The Mini story

First introduced in 1965, the miniskirt was part of a widespread wave of sexual openness and personal freedom that was sometimes called the sexual revolution. The short skirts that exposed four or more inches of a woman’s thigh were not only lighthearted but sexy. The skirts also represented a movement away from society’s restrictions on women’s freedom.
“Its length can vary, but always above the knee. True miniskirt should reveal at least mid-thigh.”
The first miniskirts to appear on Paris fashion runways were created by French fashion designer André Courrèges (1923–), who was tired of the old-fashioned designs and prim knee-length skirts that dominated the fashion of the early 1960s. At age 25 and after studying civil engineering, he moved to Paris where he meets his real passion, costumes, deciding to work in textile design company Geanne Lafaurie. Courrèges wanted to introduce a radical new look that would bring youth, freedom, and originality to the world of fashion, so he dressed his models in simple A-line dresses (flared bottom and close fitting top) that ended four inches above the knee. Flat-soled white boots completed the “mod” look. Though some critics were horrified by the new style, many others were charmed, and the miniskirt caught on quickly.

London designer Mary Quant shortened the skirt still further, and changed Courrèges’s flared skirt to a tight, body-hugging shape.
Mary opened her own boutique, "Bazaar" on Kings Road in 1955, and ushered in the "mod" and the "Chelsea Look".Mary was looking for new and interesting clothes for "Bazaar", but was not satisfied with the types of garments available and decided that the store would be supplied with clothes designed by herself. The result was the boots to the knee-high, white plastic, lace-up top, and narrow, ribbed sweaters, striped or with flashy pictures, which would embody the "London Look". These items along with fashion parades and showcases the latest, consolidated their reputation through the original garment, which was sold in stores accessible to the new youth-oriented market.

Although many women lacked the courage to wear the new minis, much less the even shorter microminis that followed, hemlines in general went up, and women’s fashions became bolder and freer than before, representing a change in women’s attitudes about themselves.