.