History of 1960s fashion and textiles
The 1960s was a decade of sweeping change throughout the fashion world generating ideas and images which still appe…
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Fashion in 1960s London
This section explores the development of Sixties fashion from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, linking it to Londo…
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1960s fashion subcultures
Modified, homemade and secondhand clothing was an expression of individuality during the 1960s. Britain was known f…
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1960s textile designers
Textile designers from the 1960s with a brief history, background and information on each.
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André Courrèges
Courrèges graduated in engineering before studying fashion and textile design. He worked for Balenciaga for ten yea…
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Barbara Hulanicki and Biba
Barbara Hulanicki and the influential 1960s fashion company Biba.
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Jean Muir
From 1950 Jean Muir worked as a seller and fashion sketcher for Liberty's in London and was then employed as a desi…
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Mary Quant
'What ready-to-wear does today, the couturiers - even the Paris couturiers - confirm tomorrow. It has happened seve…
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Yves Saint Laurent
'Yves Saint Laurent has a fifty-fifty deal with the street. Half of the time he is inspired by the street and half …
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1960s fashion & textiles reading list
A booklist of fashion and textiles from the 1960s.
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The corset in late 20th-century fashion
The corset in 20th century fashion has appeared and reappeared seemingly linked to the cyclical changing of female shapes. By the 1980s it had become an 'object d'art', no longer a symbol of women's oppression, the corset had become a symbol of sexual empowerment.
Fashion & textiles introductory reading list
Recommended introductory reading about fashion & textiles.
Fashion in Motion: Iranian Night
The Iranian Night Fashion in Motion live catwalk event took place on 30 January 2004. The V&A and the Iran Heritage Foundation presented the works of contemporary Iranian fashion designers Massoud Ansari, Shirin Guild, Maryam Mahdavi, Shadi Parand and Laya Torkaman, from both inside and outside Iran in a special Fashion in Motion.
Fashion Design
This activity gives students an opportunity to use the V&A’s fashion collections in the way that professional designers do. Paul Poiret and Vivienne Westwood are just two of the many designers who have used the V&A to get ideas for their designs. Students will design a garment based on an item in the V&A’s collections of European and non-European dress, and will produce either a garment that is stylistically similar, or a collage.
Historical & cultural sources for 20th-century fashion
Throughout the 20th century cross-cultural and historical influences have exerted a profound impact upon fashion design. The styles, designs and materials of other times and cultures have become more accessible to designers at first hand as improved travel and communications enable continents to be crossed with ease.
British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age
31 March–12 August 2012
Showcasing over 300 British design objects, this exhibition celebrates the best of British post-war art and design from the 1948 ‘Austerity Games' to the summer of 2012.
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British Asian Style: Fashion and Textiles, Past and Present
The influence of South Asian styles on British fashion and dress
Buy nowEvent - Designing the Decades: 1960s
Sat 16 June 2012 10:30
STUDY DAY: Explore the decade of the mini skirt, flower power, the Beatles, the Vietnam War, the Cultural Revolution and the first man on the moon. Investigate the architecture, interiors and fashions of this revolutionary decade.
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