Mary Quant designed her first mini skirt with herself in mind – but it soon became a staple of women's clothing. Now, 50 years later, Tara Greaves looks at the impact it still has today.
It was much more than just a skirt. And to really understand the mini, you have to take into account what was also going on at the time it became popular – from the rise in youth culture to a new type of freedom for women.
Mary Quant, the British designer who was at the heart of 'swinging London' and widely credited with popularising the mini, managed to capture the zeitgeist in a skirt which women everywhere wanted to wear.
Speaking about the 50th anniversary, she recalled the 'feeling of freedom and liberation' and said she had herself in mind when she designed it – having experimented with shorter hemlines in the late 1950s.
'I liked my skirts short because I wanted to run and catch the bus to get to work. It was that feeling of freedom and liberation,' she said.
Laura Old, a fashion lecturer at the Norwich University of the Arts (NUA), said the mini signified 'strength and confidence' and was a 'rebellious rejection of cultural expectations for women to dress more modestly in Western society'.
'This simple shortening of a hemline captured a sense of playful freedom and a new empowerment for youth culture, not merely an aesthetic concern but a political statement of freedom for women,' she said.
'This still resonates today and the influence of the mini skirt changed the way that fashion was consumed and enjoyed by the masses, bringing a sense of fun and sex appeal for women to ditch conventions and gain ownership of their individual 'look', paving the way for the diverse and tantalising styles that fashion offers now.'
Denise Green, fashion buyer for Jarrold in Norwich, was a style-conscious 14-year-old when the mini became all the rage outside of London – and admits her hemlines were 'very high'.
'It was quite the norm. You could wear it very very short or toned down at knee length,' she said. 'There were cropped dresses two or three inches below the bottom. You had kitten heels and short hair cuts and a lot of make-up which was very Hollywood glam.'
Denise, who has worked for Jarrold for about 20 years, is still influenced by the 1960s and enjoys the femininity and simplicity of shape along with good cuts.
'A lot of styles from the 1960s are still around today. The Mary Quant dresses were an icon of that time but that geometric shape and colour pallet is coming back, it's very strong this season,' she said.
Ms Quant, now 80, who named the skirt after her favourite car, said she still most liked to see it worn 'short and leggy', and revealed the names of those she thought had worn it best over the years, including Jean Shrimpton, Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy.
And asked if she thought women were ever too old to wear a mini skirt, she said: 'No, it depends on your legs. Nothing more, nothing less.'
David Hanton, who runs Mod One in Magdalen Street, Norwich, selling retro and mod fashions, became passionate about the mod subculture while at art school in Great Yarmouth. 'Once you are into that sort of thing, you just like it, although I think getting a scooter in my late 30s really triggered it again,' he said. While initially his customer base was people who remembered the era, younger people are also becoming more interested.
It is hard to think of another item of clothing that has had the same impact, culturally and stylistically, as the mini, which is why it needs to be taken in context and recognised as much more than just a skirt.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here