Fashion Revolution: A History of the Miniskirt Fashion Revolution A History of the Miniskirt The 1960s was a politically charged decade of revolution and change. Apollo 11 became the first capsule to land on the moon, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became law, Vietnam was raging, Beatlemania was sweeping the world, birth control pills hit the market, and a new cult of youth, known as “Youthquake,” had radically taken over many areas of life. In the midst of these dramatic political and cultural changes emerged one of the most enduring and controversial icons of the era: the miniskirt (or mini skirt). Existing, surprisingly, since ancient times, this small and sexy piece of fabric has embodied some of the most fascinating paradoxes of our times as it suggests both empowerment and vulnerability, independence and a desire to please, an attempt to cover and to reveal, maturity and playfulness, and liberation and exploitation. Simultaneously condemned and loved, the miniskirt exploded into the political landscape and had women (and men) suddenly paying attention to what had been hidden years before—a woman’s legs. In the Beginning Was . . .

the Miniskirt High in the mountains in some of Europe’s oldest villages, archaeologists have recently unearthed ancient figurines dating between 5400-4700 B.C. What is remarkable about the figurines is not only their age, but also that the female figurines appear to be beautifully dressed in miniskirts not unlike the fashionable miniskirts of the 1960s, prompting some scholars to speculate that miniskirts were common in the earliest of civilizations (Derbyshire 2007). Interestingly, these figurines are not the only evidence of “ancient miniskirts. For example, an ancient Egyptian fresco shows a female acrobatic dancer wearing a “mini skirt” seemingly made out of cotton that shows off both her hips and her legs (Gandolfi 1989). Early Twentieth-Century Skirts and Sowing the Seeds of Change While the miniskirt may have existed as long as civilization has, it is probably only recently that it has evoked powerful political and cultural implications. In the mid 1800s, women in Europe and America were generally believed to be the weaker and more vulnerable sex.

Politics, business, and physical activity could be dangerous for women, and tight corsets with long, restrictive skirts generally reflected these beliefs (Weaver 2003). Like the miniskirt, the 1920s flapper conveyed an impression of a “new“ woman After WWI, however, advances in women’s emancipation and post-war escapism led to the “flapper” style, an androgynous style with hemlines up to a woman’s knee. After dropping to a more sober calf length during the early 1930s, hemlines rose to just below the knee during WWII, partly due to mandatory fabric rationing during the war (Lehnert 2000). After the end of wartime restrictions on cloth, women were ready for elegance and femininity, and the fashion industry promoted the “New Look” epitomized by Christian Dior. The New Look was mature and sophisticated, with an exaggerated hourglass figure and long, lavish hemlines (Steele 1997).

While the New Look reflected the “best years of our life” consumerism that followed WWII, the “teddy boys” and beatniks of the Beat generation were already sowing the seeds of discontent in 1950s materialism—a discontent that would find its full voice in the 1960s and dramatically change hemlines forever (Reilly 2003). The 1960s and the Politics of the Miniskirt Teenagers Create Their Own Political (and Fashion) Space Before the 1960s, young women had been expected to dress in the style of their mothers, which was usually loosely based on Parisian couture. For example, as late as 1962, a Sears catalog portrayed mothers and daughters as “patchwork pals” who were overjoyed that they are wearing identical dresses. Looking back on the late 1950s, the English designer Sally Tuffin remarked, “There weren’t any clothes for young people at all. One just looked like their mother” (Steele 1997).

However, by the 1960s, youth protests and demands for individual expression revealed that young adults were gaining a self-conscious awareness of themselves as a distinct and unified group that was able to respond to political events in ways that were different from their parents (Cawthorne 1999). Youngsters felt they no longer needed to follow the rules of bourgeois morality and manners, which they saw as hypocritical and based on double standards. As this young political entity gained a voice, they created a space for a new and distinctive fashion that embodied their own political views—not their parents’. The Miniskirt as an Expression and Tool of 1960s Feminism Growing awareness of feminism also paved the way for a different fashion for women. For example, in 1963, American Betty Friedman published The Feminine Mystique which deconstructed the myth of the happy housewife and expressed the desire of women to explore other roles. In addition, the 1960s saw a dramatic increase in women attending universities and entering the workforce, especially with the advent of the “temp agency” which allowed greater flexibility in when and where a woman wanted to work.

This decade also saw laws passed that helped protect and empower both married and divorced women (Diamond and Diamond 2006). Perhaps most important was the advent of the birth control pill, which removed fears of pregnancy and helped usher in the sexual revolution (Cawthorne 1999). The image of a woman was beginning to dramatically shift from being a wife and mother to a young, single, carefree girl proud of her sexuality and confident with her power. The miniskirt would express—and serve as a tool for—this growing woman’s movement. A New Class of Young Consumerism The young generation was indeed growing up rebellious and articulate—and with more money than they’ve ever had before. Young people suddenly became a powerful class of consumers who demanded a fashion that matched the spirit of youth. Consequently, the whole structure of the fashion system was challenged from the youth in the streets as the prestige of “couture” came under attack or, worse, seemed irrelevant (Cawthorne 1999). Upstart designers and boutiques began to cater to a new youth market that could now buy what they wanted—and to older women who began to scramble to look like their daughters.

“The Mother of the Miniskirt” : Mary Quant Mary Quant helped launch the mini skirt revolution in the 1960s When a young upstart British designer named Mary Quant opened her boutique Bazaar in 1955 on King’s Road (a mod and rocker hangout), she was poised to spearhead a fashion revolution. Without any real training in fashion, but with a finger on the pulse of everyday fashion of the street, she represented a distinctive breakaway in fashion. She began to sell clothes that reflected the ideas of the day’s youth and that had nothing to do with established Paris fashion houses (Lehnert 2000). When she raised the hemline of her skirts in 1965 to several inches above the knee, the iconic miniskirt was born. Named after her favorite car, the Mini, the miniskirt was an instant success and epitomized the spirit of London in the mid-60s: free, energetic, youthful, revolutionary, and unconventional (Diamond and Diamond 2006). “The Lord of the Miniskirt” : André Courrèges Quant probably deserves primary but not exclusive credit for the miniskirt.

One French designer also caught the spirit of the era and did for France what Quant did for England (and America)—André Courrèges. Though he began to experiment with hemlines as early as 1961, Courrèges showcased his futuristic, space-age minimalistic dresses which scandalously fell above the knee in late 1964. Like Quant, Courrèges shocked the fashion world. Unlike Quant, he tended to design his skirts with more sophistication and maturity, which, in turn, helped make the miniskirt acceptable to French haute couture (Cawthorne 1999). While Courrèges would later claim that he invented the miniskirt, Quant dismissed his claim, saying “It wasn’t me or Courrèges who invented the miniskirt anyway—it was the girls in the street who did it.” Though the debates between Quant and Courrèges can be amusing and many scholars tend to “skirt” the issue, both Quant and Courrèges appropriated the trends of earlier fashion houses and both took advantage of the greater social changes that were occurring around them.

