Mini skirt has seen it all – love, dislike and all the brouhaha. Equally reviled, as it is adored, a mini skirt do enjoy an iconic status in fashion, among all the different types of skirts.
The most asked question about a miniskirt is usually “What is the proper length for a mini skirt?”. Everyone knows that Miniskirt is a short skirt. But what length qualifies a skirt as a Mini skirt?
Length of a mini skirt
The answer is never straight forward. A mini skirt will finish somewhere mid thigh – the length of it ranging from 11 inches to 17 inches. The length cannot be constant as the appropriate length will depend on the height of the person wearing it. For short women a 17 inch mini skirt would be a regular skirt.
A good rule of thumb is to count 3-4 inches above the knees.
Different types of mini skirt
The most favourite types of Mini skirts are as below:
Bondage Mini skirt
This is a short and tight fitting mini skirt in a stretchy fabric with several cross straps along the body; some will feature zippers, buckles, eyelets. Can also call it a bodycon skirt.
Micro mini skirt /Pelmet skirt
A Micro mini is the shortest mini skirt with its length below 10 inches. A Pelmet skirt is another name for the same.
Denim miniskirt
Denim mini skirts are always a favourite. It could be a skirt made of denim fabric or a jeans converted into a short skirt.
Leather mini skirt
Leather mini skirt is a classic.
Pleated mini skirt
Wrap around mini skirt
A-line mini skirt
A line mini skirts could be slightly flared or a circle skirt with a full flare.
Skater skirt
A skater skirt is a mini skirt with a flared silhouette and a high waistline, much the same as the skirts that figure skaters wear.
Tennis skirt
Tennis skirts are mini skirts primarily designed for tennis players to ensure optimal performance and comfort during their matches. They usually have built-in shorts or compression shorts underneath for obvious reasons
Ruffled and Tiered skirts
These mini skirts have ruffles or frills attached at the hem or as part of the skirt.
So When did it all start?
The History of a Mini Skirt
Wearing short skirts is not a modern phenomenon. As early as the 5th century mini skirts were seen to be worn by women. But in the modern fashion history, for a long time, long skirts were the norm. Women were demure and dependent. They wore what the fashion dictated and that was long dresses, gowns and skirts.
Then in the 1960’s British fashion designer Mary Quant and French Fashion designer André Courrèges popularized the mini skirt – this brought Mini Skirt to mainstream fashion.
The British designer Mary Quant chose to move away from the course set by the Paris fashion houses and started to sell short skirts. The skirt was named after her car – the Mini. Around the same time designer André Courrèges was also successfully bringing out short skirts in the Paris Fashion scene.
The mini skirt announced the independence and the liberated spirit of young women of the time- they were joining the workforce and earning and were independent. The long and modest skirts were set aside for sexier mini skirts. Individualism and freedom of expression and growth of feminism as a movement all lead to the popularity of mini skirts.
Mini skirt has since seen many highs and lows. The style of wearing short skirts started being less popular by the late 1960s and in the 1970s it was over taken by long skirts.
The mini skirt fashion came back again by the late 1970s with the Punk Movement. Mini skirt also got integrated into the business suit for women – a symbol of smartness and power. Catwalks and fashion magazines took it up as a staple; Street wear fashion has further popularized mini skirt. For a long time,to this day, Mini skirt has been a constant in the fashion scene in many forms and types.
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