Penny wise
Dress
1966 (designed)
1966 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Dress, cotton, with a trompe l’oeil pinafore design with a peter pan collar and patch pocket. Designed by Mary Quant for Ginger Group in about 1966. This design, a parody of a school uniform pinafore and blouse demonstrates Quant’s desire for youthfulness and fun in adult fashion. Multiple images exist of Quant wearing a version of this dress.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Penny wise (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Cotton |
| Brief description | Dress, blue and white and red with pocket detail, designed by Mary Quant for Ginger Group, Wales, 1966 |
| Physical description | Dress with short sleeves and short skirt. Trompe L'Oeil pinafore design with the 'pinafore' in white and the 't-shirt' in blue with a red peter pan collar. The centre of the 'pinafore' has a red pocket. |
| Gallery label | [Mary Quant exhibition, 2019]
‘PENNY WISE’
1966
Worn by Deborah Cherry
With romper-suit straps, round collar and a patch pocket, this minidress is a literal expression of Quant’s borrowing from children’s garments. Worn while a schoolgirl, Deborah Cherry later said, ‘these were clothes for a young generation: bold, striking, easy to wear - they had a really strong feel-good factor for young women “walking tall”, with a style of our own’.
Cotton drill
Labelled ‘Mary Quant’s Ginger Group’
Made by Steinberg, Pontypridd, Wales (probably)
Given by Deborah Cherry
V&A: T.61-2018(30/03/2020) |
| Credit line | Given by Deborah Cherry |
| Object history | This object was acquired as part of the V&A's #WeWantQuant campaign. This was a public call-out for objects designed by Mary Quant. This was run as part of the preparation for an exhibition on Mary Quant 2019/2020 |
| Historical context | This dress design was also available in a lime green, white and blue colourway, retailing at 5 guineas. |
| Summary | Dress, cotton, with a trompe l’oeil pinafore design with a peter pan collar and patch pocket. Designed by Mary Quant for Ginger Group in about 1966. This design, a parody of a school uniform pinafore and blouse demonstrates Quant’s desire for youthfulness and fun in adult fashion. Multiple images exist of Quant wearing a version of this dress. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.61-2018 |
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| Record created | September 26, 2018 |
| Record URL |
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