The might of the mini
Despite sartorial evidence to the contrary, be it Victoria Beckham’s 33-inch pencil styles or Prada’s layered maxi/trouser trousseau, hems are steadily rising. Sales of the mini-skirt on eBay.ie have spiked by a whopping 92% in the last year, with luxury e-tailer Net-a-Porter boasting a sell-out success of Proenza Schouler’s cult basket-weave mini — a snip at e3,104.26. If the spring/summer 13 collections from Chanel, Dior and Moschino are any indication, expect to get out those gams in the next six months. Like it or loathe it, the cloth is set to be cut.
So just what is the mini-skirt’s enduring appeal? Put simply — divisiveness. Since its inception in 1962 by experimental designer Mary Quant, the mini-skirt has become a symbol of emancipation — social, political and sexual. Beatlemania, a burgeoning consumer culture, the advent of birth control and a looming Vietnam War all combined to create a societal shift, one which came to be summed up in an equally revolutionary fashion statement.
