A Brief History of the Mini Skirt

I am very passionate about this, so let's talk about the mini skirt.

Of course, I have to begin by thanking the mini skirt queen herself, Miss Mary Quant. Without her, I would be nothing. 

Mary Quant, in the 1960s, was inspired by the younger generation, or the "mods". She enjoyed their fun, carefree nature and appreciated their simple but bold fashion, and felt inspired to contribute to this style of fashion. Mini skirts, tights and pockets on everything represented their spirit, so that is exactly what Quant did. She was all for the new and unique, starting out her career running a small boutique in Chelsea called Bazaar, stocking her one-off designs. She offered the high street a fresh and alternative look that steered away from the mature and refined clothing found at the time. Raising hemlines became her trademark in the fashion industry.


With muses such as Twiggy modelling Quant's clothing, the mini skirt became one of the most popular garments amongst young women in the sixties. Quant changed the game for women's fashion, making it more wearable, fun and free. 

Since Quant, the mini skirt became even minier.

In the 1970s, Vivienne Westwood began experimenting with the tartan kilt, incorporating her punk style and alternative appeal, by shortening them, adding leather bondage and large safety pins and buckles to exaggerate the traditional Scottish kilt. As a designer who has always represented youth and rebellion in her designs, the mini tartan skirt was the perfect addition to her brand and has forever remained an iconic collection in Westwood history. I just love how much variation you get with a Vivienne Westwood tartan mini, the amount of colours and styles, different hemlines and different occasions, they are so versatile and just look so unique compared to the standard tartan mini you can now get everywhere. When you wear a Westwood tartan mini, the right people will know you are wearing a Westwood mini. I think Vivienne Westwood mini skirts are my favourites, as an avid tartan skirt wearer and admirer. 




      


The 1980s and 90s brought a transformation for Chanel, with their classic, elegant tweed suits turned scandalous with the introduction of the mini skirt. Their skirt and jacket sets were displayed in fun colours, with chains and statement buttons, an elevated version of their renowned suits famously worn by Jackie Kennedy. Chanel introducing the mini skirt into formal wear was a big step in women's wear, as you had the freedom to be fun and classy, and Chanel will make you feel classy no matter what. I would love to rock up to university in a Chanel suit, they are just so cute and I would feel so powerful! 

     

      

       

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, when It Girl and celebrity culture was at an all-time high, with the likes of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, the micro-mini was born. As Paris Hilton said so graciously herself, 'Mini skirts. Skirts should be the size of a belt, life's short, take risks.' and I have never agreed with anything more. 2000s fashion is certainly a required taste, often seen as tacky and too "girly", it was very much centred around women's fashion and the colour pink. Brands like Juicy Couture, Von Dutch, Ed Hardy, along with High Fashion brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Gucci, were prime during this pinnacle year in fashion. Mini skirts came in thousands of different fabrics, lengths, styles; the more arse and belly the better. I love how fun fashion has become again with the comeback of the 90s and 2000s, and although I have very strong opinions about TikTok ruining the fashion industry, I also appreciate that it has inspired people to be more creative and look beyond the basics in terms of style. 





The return of the micro-mini, this season, was all thanks to MiuMiu and their reconstructed suits transformed into matching tops and micro-mini skirts. This was one of my favourite collections from S/S 2022 shows and I love how MiuMiu took a classic, formal garment and made it fun, feminine and youthful. 


MiuMiu also introduced a micro-mini in their S/S 2021 collection, with a bejewelled set in pink and yellow (and other colours) which Lila Moss modelled on the catwalk. I absolutely adore this set, I think everyone who has worn it just looks so beautiful in it. It screams MiuMiu in every way as it is the perfect combination of youth and elegance. Vogue Russia made a great video with the model wearing the set in pink. It is such a nostalgic video, you immediately think of the early 2000s whilst watching it, with the edition of the flip phone and a baguette bag, it compliments the garment so well and makes me love it even more. I think both of these MiuMiu collections will inspire many other brands to reintroduce the micro-mini, I would love Vivienne Westwood to bring it back in tartan!



Another brand that displayed the micro-mini this S/S 2022 was Sultry Virgin, a brand that began in 2020 with the ethos of designing and making unisex garments exhibiting youth and femininity. I had never heard of this brand until this collection went viral on high fashion twitter, and I am so glad I discovered them because I am in love with their clothes! These beautiful, pleated mini skirts in pastel satins, embellished with buttons and gold chains, similarly to Chanel, are the cutest take on the micro-mini and a great homage to the mini-skirts of the 90s and 2000s (You can see very clear comparisons in Paris Hilton's wardrobe). I think Sultry Virgin could really lift off after this amazing collection and become known for their perfect mini skirts. I don't think my life will be complete without one of these skirts!




That was only a very brief history of the mini skirt because of course, every fashion house under the sun has had a mini skirt or two in their collection, I just chose what I think are the most iconic and important mini skirts, and mostly my favourite mini skirts! This has been, so far, my favourite blog post to write, I honestly think I could write an entire book about mini skirts (maybe I will one day!) because there is so much more to say, so many other incredible designers who have released mini skirts and I guarantee we will have infinite amounts of S/S shows with a mini skirt or two in it. Something I would like to see more is A/W shows featuring a mini skirt because who decided mini skirts weren't for winter? I wear mini skirts all year round and no one can stop me.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to follow my blog and join my little haven, you will receive emails every time I post a piece. 

Love, Bella <3


Instagram: @bellabbloss

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