Regardless of who really “invented” the miniskirt, both Quant and Courrèges deserve credit for revolutionizing and enriching the fashion world with their daring hemlines (Diamond and Diamond 2006). The Mini Goes International Quant’s influential position in the heart of “Swinging London,” Courrèges’ influential position in the more sophisticated Parisian fashion world, and the mini’s easily washable fabric that busy teenage girls were apt to buy helped the miniskirt become a major international trend. The miniskirt’s international acceptance was also boosted when Jean Shrimpton, a popular model, unwittingly caused an international stir in late 1965 when she wore a miniskirt with no stockings, hat, or gloves at the Melbourne Cup Carnival in Australia (Steele 1997). The classic photo of that day showed a dramatic contrast: behind the young, carefree, and beautiful Shrimpton was a group of disapproving middle-aged women dressed in their very proper twin sets and pearls. Shrimpton’s apparent disregard for the bland status quo made a trend-setting fashion statement around the world (in non-communistic and non-Muslim countries, at least).

Accessorizing the Miniskirt It wasn’t just moral outrage that followed the miniskirt, but also fashionable accessories. Accessories included zip-up knee high boots made of stretch vinyl (“kinky” or Courrèges’ “go-go” boots). Tights and pantyhose replaced awkward nylon stockings and became fashion statements in their own right. Actually, tights and pantyhose are what really made the miniskirt possible because they liberated the woman from garter belts and from trying to keep the lines on old-fashioned stockings straight (Olsen 1999). By the late 1960s, miniskirts were being made of see-through fabrics and other loose crotchet materials—which, in turn, made underwear an important new accessory in fashion as well. The “Lolita Look” Twiggy is an iconic “dolly bird“ and the face of the “Swinging 1960s“ Ironically, the full sexuality of the miniskirt during the 1960s also played on a “school-girl” image, and London became recognized as catering almost exclusively to young girls between the ages of 15 and 20.

The models on all the popular catwalks and fashion magazines were typically skinny and androgynous, with an almost prepubescent figure. Even Mary Quant’s husband and partner, Alexander Plunket-Greene, told Rolling Stone in 1987 that “at the time, there was a slightly sort of pedophile thing about it” (Cawthorne 1999). Indeed, the “Lolita look” was everywhere, and the fashionable woman of the 1950s, “all high-heeled and rock-hard tits,” was replaced by a London girl with a childish shape and a “great deal of long legs” (Cawthorne 1999). The most famous model of the era was seventeen-year-old Twiggy (Leslie Hornby), who had a short boyish hairstyle, pale lips, and skinny figure (she was 5′ 7″ and weighed 99 pounds). Even though the miniskirt initially was an expression of individuality, women and girls alike copied Twiggy’s Vidal Sassoon geometric bob and her heavily mascaraed eyelashes in an attempt to achieve her “doe-eyed” little girl look.

When young girls mimicked Twiggy’s fashionably gawky “broken limb” look, they were said to resemble little shop dolls or mannequins (White and Griffiths 2000). Not surprising, dieting fads and eating disorders skyrocketed during this decade (Lehnert 2000). Decline of the Mini in the Late 1960s The miniskirt of the “swinging 60s” lasted until the end of the decade. Throughout, fashion designers created some new and extreme variations in order to keep the excitement alive. For example, Paco Rabanne launched his plastic chain-mail miniskirt in 1966 and then the throw-away minidress. Despite this creativity, the mini eventually fell out of fashion when disillusionment about Vietnam became more widespread and the future looked less positive. With increasingly political despondency, fashion became a little more nostalgic and hemlines fell back down to the ankle in 1969 in a style called the “maxi,” which was the longest hemline since 1914 (Cawthorne 1999).

In addition, while the miniskirt initially was seen as liberating women, the development of terms such as “dolly birds” tended to objectify women, and feminists realized that the miniskirt had great potential to be more exploitive than liberating (Reilly 2003). With the feminist movement in full swing by the early 1970s, minis (whose hemlines had nowhere to go but down, anyway) fell into disfavor. The Late 1970s Punk Revival of the Mini While the miniskirt fell out of fashion in the early 1970s, the punk movement at the end of the decade helped revive the miniskirt, thanks in part to female rock stars such as Debbie Harry (Blondie) who were fond of wearing miniskirts on stage. The punks were motivated by anti-fashion and tried to avoid mainstream trends, which were considered bourgeois, bland, and over-indulgent. Influenced by punk designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, whose shop SEX sold the fashion, the mini was reincarnated in black leather and PVC.

The mini was also now often worn with ripped fishnet tights and took on a slightly “trashy” overtone that reflected the “whatever” attitude (Cawthorne 1999). In an ironic twist of fashion, once the punk look was picked up by designers, the punk movement’s anti-establishment edge became mainstream itself. 1980s and 1990s: The Corporate Miniskirt The miniskirt was part of the power suit trend in the 1980s and early 1990s The 1980s and early 1990s heralded a return to a more womanly figure in contrast to the adolescent androgyny of the 1960s. Rather than disappearing, however, the miniskirt was incorporated into the new, big-shouldered, “power” business suit for women, either in traditional pinstripes or jewel-colored wools (Cawthorne 1999). Popular characters in TV sitcoms such as Carrie in Sex in the City and Heather Locklear in Melrose Place helped the miniskirt appear sexy—and smart (Diamond and Diamond 2006).

Miniskirts were no longer considered appropriate only for teenagers, but they also became a power statement for sophisticated, long-legged, thirty-something career women who were in total control of their single life. Mini Skirts around the World For the most part, the miniskirt has been accepted in the Western world; however, not all countries and cultures embraced the short skirt. Inmany African countries, the miniskirt was seen not only as a corrupting influence of the West but alsoof the modern world. For example, in Tanzania in 1968, at least one barmaid was stoned by a mob that supposedly disapproved of the shortness and tight fit of her miniskirt (Ross 2008), and politicians argued that the spread of AIDS would be halted if women would stop wearing miniskirts (“It’s in Our Hands”). And just this year, a strict Muslim father hired hitmen to kill his 21-year-old daughter because she refused to stop wearing miniskirts. After he paid the gangsters the equivalent of about $3,000, they kidnapped and shot her in the head on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, Russia (“Daughter Killed”).

Twenty-first Century Miniskirts While the miniskirt has been met with disapproval and even violence, the tiny skirt shows no signs of disappearing. On the contrary, the miniskirt is still heavily featured on Western catwalks and in fashion magazines—and it is often shorter than ever. The phone company Samsung even introduced a new cell phone in 2008 called the “Miniskirt Season 2” which, while looking nothing like a miniskirt, is targeted toward women who like to “Talk, Play, Love” (Evans 2008). The miniskirt—variously known as the “micro-mini,” “pelmet,” or “bondage” skirt—continues to occupy a fascinating and paradoxical space in the fashion world as it teasingly attempts to cover and reveal at the same time. In all of its contradictions and reinventions, the miniskirt still provokes, challenges, and demands attention from both men and women alike. -- Posted May 25, 2009 Lehnert, Gertrude. 2000. A History of Fashion in the 20th Century. Cologne, Germany: Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.

