Information AboutMiniskirt |
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The miniskirt (often hyphenated as '''mini-skirt''') is a Skirt with a hemline well above the knees (generally 20 cm - about 8 inches - or more above knee level). The mini was the defining fashion symbol of " Swinging London " in the 1960s . ORIGIN After World War I , hemlines had risen rapidly. By the mid- 1920s , dresses worn by young " Flappers " were often above the knee. One by-product was the abandonment of the constraining Corsetry of Victorian and Edwardian times. The miniskirt's existence in the 1960s is generally credited to the Fashion Designer Mary Quant , who was inspired by the Mini Automobile , although the French designer André Courrèges is also often cited as its inventor (the French referred to it as ''la mini-jupe''), and there is disagreement as to who invented it first. Some give the credit to Helen Rose, who made some miniskirts for actress Anne Francis in the 1956 Science Fiction movie, '' Forbidden Planet ''. {Link without Title} Recently, Marit Allen, a '', who introduced the weekly British Rock Music show, '' Ready Steady Go! '' ( 1964 - 6 ). MARY QUANT AND JEAN SHRIMPTON Mary Quant ran a popular Clothes Shop in the Kings Road , Chelsea, London called ''Bazaar'', from which she sold her own designs. In the late 1950s she began experimenting with shorter skirts, which resulted in the miniskirt in 1965—one of the defining Fashion s of the decade. Owing to Quant's position in the heart of fashionable " Swinging London ", the miniskirt was able to spread beyond a simple street fashion into a major international trend. Its acceptance was greatly boosted by Jean Shrimpton 's wearing a short white shift dress, made by Colin Rolfe, on 30 October 1965 at Derby Day, first day of the annual Melbourne Cup Carnival in Australia, where it caused a sensation. According to Shrimpton, who claimed that the brevity of the skirt was due mainly to Rolfe's having insufficient material, the ensuring controversy was as much as anything to do with her having dispensed with a hat and gloves, seen as the essential accessories in such conservative society.Jean Shrimpton ( 1990 ) ''An Autobiography'' DEVELOPMENT The miniskirt was further popularised by André Courrèges, who developed it separately and incorporated it into his Mod look, for spring/summer 1965. His miniskirts were less body-hugging, and worn with the white " Courrèges Boots " that became a trademark. By introducing the miniskirt into the Haute Couture of the fashion industry, Courrèges gave it a greater degree of respectability than might otherwise have been expected of a street fashion. The miniskirt was followed up in the late 1960s by the even shorter ''micro skirt'', which has been referred to derogatorily as a Belt or Pelmet . Upper garments, such as rugby shirts, were sometimes adapted as mini-dresses. Tights or Panty-hose became highly fashionable, in place of Stockings , specifically because the rise in hemlines meant that stocking tops would be visible. Mary Quant cited this development in defence of the miniskirt: "In European countries where they ban mini-skirts in the streets and say they're an invitation to rape, they don't understand about stocking tights underneath".Interview with Alison Adburgham, ''The Guardian'', 10 October 1967 1970s During the mid- that: The women kept on dancing while their long skirts crept up, and their Girdles dissolved, and their nipples burst through like hyacinth tips and their clothes withered away to the mere wisps and ghosts of draperies to adorn and glorify ...Germaine Greer in '' Oz '', February 1969. Indeed, miniskirts never entirely went away and, for example, were often worn by Deborah Harry , of the group Blondie , during the "new wave" of the late 70s. The song ''(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea'' ( 1978 ) by new wave artist, Elvis Costello , contained the line, "There's no place here for the mini-skirt waddle". 1980s and 90s In the ('' Friends '', '' Sex And The City '', '' Ally McBeal '', for example) show how ubiquitous the mini had become again. In the BBC TV series '' Keeping Up Appearances '' ( 1990 - 5 ) the snobbish Hyacinth Bucket was frequently outraged by the brevity of her sister Rose's skirts. 21st century Around the turn of the 21st Century , Hipster Trousers became highly fashionable for women. The micro has been reworked as an even less substantial beltskirt, which is more an evocation of the idea of a skirt than something that covers anything substantial. It may perhaps also provide rhythm for the hipline. Due to its revealing nature, the beltskirt is rarely worn in public. Miniskirts are also seen worn over trousers or Jeans , or with Leggings that provide coverage of each leg from above the knee. Although "floaty" skirts were most closely associated with the Boho look of the mid Noughties , short skirts also featured in some outfits and in London, for example, minis were more widespread during the hot summer of 2006 than for several years, a trend that continued through the mild autumn and winter and into the following summer. Mini skirts are now becoming more common for younger generations See, for example, ''Sunday Times Style'', 18 March 2007.. NOTES FURTHER READING |
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