WHAT MADE THE SIXTIES

Mary Quant, Vidal Sassoon,Biba, Grace Coddington, Sandy Shaw, The Beetles, Stripy tights,Courreges square dresses, sharp short haircuts, the mini skirt, Down Town, These things made the early sixties. Sadly I did not, I was five years old when Roman Polanski was filming Repulsion. It was the time of David Bailey and a Vidal geometric haircut suitable for straight shiny hair. They were the trend setters, more modern in their outlook than anybody in 2010.
Tonight I entered a room full of these old timers. Mary Quant with hair bob stood upright in front of me, still modern, still red, and still sharp. Vidal was in another corner signing books slim with enormous charisma. His book Autobiography covers this period, the trendiness of the Kings Road. The huge changes in society, the working classes from the East End and Liverpool starting their huge social climb and influencing the rest of us.
I met Ronnie and Vidal about four years ago in London, their flat square clean and modern, filled with style and contemporary furniture, of course it was probably 1960's but I felt I was in a beautiful bubble escaping from the dirt and chaos of Nottinghill Gate. Their houses in Los Angeles are mirrors of the image he created, one by Neutres and one by Hal Levitt, stunning architects of this period. Vidal has a love of books, music, furniture, decoration and food. We were cooked dinner by Ronnie his wife, delicious.