Facts - The Mini-Skirt

THE MINI-SKIRT SAGA

Today, when practically anything goes in fashion, people have forgotten how revolutionary the mini-skirt was in its day. In the mid-'60s, when it caught on, it was more than a fashion-it was a philosophy, a political statement, a news event.

Here are some facts to remind you.

HISTORY. The mini-skirt was created by an English seamstress named Mary Quant. As a girl, Mary hated the straightlaced clothes grown-ups wore. So when she got older, she made unconventional clothes for herself. In 1955, she opened the world's first boutique in London, selling "wild and kinky" handmade clothes, like the ones she wore. She used bright colors, lots of plastic, and kept hemlines shorter than normal (though they weren't minis yet). Her fashions caught on with hip Londoners. They became known as "mod" (for modern) clothes, and Mary became a local celebrity.

In 1965, young girls in London were beginning to wear their dresses shorter than ever. Taking a cue from them, Quant began manufacturing skirts that were outrageously short for the time. She called them "mini-skirts." They took off like wildfire.

Later that year, respected French designer Andre Courreges brought the mini-skirt and go-go boots (his own creation) to the world of high fashion. This made the mini a "style" instead of a "fad" and inspired influential women-movie stars, models, heiresses-to shorten their skirts. But the largest American clothing manufactur­ers weren't sure whether to hop on the mini bandwagon until the day in 1965 that Jackie Kennedy appeared in public with a short­ened hemline. After that, it was full speed ahead.

The mini fad lasted for less than a decade. But it permanently al­tered the concept of what was acceptable in women's attire, and helped break down traditional barriers for women in other areas of society.

The Meaning of the Mini-Skirt, Part I

In 1965, Mary Quant, creator of the mini-skirt, was asked to reveal the meaning of the mini-skirt. Her reply: "Sex."

The Meaning of the Mini-Skirt, Part II

"Without a doubt, the pill bred the mini, just as it bred the topless bathing suit by Rudi Gemreich in 1964- They were intended to prove that women were in control of their destiny and could choose whom they wished to mate with."
-In Fashion, by Prudence Glyn

THE MINI-SKIRT - INTERNATIONAL CONTROVERSY

Today, the mini-skirt is a fashion, not a political issue, but in the '60s, it was a major controversy. Here's how some people reacted:

• In the Vatican: Women in mini-skirts were not allowed to ente Vatican City.

• In the Malagasy Republic: An anti-mini-skirt law went into ef­fect in 1967. Violators were subject to ten days in jail.

• In the Congo: In 1967 police arrested three hundred women wearing mini-skirts, which were banned.

• In Venezuela: Churches in Caracas put up signs telling people to give up their minis or "be condemned to hell."

• In Egypt: Women in minis were subject to a charge of indecent behavior. This law was passed because two women wore mini-skirt in the center of the city and caused a two-hour traffic jam.

• In Zambia: Gangs of youths roamed the streets assaulting girls in mini-skirts and forcibly lowering their hemlines. After a week, the war against mini-skirts was declared officially over when women went on television and said they "realized their mistake."

• In Greece: Anyone wearing a mini-skirt was jailed.

• In the Philippines: A congressman proposed that mini-skirts be banned. But the proposal was withdrawn when a congresswoman threatened to retaliate by outlawing elevator shoes.

• In Rio De Janeiro: In 1966, a sixty-three-year-old man on a bus was overcome when a young woman wearing a mini-skirt crossed her legs in the seat next to him. He bit her on the thigh and was sentenced to three days in jail.

• In the U.S.A.: Disneyland outlawed mini-skirts: the gatekeep­ers measured the distance from the woman's knee to her hemline and restricted her entrance until she ripped out the hem.

In most schools during the '60s, if the hem of a dress didn't touch the floor when a girl was kneeling, it was considered a mini, and the guilty party was sent home. "And don't come back until you look respectable, young lady."