1965

Designer: André Courrège

André Courrège’s minimalist designs propelled fashion forward with his ‘space-age’ collection of 1964. The show included precision-tailored short skirts and slim trousers, worn with boxy jackets, all designed to be worn with accompanying flat, square-toed shoes and boots, and short white gloves.

This futuristic look profoundly influenced fashion in the mid-1960s, and Courrège’s ideas were widely copied for the mass market. His flat, white leather boots were essential for girls emulating the ‘moon-girl’ image, a new version of femininity, inspired by youth, sportswear, and space travel.

1967

Designers: Diane Meyersohn and Joanne Silverstein

Paper dresses were a brief but spectacular 1960s sensation. They were cheap and disposable, and the simple 2-D shape was ideal for the bold graphic prints that were so fashionable. Dispo’s paper dresses were actually made out of a bonded cellulose fibre and could be washed. A Which magazine consumer trial found that they could be worn at least six times, while other brands would not survive beyond two or three.

1966

Designer: Mary Quant

Mary Quant’s mini-dresses for her ‘Ginger Group’ label epitomise the 1960s fashion revolution. This jersey shift dress is like a sweater grown to dress length, and a version was modelled by Twiggy in a Vogue ‘Young Idea’ fashion spread in April 1966. With the hem well above the knee it was ideally suited to her boyish figure.

The dress was donated as unsold stock from a smart boutique called ‘Merlyn’, in London’s East End, reputedly patronised by gangsters and their girlfriends.

1965

Designer: Stephen Willats

Dress with zipped panels of plastic (PVC). Geometric decoration, the dress is a shift shape, and the bodice is made of black PVC. The skirt section is made of large brightly-coloured square panels of PVC joined together with zips. This dress was one of a series of designs for furniture and dress that Stephen Willats made to express the concept of self-organisation. The zipped blocks can be assembled in a variety of ways. Stephen Wilatts used PVC because he felt it embodied the optimistic and futuristic spirit of the 1960s. The dress was made to be worn with a plastic helmet and was conceived as a work of art not for ordinary wear.

1968

Designer: Mr Fish

The corduroy is an American furnishing fabric by Hexter. The donor, Mr David Mlinaric, purchased the fabric while on a visit to the USA so that he could have a suit made from it on his return home.