The following piece was written by Angie ‘BIBA’ Smith for the NUTs Modstock project based on an original Pip! Pip! Idea and under Sean Wilson direction! We eventually managed to film a decent documentary as a homage to the golden period and inspirations of ‘Swinging London’! The film was shown to a standing audience as part of a fashion ‘happening’ for Modstock!
A few copies are said to be still hidden here and there...
Ever wondered why the fashion industry seems to revive the 60s every couple of years? Why it seems to have a default button set to the decade that invented Cool? Ready, Steady, Sew! – a documentary examining the 1960s explosion in street style, the fashion revolution and the so called “Youthquake” phenomenon that swept across post-War Britain like a Roman invasion.
In the years succeeding the War, the 1950s saw a revolution in industry which set the foundation for an economic boom in the 1960s. It was the school leavers of the 1960s that were the first to benefit from Britain’s new-found wealth, having the benefit of going straight into employment since the abolition of National Service in 1960. Teenagers with money in their pockets and extended leisure time meant they were able to concentrate how to spend their free time, what they wore, where they went and even how they travelled there. These elements were crucial in the formation of youth groups such as Mods – smart young kids with money to spend and time on their hands. Their demands for ever-changing fashions were met by a new team of designers, most were fresh out of college and of the same generation as the consumers they were engaged to satisfy. As always in times of wealth and optimism, like the 1920s before it, the 1960s brought about some of the most inventive, experimental, truly beautiful and utterly ludicrous fashion ideas ever seen in the 20th Century. The fast pace at which fashions would come and go meant that designers had to be one step ahead, just close enough for the audience to reach out and grab the idea; too far ahead meant out of reach and misunderstood. The designers and the teens understood each other. The age-gap between designer and consumer had never been so narrow – the element crucial to its success.
In London, Carnaby Street and the King’s Road acted as catwalks for these fashion-conscious youths, turning them into alleys of strutting dandified males and boyish girls, not unlike the Sunday promenades of the Victorian era. The explosion in youth fashion had turned these previously unremarkable streets into a concentration of hip new boutiques, playing the latest Hit Parade songs which provided the soundtrack for young shoppers. These boutiques were felt quite outrageous by the older generation, but who wasted no time in documenting every move, groove and happening on film and in print and fashion historians should remain ever grateful.
The spearhead of this British fashion revolution included designers and boutique owners such as Mary Quant, Barbara Hulanicki (Biba), John Stephen, Ozzie Clark, Michael Rainey (Hung on You) and John Pearse (Granny Takes a Trip) to name but a few. These super new designers turned London, and eventually Britain, into a richly-coloured, newly textured wardrobe. Their designs eventually being copied around the globe, knocking the couture fashions houses off their axis whilst British fashion performed its lap of honour.
Ready, Steady, Sew! speaks to the generation that started it, the generations that have revived it, the inventors and the re-inventors. The 1960s - The gift that keeps on giving.
Angie ‘BIBA’ Smith
SAVIOUR CLOTHING- I came across this brand that is from Brighton I think? It's style draws from the mod era but with a modern twist. I know when I wear my polo and harrington jacket riding my 60's vespa I look the don! Check it out on www.saviour-online.com
Posted by: Oliver Watson | 08/28/2009 at 02:16 PM