Plastic was one of the new materials used by trendsetting designers in the 1960s. These boots were produced for Mary Quant's footwear range, 'Quant Afoot', introduced in 1967. They are made from clear plastic over a coloured lining, and resemble the Chelsea boots with square heels and toes worn by the Beatles during the mid-1960s. The heels are moulded with Mary Quant's signature daisy motif. The wearer would leave a trail of daisy footprints behind her after walking through a puddle.
Physical description
Pair of women's yellow polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ankle boots with a cotton jersey lining. Quant trademark daisy on the bottom of the heel.
Place of Origin
Great Britain, UK (made)
Date
1967 (made)
Artist/maker
Quant, Mary, born 1934 (designer)
Materials and Techniques
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) lined with cotton jersey
Dimensions
Length: 27.5 cm, Height: 11 cm
Object history note
Registered File number 1992/72.
Descriptive line
Pair of women's PVC ankle boots with a cotton jersey lining, designed by Mary Quant, Great Britain, 1967
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
De La Haye, Amy, ed. The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997. London: V&A Publications, 1997.
Baker, Malcolm and Richardson, Brenda, eds. A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 1997. 431 p., ill. ISBN 1851773088.
The Museum's collection of shoes - like its larger twentieth-century dress collection - has been primarily of haute couture examples. It has been only in the past few years that the Museum has sought to expand its shoe collection - recent acquisitions have ranged from 1940s cowboy boots to 1990s Converse Allstars designs, each chosen for its significance in the changing history of fashion in the shoe industry.
Revivalism has been a major theme in the design of twentieth-century shoes. All five of these pairs of shoes demonstrate a nostalgia that is manifest in creating new styles from old. Platforms, although seen as a new style in the 1930s - and subsequently revived in the 1940s, 1970s, and 1990s - had their origins in the chopines of the sixteenth century. The use of synthetics has also become more common in the last century, motivated both by technological innovation and by the scarcity of leather during World War II. Today, synthetics are often seen as an ethical alternative to leather, and companies like Vegetarian Shoes have begun to manufacture design classics - like the "Doc Martens" boot - in brightly coloured polyester.
CATHIE DINGWALL
Exhibition History
Precious: Objects and Changing Values (The Millennium Galleries, Sheffield 02/04/2001-24/06/2001)
Sixties Fashion (Victoria and Albert Museum 06/06/2006-25/02/2007)
A Grand Design - The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum (Victoria and Albert Museum 12/10/1999-16/01/2000)
The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997 (Victoria and Albert Museum 06/03/1997-27/07/1997)
Labels and date
Mary Quant revolutionised teenage fashion with lively designs and the use of unconventional materials such as plastics. The dyed cotton jersey used in these streamlined, clear plastic boots served to absorb perspiration and provide colour. [1997]
Materials
Polyvinyl chloride; Cotton jersey
Techniques
Lined
Categories
Footwear; Fashion; Accessories; Plastic; Women's clothes
Production Type
Ready to wear
Collection code
T&F