Olsen, James Stuart. 1999. Historical Dictionary of the 1960s. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press Group. Reilly, Edward J. 2003. The 1960s. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press Group. Ross, Robert. 2008. Clothing: A Global History. Boston, MA: Polity. Steele, Valerie. 1997. Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now. New Haven, CT: Yale University. Weaver, Janice. 2003. From Head to Toe: Bound Feet, Bathing Suits, and Other Bizarre and Beautiful Things. Toronto, Canada: Tundra Books. White, Nicola and Ian Griffiths. 2000. The Fashion Business. Oxford, UK: Berg Publishers. Was It Tanzania, Not Britain, Where the Miniskirt Was Invented? Was It Tanzania, Not Britain, Where the Miniskirt Was Invented?

African women sporting miniskirts in Drum magazine, 1969 Courtesy of Tanisha Ford In the 1960s, young women of all races around the world made the miniskirt a racy, fashion statement. The garment grew in popularity in the 1970s. The mainstream fashion industry claimed the miniskirt as a British original popularized by Mary Quant , owner of the chic London boutique Bazaar. Yet, when I was doing research on 1970s “Afro look” fashions, I stumbled across a series of articles in Drum —South Africa’s leading black lifestyle magazine at the time—claiming the miniskirt as an African original. Advertisement I discovered that the miniskirt controversy was part of a larger debate over questions of authenticity between African designers, models and beauty writers and their European and American counterparts. African fashion elites were fighting to shift power from a Western-controlled fashion industry and position the continent as an integral part of the fashion world. Similar discussions about race, geopolitics and fashion continue today as African fashion designers fight to gain visibility in the global fashion market.

The term “Afro look” was coined by fashion-industry insiders on both sides of the Atlantic to describe clothing that featured African and African-inspired prints, textiles and embroidery techniques. Usually these prints were applied to popular silhouettes such as the miniskirt, bell-bottoms, hot pants and maxi dresses. The growing popularity of “Afro look” designs stirred a flurry of debate within the fashion world about the roots of these popular designs. Origins mattered. Laying claim to a fashion innovation allowed a nation or region of the world to position itself as the model of modernity and cultural sophistication. Many newly independent African nations were eager to reposition themselves on the world stage, and fashion became one way to do so. Advertisement Drum’s story of the miniskirt drew upon African-fashion oral history. Swazi model Felicia Mabuza told a Drum fashion reporter in 1971 that African women “have been wearing the self-same garb for centuries now.” She compared a picture of herself in the traditional Swazi garment with one of another model dressed in a modern-day mini as an example of the ways that miniskirt silhouettes had long been a part of African dress.

Haya Rinoth, a South African-based fashion designer, argued in Drum in 1972 that miniskirts were an East African innovation and that “fashion-made” women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, had long been the inspiration behind the local, and even regional, fashion trends. Fashion trends often emerge in multiple places simultaneously, making it difficult to pinpoint an exact derivation. However, Mabuza’s and Rinoth’s oral histories of the miniskirt are still important. Even if their narratives are rooted in local lore, what they make clear is that many within the continent’s fashion industry were invested in telling an African-centered fashion history. They were using fashion to make claims of modernity in an attempt to depict the realities of African life and culture, which looked far different than the images of bare-breasted women and men in loincloths that filled the pages of National Geographic. “Afro look” fashions became a symbol for African opulence, style and glamour. Why should we take African designers’ and models’ claims to the miniskirt any less seriously than we have taken the British history of the garment?

The British fashion industry was invested in a similar type of mythmaking around the garment in order to uphold its society as the paragon of style and taste. Even Mary Quant has challenged the history of the miniskirt that positions her as its sole innovator. She has explained that the miniskirt was already becoming a street-fashion trend among young women; she just gave the garment a name (after the popular Mini car) and began producing her own version. Yet, the powerful lore created by the mainstream fashion industry around Quant and the miniskirt has cemented her place in fashion history . Meanwhile, there is no mention of the possibility that similar looks were emerging on the other side of the Atlantic in Africa. Sponsored The miniskirt debate, I discovered, was part of a larger fashion-world war in the early 1970s. Drum headlines such as “African Fashion Is Getting Its Own Back” and “150 Years Old … [the Miniskirt] Is the Latest Look” were meant to challenge their Western rivals by boldly inserting African voices into the global fashion conversation.

A Drum fashion editor wrote in 1972: “There was a time when African fashion was considered a bit of a joke in Europe, but now African fashion designers are getting their own back and producing clothes every bit as good as the world’s top designers.” The magazine lauded Swaziland’s Zora Kumalo , Nigeria’s Shade Thomas Fahm and others as the face of the 1970s African fashion movement. Their designs were locally and regionally popular, but they struggled to find a large, sustained international audience; in large part because the global fashion industrial complex ignored their contributions and instead exalted designers such as Yves Saint Laurent for their “original” African designs . Advertisement Advertisement Similar power dynamics continue to unfold today; however, social media gives African designers, fashion writers and merchants a greater advantage than they had in the 1970s. African fashion lines, including Nigeria’s Maki Oh , Ghana’s Osei-Duro and South Africa’s Stoned Cherrie have launched successful social media campaigns, drawing an international audience and a celebrity following that includes first lady Michelle Obama, Beyoncé and Rihanna. Online stores such as Zuvaa have made African fashion more accessible for women in the African Diaspora.

There are also several online African fashion magazines such as Abina, Agoo and Oh Yes! that offer an alternative to mainstream fashion publications. All of these forces combined are helping African designers capture a larger segment of the global fashion market . African fashions made by African designers can no longer be marginalized. This new-millennium African-fashion movement will center African voices in the fashion history of the 21st century. Tanisha C. Ford is the author of Liberated Threads : Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul. She is an assistant professor of women, gender and sexuality studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Follow her on Twitter . History | The miniskirt revolution The miniskirt revolution History In the beginning… Existing, surprisingly, since ancient times, this small and sexy piece of fabric has embodied some of the most fascinating paradoxes of our times as it suggests both empowerment and vulnerability, independence and a desire to please, an attempt to cover and to reveal, maturity and playfulness, and liberation and exploitation. Simultaneously condemned and loved, the miniskirt exploded into the political landscape and had women (and men) suddenly paying attention to what had been hidden years before – a woman’s legs.

High in the mountains in some of Europe’s oldest villages, archaeologists have recently unearthed ancient figurines dating between 5400-4700 B.C. What is remarkable about the figurines is not only their age, but also that the female figurines appear to be beautifully dressed in miniskirts not unlike the fashionable miniskirts of the 1960s, prompting some scholars to speculate that miniskirts were common in the earliest of civilizations. Interestingly, these figurines are not the only evidence of “ancient miniskirts”. For example, an ancient Egyptian fresco shows a female acrobatic dancer wearing a “mini skirt” seemingly made out of cotton that shows off both her hips and her legs. Early twentieth-century skirts While the miniskirt may have existed as long as civilization has, it is probably only recently that it has evoked powerful political and cultural implications. In the mid 1800s, women in Europe and America were generally believed to be the weaker and more vulnerable sex. Politics, business, and physical activity could be dangerous for women, and tight corsets with long, restrictive skirts generally reflected these beliefs.

