14 Quotes & Sayings By Mary Quant

Mary Quant was born in London to a French mother and British father. Quant's father worked for the British Navy, and her family moved around the world due to his work. They lived in North Africa, India, Ceylon, Japan, Singapore, Malaya, Hong Kong, England, Canada, Egypt, Cyprus and Egypt again before finally settling in England. Mary was educated at St Paul's Girls School and studied fashion design at Somerset House School of Art Read more

After the war she made her own clothes for a time before getting a job as an assistant to Ossie Clark at his boutique. The designer Ralph Lauren hired her as his personal assistant in 1954. She became the head designer for the American fashion house of Charles Jourdan in 1957.

In 1960 she designed "The Mini" for Austin Reed, which revolutionized women's fashion by making clothing affordable to all women. She founded her own fashion company called Mary Quant Inc., which produced stylish clothing for young working women. She was also a successful businesswoman who developed the first jogging suit and co-founded the London Marathon with Sir Hugh Beaver in 1981.

Her designs were worn by Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II, among others.

1
The fashionable woman wears clothes. The clothes don't wear her. Mary Quant
2
Good taste is death. Vulgarity is life. Mary Quant
3
My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a frosty Christmas morning. Mary Quant
4
Good taste is death vulgarity is life. Mary Quant
5
I absolutely adore cows. They're the most fascinating, gentle and beautiful animals. Their eyes are so amazing. I have ten that live on the land around my house. I love to talk to them. There are few things better than falling asleep in a field and being woken up by an inquisitive cow. Mary Quant
6
Risk it; go for it. Life always gives you another chance, another go at it. It's very important to take enormous risks. Mary Quant
7
I have been on a diet since 1962. Mary Quant
8
For one thing, I am still working as an adviser on fashion, design and colour and stuff. Mary Quant
9
One thing I longed to do was to design a complete look, from head to toe, so I started a make-up line in 1966. Mary Quant
10
Having money is rather like being a blond. It is more fun but not vital. Mary Quant
11
I remember one day, when things were going frightfully well, I went to buy myself a really smashing car. I asked them to show me a Porsche with an automatic gearbox, and the salesman called over all the other salesmen, and they stood around absolutely roaring with laughter. Mary Quant
12
The Lord's Prayer is the most perfect piece of poetry. I always feel at peace and moved when I recite it. Mary Quant
13
I saw no reason why childhood shouldn't last forever. So I created clothes that worked and moved and allowed people to run, to jump, to leap, to retain their precious freedom. Mary Quant