Mary Quant, Andre Courreges, and “Girls of the Street” - Miniskirt Playful

Fashion's Most Daring Hemline

While the miniskirt may have existed from very early civilization, it has only recently evoked powerful political and cultural implications. The realms of politics and business, as well as physical exertion was thought to be dangerous for women, and tight corsets with long, restrictive skirts generally reflected these traditional views. Archaeologists have discovered a series of prehistoric figurines Dating back to 5400 – 4700BC in a village site in Serbia, one of Europe’s oldest settlements, that depict females wearing skirts likened to the 60’s mini, indicating this was a common form of dress in ancient civilizations. Ancient Egyptian paintings and etchings also show evidence of miniskirt apparel as a type of costume worn by acrobatic dancers who would entertain noble pharaohs and kings. In the mid-1800s, women across Europe and America were generally believed to be the weaker and more vulnerable sex. After WWI, however, advances in women’s emancipation and post-war escapism led to the “flapper” style in the Roaring Twenties with the raising of hemlines up to the knees. After dropping to a more conservative, calf length during the early 1930s, hemlines rose to just below the knee during WWII due to mandatory fabric rationing during the war. As the fifties came around, mini-skirts were usually for sports or dancing, but they could also be seen on TV screens. The latter years of the decade ignited the sci-fi family epic, a whole genre of TV and film that would carry into the Sixties. The fast-moving possibilities of the Space Race inspired movies such as Flight to Mars and Forbidden Planet depicting their female protagonist stars in tiny, tight space uniforms, a new model of femininity that promoted these female characters as more adventurous than their demure and reserved, housewife viewers. By the 1960s, youth protest and demands for individual expression signaled that young adults were gaining a self-conscious awareness of themselves as a unified group that was able to respond to political events in ways that were unique and distinct from their parents. As they came of age, these youngsters gained a voice and created a space for a new, distinctive fashion that embodied their own political views. The miniskirt would be their emblem to express, and serve as a tool for, this growing woman’s movement. The Feminism Movement in the 1960s paved the way for a dramatic increase in women attending universities and entering the workforce. During this tumultuous decade, laws were passed that helped protect and empower both married and divorced women. The image of a woman was beginning to dramatically shift from wife, mother and homemaker to single and carefree girl proud of her sexuality and confident with her power. When a young, British designer named Mary Quant opened her boutique Bazaar in 1955 on King’s Road, she was poised to be at the forefront of this fashion revolution. Quant represented a decisive breakaway in fashion as he began to sell clothing that reflected the ideas and views of the day’s youth and that had nothing to do with established Parisian fashion houses. In 1965, she boldly raised the hemline of her skirts to several inches above the knee and the iconic miniskirt was born. Quant's miniskirt was an instant success across the country. It embodied the 60s spirit of London: free, energetic, youthful, revolutionary, and unconventional. Her style appealed to young women all over seeking playful, flirtatious fashion that aligned with advancements of sexual expression within society. Like Quant, André Courrèges shocked the fashion world. He showcased his futuristic, minimalistic dresses which scandalously fell above the knee in late 1964. Unlike Quant, the more restrained Courrèges designed his skirts with elements of sophistication and maturity, which helped make the miniskirt acceptable to French haute couture. These miniskirt pioneers experimented with such rebellious styles to keep up with the energy of “swinging London”. However, Quant does not credit herself to the invention but rather the “girls in the street who did it.”

The miniskirt signified a political youth movement where girls no longer wanted to dress like their parents but confidently embrace their bodies and sexuality. This playful, rebellious garment, represented a shift in societal dynamics. I believe the miniskirt evokes the emotion of playfulness as the development of the birth control pill in the 60s allowed women to explore and indulge in their sexuality without the fear of unwanted pregnancy, and the miniskirt conveyed this newfound freedom. Additionally, the simple and efficient composition of the skirt made it easy to move in, compared to various restrictive garments in previous decades. Although the history of the miniskirt is steeped with controversial narratives, this era marks a time where women were more sexually empowered and individualistic than their predecessors. Miniskirts hold personal significance to me as they are a fun mode of expression that carries roots of rich feminism history.