After WWI, however, advances in women’s emancipation and post-war escapism led to the “flapper” style, an androgynous style with hemlines up to a woman’s knee. After dropping to a more sober calf length during the early 1930s, hemlines rose to just below the knee during WWII, partly due to mandatory fabric rationing during the war. During the first part of the 20th century dresses and skirts were long and modest. The “Roaring Twenties” offered a shocking new look that was really ahead of its time. If you consider that most dresses and skirts were typically worn down to the ankle up until the beginning of the 1920’s. The hemlines of these garments rose to knee length in a matter of a handful of years. The 1960’s…and the politics of the miniskirt It seemed as if ladies suddenly woke up one morning and decided that dresses and skirts should be lifted to new heights. This new approach to dress design turned fashion on its ear and it started a whole new era for women. Not only were women entering the voting booths, they were freeing their legs of cumbersome dresses and skirts as well.

By the 1960s, youth protests and demands for individual expression revealed that young adults were gaining a self-conscious awareness of themselves as a distinct and unified group that was able to respond to political events in ways that were different from their parents. Youngsters felt they no longer needed to follow the rules of bourgeois morality and manners, which they saw as hypocritical and based on double standards. As this young political entity gained a voice, they created a space for a new and distinctive fashion that embodied their own political views. The Miniskirt as an Expression of 1960s Feminism Growing awareness of feminism also paved the way for a different fashion for women. The 1960s saw a dramatic increase in women attending universities and entering the workforce, especially with the advent of the “temp agency” which allowed greater flexibility in when and where a woman wanted to work. This decade also saw laws passed that helped protect and empower both married and divorced women. The image of a woman was beginning to dramatically shift from being a wife and mother to a young, single, carefree girl proud of her sexuality and confident with her power. The miniskirt would express, and serve as a tool for, this growing woman’s movement.

The young generation was indeed growing up rebellious and articulate, and with more money than they’ve ever had before. Young people suddenly became a powerful class of consumers who demanded a fashion that matched the spirit of youth. Consequently, the whole structure of the fashion system was challenged from the youth in the streets as the prestige of “couture” came under attack or, worse, seemed irrelevant. Upstart designers and boutiques began to cater to a new youth market that could now buy what they wanted and to older women who began to scramble to look like their daughters. “The Mother of the Miniskirt” : Mary Quant When a young upstart British designer named Mary Quant opened her boutique Bazaar in 1955 on King’s Road (a mod and rocker hangout), she was poised to spearhead a fashion revolution. Without any real training in fashion, but with a finger on the pulse of everyday fashion of the street, she represented a distinctive breakaway in fashion. She began to sell clothes that reflected the ideas of the day’s youth and that had nothing to do with established Paris fashion houses. When she raised the hemline of her skirts in 1965 to several inches above the knee, the iconic miniskirt was born.

Named after her favorite car, the Mini, the miniskirt was an instant success and epitomized the spirit of London in the mid-60s: free, energetic, youthful, revolutionary, and unconventional. “The Lord of the Miniskirt” : André Courrèges Quant probably deserves primary but not exclusive credit for the miniskirt. One French designer also caught the spirit of the era and did for France what Quant did for England (and America), André Courrèges. Though he began to experiment with hemlines as early as 1961, Courrèges showcased his futuristic, space-age minimalistic dresses which scandalously fell above the knee in late 1964. Like Quant, Courrèges shocked the fashion world. Unlike Quant, he tended to design his skirts with more sophistication and maturity, which, in turn, helped make the miniskirt acceptable to French haute couture.

While Courrèges would later claim that he invented the miniskirt, Quant dismissed his claim, saying “It wasn’t me or Courrèges who invented the miniskirt anyway—it was the girls in the street who did it.” Though the debates between Quant and Courrèges can be amusing and many scholars tend to “skirt” the issue, both Quant and Courrèges appropriated the trends of earlier fashion houses and both took advantage of the greater social changes that were occurring around them. Regardless of who really “invented” the miniskirt, both Quant and Courrèges deserve credit for revolutionizing and enriching the fashion world with their daring hemlines. Quant’s influential position in the heart of “Swinging London,” Courrèges’ influential position in the more sophisticated Parisian fashion world, and the mini’s easily washable fabric that busy teenage girls were apt to buy helped the miniskirt become a major international trend. The “Lolita Look” Ironically, the full sexuality of the miniskirt during the 1960s also played on a “school-girl” image, and London became recognized as catering almost exclusively to young girls between the ages of 15 and 20.

The models on all the popular catwalks and fashion magazines were typically skinny and androgynous, with an almost prepubescent figure. The “Lolita look” was everywhere, and the fashionable woman of the 1950s, was replaced by a London girl with a childish shape and a “great deal of long legs”. The most famous model of the era was seventeen-year-old Twiggy (Leslie Hornby), who had a short boyish hairstyle, pale lips, and skinny figure (she was 5′ 7″ and weighed 99 pounds). Even though the miniskirt initially was an expression of individuality, women and girls alike copied Twiggy’s Vidal Sassoon geometric bob and her heavily mascaraed eyelashes in an attempt to achieve her “doe-eyed” little girl look. When young girls mimicked Twiggy’s fashionably gawky “broken limb” look, they were said to resemble little shop dolls or mannequins. Not surprising, dieting fads and eating disorders skyrocketed during this decade. Decline of the mini in the late 1960s The miniskirt of the “swinging 60s” lasted until the end of the decade.

Throughout, fashion designers created some new and extreme variations in order to keep the excitement alive. For example, Paco Rabanne launched his plastic chain-mail miniskirt in 1966 and then the throw-away minidress. Despite this creativity, the mini eventually fell out of fashion when disillusionment about Vietnam became more widespread and the future looked less positive. With increasingly political despondency, fashion became a little more nostalgic and hemlines fell back down to the ankle in 1969 in a style called the “maxi,” which was the longest hemline since 1914. In addition, while the miniskirt initially was seen as liberating women, the development of terms such as “dolly birds” tended to objectify women, and feminists realized that the miniskirt had great potential to be more exploitive than liberating. With the feminist movement in full swing by the early 1970s, minis (whose hemlines had nowhere to go but down, anyway) fell into disfavor.

The late 1970s punk revival of the mini While the miniskirt fell out of fashion in the early 1970s, the punk movement at the end of the decade helped revive the miniskirt, thanks in part to female rock stars such as Debbie Harry (Blondie) who were fond of wearing miniskirts on stage. The punks were motivated by anti-fashion and tried to avoid mainstream trends, which were considered bourgeois, bland, and over-indulgent. Influenced by punk designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, whose shop SEX sold the fashion, the mini was reincarnated in black leather and PVC. The mini was also now often worn with ripped fishnet tights and took on a slightly “trashy” overtone that reflected the “whatever” attitude. In an ironic twist of fashion, once the punk look was picked up by designers, the punk movement’s anti-establishment edge became mainstream itself.

