Felicity Green, a pioneering British fashion editor who played a significant role in popularizing the youthful styles of the Swinging Sixties, died on September 10 at her home in London. She was 100 years old. Her passing was announced by Deborah Bee, a friend and former student.
Green’s career in fashion journalism spanned several decades, with a defining period at The Daily Mirror where she introduced the newspaper’s five million readers to emerging trends that challenged the conservative norms of the postwar era. She became known for championing designers such as Mary Quant and Barbara Hulanicki, whose innovative approaches helped shape the cultural landscape of the 1960s.
In 1960, after a brief tenure as fashion editor for Woman and Beauty magazine, Green was invited to join The Daily Mirror following a critical assessment of the Mirror Group's then-new Sunday women’s paper. Although that publication was short-lived, Green quickly established herself at The Daily Mirror, covering fashion at a time when London was becoming a global center for youthful, street-inspired style. Boutiques on Carnaby Street and King's Road were disrupting traditional fashion, and Green’s reporting captured this shift with vibrant, photo-driven layouts featuring bold new looks.
Her work often blurred the boundaries between fashion and social commentary. She famously covered the backlash against the miniskirt, including the international reactions to model Jean Shrimpton’s daring white minidress at the 1965 Melbourne Cup. Green also highlighted innovations such as tights, which revolutionized women’s legwear and complemented the rising popularity of the miniskirt.
Green’s influence extended beyond editorial content. She helped launch Barbara Hulanicki’s Biba, a brand that grew from a mail-order boutique into a defining London lifestyle destination. Her 1964 feature on female entrepreneurs in fashion included a commissioned design from Hulanicki that sparked widespread demand and contributed to Biba’s success.
Despite her contributions, Green encountered resistance within her own organization. The Daily Mirror’s chairman, Cecil King, once confronted her about featuring miniskirts, a style he found objectionable. Green famously responded that she would continue to showcase them as long as they remained fashionable.
Born on June 26, 1926, in Dagenham, East London, Green was the only child of a Jewish family in her neighborhood. She showed early interest in fashion, sketching designs and later seeking opportunities in the publishing world. After beginning her career with menial duties at Woman and Beauty magazine, she rose steadily to the role of fashion editor.
In 1973, Green became a director at The Mirror but resigned five years later over pay disparities when a male colleague was hired at twice her salary. She subsequently worked with Vidal Sassoon and consulted for numerous publications, including The Daily Express and The Telegraph, while also teaching at Central Saint Martins College of Art.
Known for her pragmatic view on fashion, Green once commented that fashion was “not a bloody religion,” emphasizing the practical nature of clothing amid the business of style. She expressed a preference for consumers investing in clothes rather than arms, reflecting her broader perspective on the social role of fashion.
Green is survived by no immediate family. Her legacy endures in the vivid cultural moment she helped define, bringing street fashion to mainstream media and influencing generations of style and journalism.