Felicity Green, a pioneering British fashion editor credited with popularizing the miniskirt and bringing contemporary street styles to a nationwide audience during the Swinging Sixties, died on September 10 at her home in London. She was 100 years old. Her passing was confirmed by Deborah Bee, a friend and former student.
Green rose to prominence as fashion editor at The Daily Mirror, a leading British tabloid with a circulation of approximately five million, where she showcased cutting-edge youthful fashions from designers such as Mary Quant and the Biba brand. Her work, which featured bold, photo-driven layouts highlighting daring styles and lingerie, challenged the conservative tastes of her male colleagues and appealed to both women and men.
In 1960, Green transitioned from Woman and Beauty magazine to The Daily Mirror following a brief stint with a Sunday women's paper. This move positioned her at the forefront of London's burgeoning fashion scene, which saw the rise of accessible, street-level styles emerging from boutiques on Carnaby Street and Kings Road. Green played a key role in making trends such as the miniskirt—and tights, which she promoted as a practical complement to the increasingly shorter hemlines—mainstream and affordable.
Green’s editorial approach often courted controversy. She recounted instances when Mirror chairman Cecil King expressed displeasure with her frequent miniskirt coverage, to which she famously replied that she would stop featuring them only when the style was no longer fashionable. Her stories included unconventional features such as models posing in football club locker rooms and pubs, and she was instrumental in popularizing the work of young designers like Barbara Hulanicki, co-founder of Biba, through groundbreaking mail-order campaigns that sold tens of thousands of dresses.
Her tenure included memorable moments like bringing British fashion to Moscow in 1967 as part of a trade delegation, where models clad in miniskirts drew disapproving glances. Green also did not shy away from provocative subjects, famously publishing an article about Mary Quant’s personal style choices that stirred public curiosity and drew the attention of the British Press Council.
Born in 1926 in Dagenham, East London, to a Jewish family, Green initially struggled academically but found her passion in fashion, teaching herself design and eventually securing a role at Woman and Beauty through persistence. She advanced to fashion editor before moving on to The Daily Mirror, where she became one of the few female directors by 1973. She resigned in 1978 after discovering a pay disparity with a male colleague and later worked for Vidal Sassoon’s British office, consulted for major newspapers, and taught at Central Saint Martins College of Art.
Reflecting on fashion’s cultural role, Green once remarked that it was “not a bloody religion” but rather a complex mix of real clothes and an elusive social force that influences trends and consumer behavior. She expressed a preference for consumers investing in clothes rather than arms, underscoring her pragmatic approach to fashion as both an art and industry.
Green is survived by no immediate family. Her contributions remain influential in defining 1960s British style and democratizing fashion for a broader public.