1980s and 1990s: the “corporate miniskirt” The 1980s and early 1990s heralded a return to a more womanly figure in contrast to the adolescent androgyny of the 1960s. Rather than disappearing, however, the miniskirt was incorporated into the new, big-shouldered, “power” business suit for women, either in traditional pinstripes or jewel-colored wools. Popular characters in TV sitcoms such as Carrie in Sex in the City helped the miniskirt appear sexy, and smart. Miniskirts were no longer considered appropriate only for teenagers, but they also became a power statement for sophisticated, long-legged, thirty-something career women who were in total control of their single life. For the most part, the miniskirt has been accepted in the Western world; however, not all countries and cultures embraced the short skirt. Inmany African countries, the miniskirt was seen not only as a corrupting influence of the West but alsoof the modern world.

Twenty-first century miniskirts While the miniskirt has been met with disapproval and even violence, the tiny skirt shows no signs of disappearing. On the contrary, the miniskirt is still heavily featured on Western catwalks and in fashion magazines, and it is often shorter than ever. The phone company Samsung even introduced a new cell phone in 2008 called the “Miniskirt Season 2” which, while looking nothing like a miniskirt, is targeted toward women who like to “Talk, Play, Love”. The miniskirt, variously known as the “micro-mini,” “pelmet,” or “bondage” skirt, continues to occupy a fascinating and paradoxical space in the fashion world as it teasingly attempts to cover and reveal at the same time. In all of its contradictions and reinventions, the miniskirt still provokes, challenges, and demands attention from both men and women alike. Exam 4 Ch. 15-19 at Kansas State University - StudyBlue Oriental influences on styles in the 1910s and 1920s were to be seen in.....

Virtually every category of womens garments Which of the following items of dress were associated with "automobiling" in the first decade of the 20th century? a. dusters c. a cap with a visor d. spatterdashers e. a, b, and c e. a, b, and c The silhouette of the Edwardian period is often described as... S-shaped Many womens dresses of the Edwardian Period utilized.... soft fabrics decorated with tucking, pleating, and lace The purpose of tea gowns was... to provide a less confining costume to wear with less corseting when "at home" When the styles of the Edwardian Period changed around 1909, the changes included: a. straighter skirt lines c. fewer high, boned collars d. a and b e. a, b, and c e. a, b, and c Tailor-mades were called tailor mades because they were made by men's tailors rather than by dressmakers. True or False True Which would a man be most likely to wear to a formal evening event in the 1900-1920 period?

a tuxedo with matching trouser and a dark or white waistcoat A man would be most likely to wear a trench coat during which time period? after 1918 The practice of dressing small boys the same way as small girls was.... continued until about 1910, then diminishedq Which of the following items became less popular after the use of automobiles became more widespread? a. parasols e. a, b, and c e. a, b, and c Frilly white cotton or linen dresses decorated with lace, tucks, ruffles, and embroidery were known as.... Lingerie dresses Among the fashion changes in women's clothing of the 1920's, the following could be considered radical changes never seen in any previous period of Western dress: a. The wearing of trousers by women b. The wearing of tailored womens suits c. The wearing of skirts that ended at the knee d. a and c e. a, b, and c d. a and c The garments excluded from the L-85 regulations of clothing during WW2 included a. bridal gowns The designer Elsa Schiaparelli was known for which of the following innovations? a.

using surrealist art motifs in her designs b. using zippers in womens clothing c. using the color "shocking pink" d. a and c e. a, b, and c e. a, b, and c Why did American Fashion designers attract more attention from the American Fashion press during WW2? With Paris cut off by the German occupation, the press had to turn to American designers for fashion news. Skirt lengths remained very short- at least 14-16 inches from the ground- from the beginning to the end of the 1920s. True or False In the 1920s a "bob" was a haircut Fashionable young women of the 1920s were referred to as... flappers Fashionable young men of the 1920s were likely to have in their wardrobes.. a. Oxford bags -canes -pocket watches Who was the designer who was known for the use of wool jersey in the 1920s? Gabrielle Chanel Who was the designer who designed the "robe de style"? Jeanne Lanvin Who was the American-born Parisian designer who designed the wedding dress of the Duchess of Windsor?

Mainbocher Who was the American designer who is considered by some to be most original American designer? Claire McCardell Young people involved in a rebellious literary movement of the late 1950s were called.... Beatniks Among the favorite styles of dress of the group Beatniks were... Pony tails, beards, dirty sneakers, peasant blouses Reasons behind the trend immediately after WW2 toward increased use of casual sportswear included... More Americans moved to the suburbs New fabrics introduced after WW2 included.... Polyester The impact of television on fashion in the 1950s was indirect and relatively few styles (mostly fad items) were actually begun as a direct result of TV. True or False An original design from a haute couture designer is identified as: a. a design conceived by the couturier b. a design made in the design house c. the only one of its kind d. a and b e. a, b, and c d. a and b One the second world war was over, fashion magazines ceased featuring the work of American designers and returned to focus only on the work of Parisian designers.

True or False Among the major designers active in the period from 1947 to 1960 were.. a. Gabrielle Chanel Fiber Products Identification Act of 1960 was enacted to... a. tell consumers the fiber content of fabrics b. aid consumers who were unable to identify fibers c. distinguish between those fibers that would burn and those that would not d. a and b e. a, b, and c d. a and b The "New Look" collection was designed by ______ and was presented to the public in the year _____ Christian Dior 1947 Popular designs by couture and other high fashion designers that have been copied at lower prices are called ___________ Knock-offs The young English men who adopted a style of dress with Edwardian-style lines, wore pointed-toed shoes, and DA hairstyles were called ___ _____ Teddy Boys Members of the 1960s sub-culture that stressed "love" and freedom from the constraints of "straight" society were called..... Hippies The group "Hippies" would be most likely to wear which items of clothing? Beaded head bands Which of the following changes took place in styles for men in the 1960s?

a. hair was worn longer, sometimes to the shoulders b. beards became fashionable c. men started wearing necklaces, bracelets, and earrings d. a and b e. a, b, and c e. a, b, and c Esquire magazine called the change in men's styles..... The Peacock Revolution Int he 1960s and early 1970s only counter-culture young people and anti-war protesters wore blue jeans True or False False Which of the following events has some influence on fashions at one point or another during the years between 1960-1980? a. Nixon's trip to China b. the space program e. a, b, and c d. a and b Afro hairstyles. dashikis and kente cloth became popular in the 1960's as a result of... a. the movie "10" b. the Civil Right Movement c. the growing emphasis on "Black Pride" d. b and c e. a, b, and c d. b and c the theory that clothing styles originate with the upper socio-economic class and the are subsequently copied by lower socio-economic classes is known as...

