Conran/Quant

"It is given to a fortunate few to be born at the right time, in the right place, with the right talents. In recent fashion there have been three: Chanel, Dior and Mary Quant." - Ernestine Carter.

Transporting you back to London at the height of the Swinging Sixties, Conran/Quant provides vital context for two of the biggest and boldest names in 'Pop' fashion: Mary Quant, alleged mother of the miniskirt, and Terence Conran, the entrepreneur behind the new wave of 'lifestyle' stores. Friends, associates and allies in design, Quant and Conran stood at the head of an informal but influential bohemian group who steered the rudder of style during the Pop era. 'The Chelsea Set' resist definition; there was no comprehensive members list.

Conran/Quant: Swinging London - A Lifestyle Revolution explores the contributions of designers and artists from Laura and Bernard Ashley to Eduardo Paolozzi, Nigen Henderson and Alexander Plunket Greene, all of whom were essential generators of Sixties Style.

AUTHORS: Geoffrey Rayner and Richard Chamberlain run the Target Gallery in London, which specialises in design and art post 1945. They now mainly work as freelance exhibition curators and write on various aspects of Twentieth Century design and culture. Among exhibitions celebrated at the Target Gallery were 'Design in Tandem: the work of Robin and Lucienne Day' and 'Reconstruction: Designers in Britain, 1945-51'. They have previously collaborated on books such as Artists Textiles 1940-1976 and Pop, Design Culture Fashion, 1956-1976. Among museums they have curated exhibitions for is the Fashion and Textile Museum, London, the Textile Museum, Tilburg, Holland, and the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, England.

SELLING POINTS:

• Pays homage to 'the Chelsea Set', a bohemian, progressive clique that would change the course of sixties contemporary design, with a focus on Mary Quant and Terence Conran.
• Narrates the history of an era through a meld of biography, fashion photography and vintage ads.
• Informative, attractive, stylish - the perfect gift for someone with an eye for fashion.

180 colour images