Mary Quant set up a small shop in 1955 in London and became a sensation in the 1960s. She claims the miniskirt and hotpants (shorts) as part of her fashion movement. But it’s her dresses that keep popping up in fashion history books and google searches for “1960s fashion.”
The dresses in the photo, featured above, represent a more simplistic mod style, but when shopping for vintage ’60s clothing, there are certain things to look for. Many Mary Quant dresses were made with a fiber acrylic, known in the British trade as Courtelle, which was the newest thing at the time.
In Emma Baxter-Wright’s book Vintage Fashion, she explains the common traits of the Quant dress, “The classic minidress featured a zipper down the front with a circular pull-ring.” Here’s an example.
Note: photo attribution found here.