The trickle-down theory The style that the fashion industry decided should replace the miniskirt about 1970 was called.... The midi The fashion industry was right and by 1970 the style of the midi has replaced the miniskirt True or False Women wearing pants in the 1960s were likely to be.. a. refused service in fashionable restaurants b. told they couldn't wear them to work c. college age or younger d. a and b e. a, b, and c d. a and b Among the changes in fashion design that were taking place in the period from 1960 to 1980 were.. a. more designers were making lines of men's wear as well as women's wear b. many Paris couturiers were opening ready-to-wear boutiques c. a number of new couture houses opened d. a and b e. b and c d. a and b The most typical evening dresses of the period when miniskirts were popular were the same short length as daytime dresses. True or False True The notable changes in clothing for active sports in the period between 1960 and 1980 included... a.

abandonment of the requirement that tennis players wear white for tournament play. b. wearing streamlined, stretch knit ski pants c. wider acceptance of bikini style bathing suits for both men and women d. a and b e. a, b, and c e. a, b, and c Mod styles originated in... England President Kennedy wore a homburg hat to his inauguration in 1961 and started a fashion for these hats. True or False Silhouette changes that entered fashion around 1960 included a. a more loosely fitted line b. shorter skirts e. a, b, and c e.

a, b, and c what are some of the changes in women's clothing in the 1960s and 1970s that have been attributed to the influence of the feminist movement Less confining underwear The artistic movement of the 1960s that featured glorified representations of ordinary objects, such as soda pop cans and cartoons Pop Art The artistic movement that was important during the period from 1890-1910 and which attempted to create an entirely new art without reference to or basis in the past Art Nouveau the artistic movement of the 1960s that created visual illusions by the use of patterns Op Art The artistic movement of the 1930s which drew on images from the subconscious imagination Surrealism The artistic movement of the 1920s and 1930s that was characterized by geometric forms derived from artistic expressions of the past and of modern art Art Deco e. a, b, and c c. dreadlocks In 1987 which fashion designer opened the first new haute couture house in Paris in many years?

Christian Lacroix Identify the trends described below that apply to clothing for active sports during the period from 1980- 2008 a. the distinction between sportswear and clothing for active sports became clearer b. new technologies for fiber and fabric production were applied to clothing for active sports c. interest in fitness increased, creating a demand for more clothing for active sports d. b and c e. a, b, and c d. b and c Among the fashion developments of the 1990s that were a result of increased interest in environmentalism were.. a. clothes made from organic cotton fiber b. clothes made from naturally colored cotton fiber c. fleece fabrics made from recycled soda bottles d. b and c e. a, b, and c e. a, b, and c The LZR Racer Suit was a... a new bathing suit that contributed to the breaking of speed records at the Olympics Certain types of used blue jeans can bring as much as $2,000 when sold in Japan True or False True Which of the following foreign designers have been selected as head designers for Parisian Couture houses? a. the American designer Oscar de la Renta b.

the British designer John Galliano c. the British designer Alexander McQueen d. all of the above e. none of the above d. all of the above The Flammable Fabrics Act requires that certain textile items must be meet specified flammability standards. Which of the following types of garments must meet these standards loose-fitting sleepwear for children in sizes 6 months to 14 Some notable trends in the period from 2000 to 2008 include.. a. body jewelry e. all of the above e. all of the above When ski clothing is compared to snow boarding clothing, snow boarders seem to prefer.. a. looser clothing b. more tightly fitted spandex suits c. more casual clothing e. a, b, and c e. a, b, and c A downturn in the Japanese economy in the 1990s caused the fashion world to loose interest in the work of Japanese designers.

True or False Increased sales of childrens clothing and willingness to spend substantial sums of "kiddie couture" the affluence of 1980s the fade kente cloth clothing and crown hats revival of interest in the 1980s of black consciousness afro hairstyles cornrow braids, dashikis, caftans, and african inspired textiles the civil rights movements of the 1960's Popularity of warm sleepwear Revival of interest in 1920s clothing styles Release of the film, "The Great Gatsby" Popularity of the "power suit" Increasing numbers of women in management positions in the corporate world Uses of natural fibers Opening of Comme des Garcons boutiques around the world Japanese entry into international fashion design The popularity of "Fake fur" animal rights activism The abandonment by some mothers of the use of disposable diapers The environmental movement Silent film stars who influenced fashion; had no figure. Joan Crawford, Rudolph Valentino and Louise Brooks Designs from Haute Cuture influenced what collections?

Ready-to-wear The association that defines haute couture and who started it Chambre Syndication de La Couture Parisienne - Vionnet and Paul Pioret The New Look was designed by who and in what year? Christian Dior; in 1947 Famous hollywood costume designer...Wizard of OZ, The Women Gilbert Adrian Artificial silk is called what? Rayon Salavador Dali influenced her designs. This woman also designed the lobster dress Schiaparelli What art influenced Salavador Dali and Schiaparelli? Surrealism opened first shop in Deauville, France Chanel Women smoking, wearing shorter straight sheaths and dancing were called.... Flappers Who invented the mini skirt? they were english, have a makeup line, and used Madonna in one of her first advertisements Mary Quant who perfected the bias cut Vionnet Who invented the irregular pleating in silk gowns Fortuny Who were some of the Japanses designers who showed in Paris for the first time.

-Issey Miyake (invented microwave pleating) -Commes des Garcons Art Nouveau came before Art Deco True or False mens fashions have changed much since the early 19th century till now True or False What decade was the bikini first introduced 1950s Who is Dr. Galindo's favorite Fashion Designer Guo Pei What are movement influenced Pierre Cardin Optical Illustion Art Decoration is the primary reason for a society to wear clothing True or False Hats were not an important fashion accessory during WW2 True or False Who has a fashion line called "Pleats Please" Issey Miyake What decade was the cone bra invented? 1950s What art movement influenced YSL? Pop Art or abstract art End of the 19th century womens fashion changed due to social behavior True or False Giorgio Armani became famous with what move in the late 1980s American Gigilo Eisenhower Jacket was developed in what decade? 1950s WW2 regulation for fabric consumption L-85 Kurt Cobain style of dress Grunge The film Flashdance made what popular? Leg warmers and ripped sweatshirts What art movement influenced Charles Fredrick Worth?

Art Nouveau What art movement influenced Vionnet Art Deco What decade was the Poodle skirt first shown? 1950 What decade was the waist cincher used? 1950s Italian Design House that is known for making Furs Fendi Clothing made so fast that it can go out of fashion a week later Fast Fashion the Audubon Society of America was formed as a result direct of fashion trends True Bias cut gown made actors into Hollywood legends True or False True Left the house of Worth to open his own establishment. -Was not only an outstanding designer, but also a colorful character whose personal idiosyncrasies help to perpetuate his legend. -First radical step was to do away with corsets - made loose fitting gowns - developed hobble skirts Paul Poiret Another postwar style. This water-repellent coat of closely woven cotton twill was belted at the waist. it became a standard item of rainwear for men and after several decades was also adopted by women. Trench coat Garment developed by Poiret. Had narrow hems that women could hardly move Hobble skirt -Designed clothing and textiles from 1906 to 1949.

