Pop Art's Influences on 1960s Mod Fashion

Erin Bryan

Abstract

I will be exploring how the pop art movement, in particular, influenced the fashion associated with the 1960s Mod style. This style was popular among young people in Britain, as the term “Mod” is short for “Modernist”, and featured bold colors, geometric motifs, sharp lines, as well as slim and simple silhouettes. I will be creating my own 1960s mini dress, following a vintage pattern from that time, and using fabric that reflects the bright, geometric, and colorful characteristics of pop art, all while documenting my progress. Not only will I be capturing the visual similarities between this art and fashion, but I also wish to showcase the rise of consumerism that pop art brought with it and how that gave way to clothing in the 1960s and beyond to become more disposable and quickly produced. Through this project, I also wish to highlight how both of these movements have roots in women’s empowerment, as they both used the female body as tools of protest.

For the presentation of this piece, I will need a mannequin (if possible) to display the dress and a tripod to display the accompanying poster.