Miniskirts

In the mid-1960s London suddenly became a centre for international youth fashion.

One of the most characteristic fashion developments of Sixties London was the miniskirt designed by Mary Quant (at six inches - 15cm - above the knee, the shortest skirt in fashion history up to that time). These have become symbolic aspects of a new feeling of opportunity and freedom that marked the decade.

The availability of pantyhose (rather than stockings) and of roll-up leggings made it possible for women to wear short skirts without fear of unintended flashes of thigh. While there may have been some aspect of sexual liberation in young women showing off the shapes of their legs, there was also an important element of women's liberation: the design was inspired by the desire for a skirt that wouldn't hamper a young woman running for a bus.

A Rank cinema newsreel about Sixties fashion, with a characteristically Sixties sneer:



A collage of images of Sixties fashion:



Extensive pages on the fashion and fabrics of the period can be found on the website of the Victoria & Albert Museum