-Inspired by the past and non-European cultures -developed pleated gowns in which the pleats had to be removed to clean. -pleated gowns were usually made in bright solid colors, while his patterned fabrics were in rich, often dark shades influenced by Renaissance and Oriental designs Fortuny Drivers wore a long cotton or linen coats that covered the costume beneath completely. this coat was called a..... Duster The name for a basic item of underwear for adult women that appeared in 1904 Brassiere The popular white, frilly cotton or linen dresses with decorations were referred to as _____ dresses. How did they get their name? Lingerie Dresses Probably because the fabric and decoration so much resembled womens undergarments or lingerie of the period.

Frilly ruffles called _____ were often placed at the front of the neck Jabots The ___ sleeve was gathered into the armseye (armhole) and full below the elbow with fabric puffed or pouched at the wrist Bishop Sleeve In ______ the shape of a skirt is created by using a number of panels shaped so that when joined they fit the body in some areas, usually over the hips, and flare out in others, usually towards the bottom Goring The garment which today would be called a women's suit, was an important item of clothing for women in the 1920s Tailor-made What actor made white bucks popular? Pat Boon Where did the Teddy Boy Suit originate from? England Who is the designer that created the "New Look" Christian Dior Who is the designer that perfected the bias cut Madeleine Vionnet Who was the designer that perfected pleats in the 1920s & 1930s Fortuny Claire McCarnell was famous for... All American lifestyle branding and sports wear A wartime suit style; short curving jacket that ended above the waist Bolero Suit More affluent women wore these soft, less fitted gowns in the late afternoon.

The gowns created by Fortuny were often worn as these gowns Tea Gowns An important style, the ____, had hair built high in front and at the sides around the face Pompadour Large in scale, popular hot styles included brimless toques and large-brimmed _____ hats. Decoration was lavish with artificial flowers, lace, buckles, feathers and bird wings Picture hats Many women wore combination underware, ornamented with lace and embroidery rather than drawers (frequently referred to as _____) and a chemise. knickers With fullness concentrated at the hip them narrowing gradually to the ankles, were also popular. Peg-top skirts Paul Poiret designed a number of very exotic styles including the ___ ____, a wide tunic, boned to hold out the skirt in a full circle and worn over the narrowest of hobble skirts Minaret Tunic A combination garment that put together a camisole with a skirt that buttoned under the crotch to form drawers was called ____ -______. This garment was especially popular when skirts grew shorter Cami-knickers Knitted sweaters that pulled on over the head became popular after 1915.

they had no discernible waist, were belted at the hip and had long sleeves Pullovers ties with wide ends that were worn with one end looped over the other and held in place with a tie pin Ascots A small close fitting hat called the ___ became the predominant hat form of the 1920s. In general this hat had small or larger brims that turned down around the face Cloche About 1945, ____ skirts which were full gathered skirts, became fashionable. Dirndl skirts Sleeves which were wide at the end and finished with either ruffles or attached under sleeves. Japanese influence was evident in this style of sleeve Kimono sleeve A style of the 1920s made up of a series of deep waves all over the head Marcel wave Designer known for inventing irregular pleating on silk. Also for creating the Delphos Gown Fortuny Known for comfort pants Chanel In 1919 Jeanne Lanvin introducted a bouffant skirt, reminiscent of the Crinoline Period. An evening dress of this type with a dropped waistline and full skirt was a popular alternative to the tubular silhouette.

It was called the ____ __ ____ Robe de style Also known as gaiters, separate protective coverings that extended from the top of the shoe to some point below the knee, were worn to protect the legs Spats during the 1920s sport jackets were often combined with knickers or ___ ____ ( a fuller version of knickers) and argyle socks Plus fours To be able to change quickly from the acceptable long trousers to knickers the students took to wearing trousers with excessively wide legs that could be slipped on over the knickers. Oxford bags After Paris was liberated from foreign occupation in 1944, to convince the world that the couture was once again ready to provide leadership in fashion design and to raise money for war relief, the Chambre Syndicale organized an exhibit of miniature mannequins, twenty-seven inches tall, dressed in clothes designed by more than forty of the leading French couturiers Theatre de la Mode Created by British adolescents in the late 1940s and 1950s, this was the first truly independent fashions for young people.

These were working class British adolescents who adopted styles in menswear that had a somewhat Edwardian flavor: longer jackets with more shaping, high turned-back lapels, cuffed sleeves, waistcoats and well-cut, narrow trousers. Teddy boys The ___ ____ in records and clothes grew rapidly and teenage fashions and fads played an important role in the garment industry. Teen market During what years was known as "The swinging sixties" 1960-1967 By the close of the 1960s, Esquire magazine proclaimed a ___ ____ for men, and fancifully colored and styled garments ranging from underwear to evening wear appeared in the stores Peacock revolution In the 1960s, some popular styles seemed to originate not with the well-to-do but with less affluent individuals and with style tribes or subcultures such as the hippies in the US and the mods in Britain. Some have called this phenomenon the ____-__ Theory, in contrast with "trickle down". bottom- up theory British fashion designer who quickly incorporated punk ideas into her 1977 collection, bringing punk style to a wider audience.

Zandra Rhodes Designer who made dresses of square pieces of plastic held together with metal rings Paco Rabanne Associated with "Space age" influences. Ideas included low-heeled white boots, industrial zippers, hard-line minidresses in the 1960s, more feminine styles in the 1970s Andre Courreges ____ Spandex was used extensively in blends with other fibers for stretch fabrics. Very fine polyester microfibers were made to look and feel like silk Lycra Worked in ready-to-wear around 1970. Often working with street style and clothes such as punk, new romantic, fetish styles Vivienne Westwood Established boutique and company called OMO in 1978. Produced innovative designs for wide variety of prices and markets. Especially known for bathing suit designs and garments made of sweatshirt-type fabric Norma Kamali Couture and ready-to-wear designs for Chanel (from 1982) and also under his own name. Tremendously versatile designer.

Also designs furs of Italian firm, Fendi Karl Lagerfeld 1000+ images about Fashion of 1960s: Mods, Rockers and Hippies on Pinterest | Mary quant, 1960s and Hippie fashion Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Fashion of 1960s: Mods, Rockers and Hippies 18 Pins135 Followers The 1960s featured 3 diverse trends: Rocker (continuation of 1950s), Hippie and Mod. Mary Quant invented the mini-skirt which became extremely popular. The London Modernists (The Mods) strongly influenced the fashion in London with classy look. The hippie movement late in the decade also exerted a strong influence with bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye, and paisley prints. From 1960s, fashion became marketed mainly to young people. Pop art and Space race also were inspirations for this decade.

