Quant

The incredible life-story of fashion icon, style guru and one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, Dame Mary Quant. One of Britain’s most renowned cultural figures, Quant was at the vanguard of the stylistic revolution of the 60s and 70s, leading the charge away from convention and conservatism through the championing of ground-breaking designs including the miniskirt and hot pants, plus an ingeniously creative partnership with hair stylist, Vidal Sassoon.

Unfortunately this is rather a dry look back at the life of this visionary and entrepreneurial lady. It certainly offers a feast of archive film, VT and photography but for the most part, the narrative is relayed in a slightly adulatory fashion by her co-workers, and with the exception of her godson Jasper Conran, the majority of the contributors will have little traction with any but the most closely involved in the industry amongst the audience. The chronology itself is interesting enough, depicting well the whole vibe of London in the 1960s: the "scene"; the music, the first real throes of post war liberation, the commencement of the process for real gender equality, and the soundtrack is used sparingly to illustrate that. Sadly, though, and perhaps because so many of her contemporaries are no longer alive, there is just something remarkably static about this. You are shown images time and time again in a quickly framed, wham-bam sort of fashion, but somehow it doesn't resonate, or stick - it's like looking through some old editions of "Vogue" - there is little sense of the character or the personality of either her, or her larger than life husband. It's just all too one-dimensional to captivate - and for me, anyway, it just didn't.