1963

There used to be a hosiery factory in St Albans on Hatfield Road called Ballito, Morrison's supermarket stands there now. I wondered if this packet of stockings I bought in a charity shop on Hatfield Road was made there. I was attracted by the packaging, dated 1963. I was a graphic designer and this small piece of 60's memorabilia is a perfect piece of social history, I want to frame it. The term Young Miss is demure, the packaging is selling stockings but there are no legs on the packet. I like the drawing style executed in flat colour. The typography is a bold block, but by using an outline type face in white it suggests femininity. In 1963 Britain hadn't yet got in to full 'swing' and the mini-skirt had yet to be indroduced by Mary Quant (1965). The mini-skirt saw the decline of stockings it was bare legs or tights. 1963 was the year John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Martin Luther King gave his "I Have A Dream" speech, the Profumo and Christine Keeler scandal, the Great Train Robbery, Beatlemania was just being coined and the first episode of Dr Who was broadcast. An interesting year.