{"id":1179,"date":"2020-03-30T12:08:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T12:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/au.contrado.com\/blog\/?p=1179"},"modified":"2020-04-05T12:34:33","modified_gmt":"2020-04-05T12:34:33","slug":"history-of-mini-skirt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/au.contrado.com\/blog\/history-of-mini-skirt\/","title":{"rendered":"History of the Mini Skirt: 60s Hedonism & Youth Rebellion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A History of the Mini Skirt\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The iconic history of the mini skirt is anything but short and sweet. It involves rebellion, sex and sixties hedonism at its core. Hitched-up hemlines can date back as far 4700BC. But the mini skirt we know and love today was born out of a youth culture movement that strove to\u00a0deviate from the repressed post-war 50s fashion. Here, we\u2019ll explore the origins and\u00a0cultural representations of this worldwide\u00a0phenomenon that shook up the fashion world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Twiggy was the poster girl for the 1960s mini skirt<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Short Hemline, Long Timeline <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

5400 \u2013 4700BC\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As we all know,\u00a0trends fluctuate from era to era. It\u2019s not all down to whimsical decisions made by flamboyant designers.\u00a0Archaeologists\u00a0have uncovered\u00a0ancient figurines dating back to\u00a05400\u00a0\u2013 4700BC that depict females wearing skirts\u00a0like\u00a0the 60s mini. That indicates\u00a0that this was a common form of dress in early\u00a0civilisations.\u00a0However,\u00a0it\u2019s impossible to say whether this was purely for practicality or other more liberating reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1920s\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We do know though that the roaring 20s and the emergence of the flapper girl saw hemlines\u00a0rise\u00a0up\u00a0to\u00a0the knee. A post-war escapism and progression with women\u2019s rights and emancipation led to this more daring attire. However, after the more conservative calf-length hemline of the 1930s,\u00a0fabric rationing during WWII brought back a shorter skirt.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1960s\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0mini skirt had slowly began to creep into the mainstream via 1950s sci-fi movies like\u00a0Flight to Mars<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Forbidden Planet<\/em>. But it was the revolutionary swinging 60s\u00a0where the\u00a0mini skirt became the\u00a0cultural icon we recognise today. It signified a\u00a0political youth movement where teens no\u00a0longer wanted to dress like their parents. The mini skirt was a playful, rebellious garment, representing the shift in societal dynamics.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Quant & her London Legacy <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite there being disputes as to who\u00a0first hitched the hemline north,\u00a0it was Mary Quant who pioneered 60s fashion in London. Super short skirts and dresses became her\u00a0signature\u00a0look, helping to\u00a0popularise\u00a0the mini skirt on an international scale. In 1955, Quant opened her\u00a0infamous shop, Bazaar, on Kings Road. Her collection’s simple shapes and strong\u00a0colours\u00a0challenged the conservative values still prevailing. The 50s were deemed an era\u00a0where \u2018fashion was not for young people\u2019. But Quant was a visionary. Her\u00a0designs offered\u00a0locals\u00a0alternative,\u00a0bespoke clothes that were a far cry from what was available on\u00a0the mainstream\u00a0market.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Famed\u00a0for being the mother of the mini skirt, her love\u00a0of short\u00a0silhouettes\u00a0can\u00a0be pinpointed to a specific moment when spying on a dancer during a Chelsea ballet class.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe was wearing a short, pleated skirt about 10in long, with a skinny black sweater, black tights and a bob haircut. What struck me was how the whole outfit focused on what she had on her feet: a pair of white ankle socks, and a pair of patent tap shoes with ankle straps \u2026 From that day on I was struck with this lovely vision of legs and ankles.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Bazaar became a \u2018scene\u2019 in itself; a hedonistic hangout comprising of music, drinks and a shopping experience like no other. Quant\u2019s style appealed to young women all over seeking playful, coquettish fashion that aligned with advancements of sexual expression within society.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mary Quant, pioneer of the mini skirt<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sex, Drugs & Birth Control <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The history of the mini skirt is steeped with controversial\u00a0narratives, rather than just being the result of a\u00a0creative, frivolous idea. The 1920s was a time when\u00a0women were more sexually empowered than\u00a0their\u00a0predecessors. But with burlesque vaudeville shows, flapper dresses and seductive makeup, there were still limitations to their sexual freedom; the possibility of falling pregnant.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the 1960s came big breakthroughs and revolutionary movements that changed the course of history. One of those was the development of the birth control pill. Now, women could explore and indulge in their sexuality without the fear of falling pregnant. As a consequence, the mini skirt conveyed this\u00a0newfound\u00a0freedom. As\u00a0middle-aged\u00a0businessmen gawked at the \u2018obscenity\u2019 of such a short skirt, Quant\u00a0marvelled\u00a0in this extraordinary shift in dynamics. I can just envision it; the middle-class patriarchy angrily shaking\u00a0their fists\u00a0at the\u00a0confident young women embracing their bodies and style,\u00a0in an attempt to\u00a0quash any influence they could have on society.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Famous Mini Skirt Moments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n