The first direct reference to a mini skirt has come from „The Billings Gazette“the Wyoming Newspaper in 1962 that describes it as “a controversial production unit” of one textile factories in Mexico City. Nevertheless a British fashion designer Mary Quant can be considered to be a pioneer in promoting the mini skirt.

„Am I perhaps the only woman who has ever longed for being in bed with a man already in the afternoon? Mini-dress is a symbol of girls who do not want to wait“.

Mary Quant

As a graduate of the Goldsmith Academy in London in 1955 she opened an iconic shop called Bazaar on the King´s Road close to the Chelsea. She sewed her models herself from fabrics bought in the luxurious Harrods department store. She got inspired by the street fashion. Mary says: „Fashion should be a game. It is both a tool as well as a complete life out of home. People always react better on the person whose appearance they consider sympathetic.“

Mini skirt birth can be dated to 1964 when Ms. Quant cut the skirt bottom border few inches above knees. In 1960s there was dark eye-makeup and eyelashes á la Twiggy the attributes that changed the London women into school girls in short skirts and high boots. And all this happened just thanks to Mary Quant. Her magnificent creations met the atmosphere of that era.

Style was dictated by „mods“

Their style was defined by pure lines, precise shapes and colours – pastel tones typical for 1950s disappeared and were replaced by bright and deep colours and geometrical patterns.  There was also promoted a so called androgyny appearance in fashion and joint – „unisex“clothes both for men and women. Skirts were named according to the Mary Quant´s favourite car, i.e. Mini. And why this automobile? That time it was an automobile hit the British roads had been full of. However even more interesting fact is that Ms. Quant and Mini had jointly work on the project result of which was an automobile Mini Designer. Mary Quant´s autograph was remarkably placed on the front seats of the vehicle which was sold only in black and white colours.

But in that time she had not already belonged to the pioneers of this style. A French designer André Couregges also started to experiment with the “cosmic dress era”  at the end of 1964 and thus started a heated and vehement debate about Who was the one….

Yet, the birth of mini skirt has been a subject of heated discussions for decades. Who was really the first – Ms. Quant or Mr. Couregges? However, Ms. Quant states: „It was neither me nor Mr. Couregges who invented miniskirts. There were girls in streets that did it”. After “mad” lounging pyjamas she attracted attention by a simple cheap sleeveless dress, apron and tube dresses length of which has become shorter. Her miniskirts legitimately became the banner headlines in the newspapers and new items from her collections were sold within a day.

There were 20 workshops working for her in 1966. During seven years she succeeded to open 150 boutiques in England and 350 worldwide. A bizarre moment occurred when her opponents accused her that her creations “forced” men to rape women. Yet Mary added: „Rules were set for lazy people who think only about themselves. What is good (obedient) stinks with death. Vulgarity is a life. Fashion is not frivolling. It is showing us that we are still alive. And the most important is that a woman is as young as her knees.“

Finally, the British Queen Elisabeth II appointed her as Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her outstanding contribution to the fashion industry.  At the end of the last millennium Quant set her web pages and started to export to Japan, most of all decorative cosmetics.

Soňa Kovačiková

Photos: Dreamstime