Diana Vreeland coined the phrase “youthquake” while leading Vogue’s fashion coverage in the 1960s.
Vreeland became editor in chief of Vogue in 1963, after a prominent career at Harper’s Bazaar. She used vivid language and imaginative editorial direction to present fashion as part of a broader cultural shift involving music, photography, youth culture, and changing social attitudes. “Youthquake” captured the idea that younger consumers were driving an important transformation in style and popular culture.
Her Vogue was highly visual and often deliberately dramatic. She encouraged photographers and designers to create memorable images rather than simply document clothing. This helped strengthen the role of the fashion editor as a cultural tastemaker.
Vreeland is sometimes confused with Carmel Snow, the influential Harper’s Bazaar editor who hired her earlier. Snow shaped Vreeland’s career, but “youthquake” is most closely associated with Vreeland’s 1960s Vogue period.