Mary Quant is an alumna of Blackheath High School and to mark the connection the curators of the Exhibition at the V&A will join with the pupils of Blackheath High Junior School to celebrate her work.
Jenny Lister and Stephanie Wood, curators of Textiles and Fashion at the V&A, will present an illustrated talk and the girls will mount a display connected with their visits to the exhibition. Society members are invited to bring along any Mary Quant items they may have to share with us. We know one member has one complete outfit.
7.00 for 7.30pm at Blackheath High School Juniors, Wemyss Road, SE3 0TF. Tickets £10 including a glass of wine available from https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mary-quant-revolutionary-fashion-designer-blackheath-tickets-68798946501
After the event …
Mary Quant was celebrated at her old school, Blackheath High, in a fascinating and fun evening of fashion history linked to a major exhibition of her work at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Jenny Lister, curator of Textiles and Fashion at the V&A, delivered a lively talk, illustrated with a rich collection of pictures, from a Quant schoolgirl sketch to clothes from the designer’s private collection and items donated by the public.
Generously hosted by the school for the Society, the hall was impressively decorated with students’ artwork inspired by their work on a Quant project and visits to the V&A. There were also original Quant items for inspection, including a gloriously sequinned dress.
It was especially enjoyable to attend an event with such a mix of ages, from pupils at the school and their parents to the many of us who experienced a wave of nostalgia for those years of short, short skirts, shiny PVC macs and the first colourful fashion tights.
Quant’s story itself, rooted in Blackheath (she was evacuated with the school during the war) then Goldsmiths College, was one of a rebel, style-setter and entrepreneur. As well as charting the rise of the hemline, Jenny Lister’s talk cast light on a changing society – the death of the debutante and the beginning of the greater empowerment of women.
To learn more about this iconic era and Quant’s remarkable contribution to the sixties scene, the V&A exhibition is highly recommended. It runs until February 16 2020. For more information see www.vam.ac.uk.