About the Book
Sixties counter-culture led to a revolution in fashion so profound that its contemporary influence remains unparalleled. For the first time in history, women dominated the zeitgeist; never before has this monumental time in fashion been so richly documented.
Switched On takes you back to a time of looming social and cultural upheaval, when a cadre of energetic, creative, forward-thinking women explored undiscovered fashion terrain, and painted the backdrop for a transformative ten years.
The volume showcases the “It girls”—designers, artists, actresses, entertainers, authors, editors, photographers, models, entrepreneurs, activists and newsmakers—who defined the decade, with profiles of Jane Birkin, Betty Catroux, Catherine Deneuve, Barbara Hulanicki, Eunice W. Johnson, Donyale Luna, Tiger Morse, Thea Porter, Lilly Pulitzer, Bridget Riley, Jean Seberg, Edie Sedgwick, Nancy Sinatra, Sharon Tate, Penelope Tree, Theadora Van Runkle, Veruschka, Mary Wells Lawrence, and many more. These turned-out, tuned-in, switched-on ladies fascinate now as they did then.
The stories of these women and the remarkable era they fashioned is lavishly illustrated with more than 250 photographs from the likes of David Bailey, Bert Stern, Milton H. Greene, Patrick Lichfield, Gianni Penati, Sam Lévin, Arthur Evans, Loomis Dean, Susan Wood, Véronique Bucossi, David Hurn, Alan Pappé, Bud Fraker, and Malcolm Bulloch. The book also features never-before-seen or published images from the renowned Independent Visions photo archive.
Foreword by Betsey Johnson, Afterword by Dame Mary Quant
About the Author :
David Wills is an author, independent curator, photographic preservationist, and editor who has accrued one of the world's largest independent archives of original photographs, negatives, and transparencies. He has contributed material to many publications and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Phoenix Art Museum, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition to Switched On, Wills has authored: Ara Gallant; Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis; Audrey: The 60s; Hollywood in Kodachrome; Seventies Glamour; The Cinematic Legacy of Frank Sinatra; Marilyn: In the Flash; Audrey: The 50s; and Vegas Gold. He is also the co-author of Veruschka.
Review :
“SWITCHED ON by David Wills is a wonderfully evocative tribute to all those marvellous women whose contribution to style in the 60’s was life changing. It was an outstandingly exciting, and challenging, time - such fun, such hard work yet with so many happy memories, cleverly encapsulated in this beautifully produced, colourful and fascinating book. I feel honoured to be part of it.”
