What Is a Mini Skirt?

Where does the mini skirt come from?

The mini skirt has no single inventor: skirts rose above the knee gradually in London and Paris between about 1960 and 1966, and reference sources credit different people. The V&A puts it plainly: the move to “above the knee” skirts “was a gradual process”, and surviving dresses and photographs show skirts only became really short in 1966.

Who invented the mini skirt?

The credit is disputed, and each source tells it differently:

• Mary Quant. The FIT Fashion History Timeline calls the miniskirt and minidress one of the most revolutionary designs “attributed to Quant”. Britannica says very short skirts were introduced first in London by Quant and “several years later” by André Courrèges in Paris.
• André Courrèges. The Online Etymology Dictionary says the miniskirt was “reputedly the invention” of the French designer. The V&A records that his couture collection of short skirts won international publicity in April 1964.
• Both, and others. FIT’s 1960s timeline lists 1964 as the year young designers, “including Mary Quant and Andre Courreges”, introduced the miniskirt and minidress.
• Nobody in particular. The V&A says Quant “has often been credited” with inventing it, but that young women like her and schoolgirls on the streets were improvising short skirts. Quant herself wore a knee-skimming skirt in New York as early as 1960. The Fashion History Museum goes further: it states the miniskirt was not invented by Quant, Courrèges, John Bates, Rudi Gernreich or Marimekko, and dates the first above-the-knee dresses to spring 1960.

Hemlines had been creeping up before any of them. The V&A points to Balenciaga’s semi-fitted “sack dress” and to Yves Saint Laurent’s 1959 Trapeze line for Dior, which promised to show more leg. The Fashion History Museum notes that a London shop tried short hemlines on its window mannequins in 1960; the look did not catch on then, but returned in 1962 as “Ya-ya” skirts.

Where does the name come from?

“Miniskirt” joins the prefix mini-, short for “miniature”, to “skirt”. Sources date the word differently. Merriam-Webster gives its first known use as 1962. The Online Etymology Dictionary dates it to 1965, and the V&A says the term began appearing in newspaper reports in 1965. The V&A also notes that “mini” had already been used for a three-wheeled car in the 1930s and for the Mini-Minor in 1959. None of the sources cited here documents the story that Quant named the skirt after her car.

How the mini rose and fell in the 1960s

By the mid-1960s young women were wearing skirts that fell at the upper thigh, and Parisian designers adopted miniskirts and minidresses as Quant and her contemporaries grew more popular, according to FIT. FIT notes that Quant contributed to the Mod movement, while in Paris Courrèges and Pierre Cardin showed Space Age designs in white and silver. FIT says the mini reached its height mid-decade; skirts then dipped back to mid-calf, and the full-length maxi skirt had emerged by 1969. The V&A dates the arrival of the midi and maxi to 1968 and notes that micro-minis are now seen both on the street and on the catwalk.

What makes a mini skirt a mini skirt?

Length is the only defining feature: a mini skirt is any skirt whose hem sits well above the knee, whatever its cut or cloth. Merriam-Webster defines it as a short skirt with the hemline “several inches above the knee”. At the mid-1960s peak, FIT records hems at the upper thigh, and the V&A describes a Quant Ginger Group dress worn “a good three inches above the knee”. None of these sources gives a fixed measurement, so a label’s “mini” is a description, not a standard.

The nearest look-alikes differ in one clear way:

What are the main types of mini skirt?

Mini skirts are grouped by cut and cloth, because the length stays roughly the same while the shape changes.

The skirt’s cousin, the minidress, came in waistless cuts close to a shift dress: FIT notes that sheath and A-line minidresses, both without defined waists, were popular 1960s silhouettes.

How do you tell a well-made mini skirt?

A well-made mini skirt has an even hem, a flat zip, a firm waistband that stays on grain and clean seams inside. The checks below follow the New Mexico State University clothing construction standards.

The hem

• Lay the skirt flat and check that the hem is the same width all the way round.
• Look at the outside: hand stitches should be uniform, secure and inconspicuous. Pulled stitches or ridges show quickly on a short hem.
• On a flared mini, any fullness turned up into the hem should be evenly eased, with no small pleats.

The waistband and zip

• Pinch the waistband. It should feel firmer than the skirt because it is interfaced, and it should be an even width all round.
• Run a finger along the zip: the placket should lie smooth and flat, free from puckering, with the zip completely covered.
• Check the grain. The lengthwise grain should hang perpendicular to the floor, and the waistband should sit on grain.

Inside the skirt

• Turn it inside out. Seams should be free from ravelling, and any seam finish should add no bulk.
• If the skirt has a lining, it should be hemmed 1 inch (2.5 cm) shorter than the skirt so it never peeps below. If it is attached at the hem, look for a small pleat that gives ease.
• Darts at the back waist should taper smoothly, with no pucker or bubble at the point.
• On checks or stripes, look at the side seams: the pattern should be matched where possible.

Red flags

• A hem that changes width or shows its stitches from the outside.
• A zip placket that puckers or leaves the zip exposed.
• A soft, uneven waistband with no interfacing.
• Raw seam edges that are already ravelling.

How do you wear a mini skirt?

Wear a mini skirt with the length and cloth matched to the setting, and test it sitting down before you buy, since a mini rides up when you sit. Practical points:

• Sit, then check. Sit on a chair in front of a mirror and cross your legs. If the hem disappears, the length will feel too short for a working day.
• Flat shoes work. The V&A describes a Quant Ginger Group minidress designed to be worn with flat shoes, its sporty shape allowing free movement.
• Tights change the season. FIT records young women wearing brightly coloured, patterned tights with their miniskirts in the 1960s. Opaque tights still carry a mini into winter.
• Balance the volume. A full A-line or pleated mini sits well with a fitted top; a straight mini leaves room for a looser jumper or shirt.
• Let the cloth set the formality. A wool or tailored mini reads smarter than a stretch or denim one.