Like all of our favorite fashion trends, the micro mini skirt is immersed in history but it has pretty controversial origins. In the early ’60s, fashion designer Mary Quant raised the hem on the traditional skirt silhouette to invoke a sense of youthfulness and optimism. Her influence helped bring the miniskirt—and the sexual liberation it inspired—to the mainstream. Many criticized and dismissed Quant for shaking up traditional values and going against utilitarian fashion designs. Among the micro mini’s disparagers was the one and only Coco Chanel—ironic, as the label’s tweed mini skirt is seen on the runway each season.
Thanks to Quant, the mini skirt remains one of fashion’s most everlasting icons and saw a resurgence in the ’90s. In 1995, Clueless outfitted its well-loved main character, Cher Horowitz, in a plaid miniskirt—and the trend didn’t stop there. The silhouette got a boost in the aughts thanks to stars like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Cristina Aguilera, who wore theirs with midriff-baring tops and strappy heeled sandals. Fast-forward to 2021, and models, artists, and influencers have started wearing outfits with that same Christina Aguilera-at-the-2002-VMA’s energy.
From the ’60s to the ’00s and now, the micro mini skirt has never gone out of style—it’s just evolved with the times. What’s shared: It was just as fashionable in the Mary Quant miniskirt-obsessed 1960s as it is today.