Is the miniskirt the feminist’s new uniform? Both are currently trending in fashion. Of course the correlation between skirt lengths and the culture at large is nothing new. In 1926, economist George Taylor floated the idea of the hemline index where skirts rise above the knee in bull markets and drop towards the ankle in bear ones. Though academics now universally agree that Taylor’s theory may not exactly have legs, minis are rightly associated with good times in all senses of the word. “When I look back at the clothes I designed then, it’s fairly clear that they signaled great high spirits,” Mary Quant, the mother of the mini (the short skirt reportedly named after her compact car), said in a 1995 interview with Vogue. “They celebrated youth and life and tremendous opportunity. They had a kind of ‘Look at me’ quality. They said, ‘Life is great.’”
Not only did the birth of the miniskirt coincide with that of the Pill, but all of that exposed skin brought attention to a woman’s sexuality. It’s hardly surprising that the current rise of the mini is happening just as fashion embraces the f-word all over again. In short, minis are (once again) very, very hot.[#image: /photos/5891fb2edec09b18414558be]|||||| The look: Created in Paris by André Courrèges, and in London—where the look took off—by Mary Quant. Worn by swinging British “birds” like Jean Shrimpton, Anita Pallenberg, and Pattie Boyd, who set the fashion beat.
The look: Designer all the way. Worn by girls with legs for miles who didn’t get out of bed for less than $10,000**—****Cindy, Kate, Naomi.**[#image: /photos/5891fb2f153ededd21da56a5]|||||| The look: Sizzling. From the front row to the street, the coolest girls, from Alexa Chung to Rihanna to Jennifer Lawrence are showing their legs and celebrating girl power with a chic, modern twist.