Hot Pants 1970 ï¿½ Short shorts girls years 70s vintage fashion pictures US 70's - Jo Ann Pflug ( M*A*S*H ) UK 1971 - The New Seekers Hot pants was very brief tight shorts worn by women as an outer garment . Categorized as " short shorts ", hot pants commonly have an inseam length of 2 inches (50 mm) or less . These are short, tight shorts, usually made of cotton, nylon, or some other common material . They are meant to emphasize the buttocks and the legs . Hot-pants were launched by fashion designer Mary Quant during the " Swinging London " scene of the mid-1960s , and they were very popular up to the early 1970s. If a person cuts off the legs of a pair of jeans, that's known as a " cut-off " . The character Daisy Duke from TV series " The Dukes of Hazzard " was known for wearing low cut blue jeans . Her popularity led to the term " Daisy Dukes " being used for short shorts .

Jorts ( from 'jean shorts' ) is another name for denim shorts , typically cut longer than Daisy Dukes ( mid-thigh for women and at the knee for men ). USA 1966 - Lori Williams ► FOTO ï¿½ FOTO USA 1975 - Smartie Pants USA 70s - Flight assistant ► FOTO USA 1972 - Southwest Airlines ► FOTO ï¿½ VIDEO Gli hot pants sono un tipo di short femminile particolarmente corti ed aderenti . Nati nel corso degli anni settanta, coprono dal bacino a qualche centimetro al di sotto dell'inguine, mettendo particolarmente in evidenza cosce e sedere . I modelli piï¿½ comuni sono realizzati in tela denim, ma esistono versioni in cotone, nylon, pelle e fibre sintetiche. La moda degli hot pants scemï¿½ alla fine degli anni 70, per poi ritornare in auge sul finire degli anni novanta .

Grande successo ebbe in quegli anni Catherine Bach nel ruolo di Daisy Duke nella serie di telefilm " Hazard " , inguainata spesso in aderentissimi e cortissimi shorts . Nel 1973, in Italia destï¿½ particolare scandalo e fu accusata di blasfemia una campagna pubblicitaria realizzata da Oliviero Toscani . La pubblicitï¿½ infatti abbinava all'immagine di un paio di hot pants ( visti da dietro, quindi con il fondoschiena in evidenza ) la frase " Chi mi ama mi segua ". USA 1967 - Raquel Welch ► FOTO USA 1967 - Raquel Welch ► FOTO Italia 1971 - Nadia Cassini ► FOTO USA 1974 - Short shorts USA 70's - Daisy Duke USA 70's - Catherine Bach ► FOTO Daisy Mae Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard . She was both the main female protagonist and the sex symbol on Dukes of Hazzard .

Bach appeared numerous times wearing tight and short denim shorts, which later became colloquially known as " Daisy Dukes " . The network censors believed that Daisy's famous cut-off shorts alone would be too revealing. The shorts were so short that the only way the producers could get them on air was for Catherine Bach to wear flesh-colored pantyhose with them to ensure that the shorts revealed no more of her than intended . Bach herself had concerns about the shorts saying she could not wear them in the restaurant scene . The producers' answer was for her to visit the restaurant across the street; Bach found the waitresses there were wearing "little miniskirts that matched the tablecloths !". Bach made many of Daisy's costumes herself, especially the early ones, including the red bikini in the first episode, seen during the show's opening credits . At the suggestion of the show's producers, Bach posed as Daisy Duke for a poster, which sold 5 million copies. USA 70's - Catherine Bach History of Shorts History of Shorts Updated on November 19, 2012 History of Shorts First, a definition.

Shorts are a bifurcated garment worn by men and women and boys and girls that begin at the waist and end at or above the knee. Wait a moment! Bifurcated? That sounds almost obscene. Here is a more simple definition. Shorts are a shortened version of long pants. That’s it. So who invented them? Well, first we have to look at who invented clothing. Long ago and far away in the Land of Eden, Adam and Eve were chatting in the Garden. Adam said, ‘Eve, you look mahvelous. What is that you’re wearing?’ Eve replied, ‘This old thing ? I’ve had this fig leaf forever. I have to find something new to wear.’ So she collected a bunch of reeds and fashioned a skirt which later became very popular in Hawaii. Eve looked so fetching that may have been when all that begetting began. You know, Cain, Abel, etc., etc. Although I prefer that explanation, there is an alternative version of when clothing evolved. Let’s look at our ancestors after the Ice Age about 170,000 years ago. In the beginning they ran around wearing nothing but lots of coarse, shaggy hair.

Grogg - Self portrait Lice - the first fashionistas Then Grogg – remember him from the ‘World’s Oldest Interviewer ’ and ‘ Speech Writer ’ – discovered that the furry skin of the mammoth made a warm, comfortable covering. In time, these greasy, smelly skins evolved into more practical clothing like shirts and pants and shorts. How do I know it was about 170,000 years ago? Thank you for asking. A new study, published in the Molecular Biology and Evolution journal, explains that the evidence comes from parasites – lice, to be exact. Scientists, using DNA sequencing, tracked when head lice evolved into clothing/body lice and that occurred around 170,000 years ago. So lice have been with us since clothing was invented. FYI: Fully developed lice are grayish white, have 6 legs, and are the size of a sesame seed. Boy in 1890s wearing knee pants U.S.

schoolboys wearing knickerbockers (1900s) Well-dressed golfer wearing knickers Model wearing shorts in 1931 Sears catalog British army officers in uniform What has this got to do with the history of shorts? Let me explain: Back in the days of the1890s, It all started with short knee pants. Young boys in America wore these shorts Purchased by mamas and papas and aunts. Then later during the 1900s, Knickerbockers was what we called boys’ shorts. They covered the knee worn with long stockings, Most boys wore them for school and for sports. Soon Americans shortened that name, And promptly called them knickers. Guess how British folks responded to this? With derision, laughs, snorts and snickers. FYI: Knickers are the British equivalent of women’s underpants. Even today some grown men endorse The wearing of knickers on the golf course. Let’s fast forward to the 1930s When women displayed their proclivity, To wear shorts like their children did For casual and athletic activity. Shorts were worn by our brave service men In tropical climes during World War Two.

It then became commonplace for those shorts To be worn everywhere by men … and women, too. FYI: “Before the first World War women were arrested for smoking cigarettes in public, for using profanity, for appearing on beaches without stockings, for driving automobiles without a man beside them, and for wearing outlandish attire – for example, shorts.” – Geoffrey Perrett Flying soccer player wearing baggies Men wearing Bermuda shorts in Bermuda How many types of shorts are there? Let me count the ways. Loose-fitting, baggy shorts that reach the knees Were once standard for English soccer guys. From ‘70 to ‘90 shorts were short But now baggies worldwide are on the rise. FYI:The West Bromwich Albion FC soccer team is nicknamed the Baggies because their team used to wear very baggy shorts. Bermuda shorts with blazer and tie Are popular with men in Bermuda. This style works well for men who are fit But not so much for guys built like Buddha. Colorful board shorts or 'jams' Just kidding, John Board shorts are beachwear for surfboard dudes, They are swim trunks reaching below the knee.

The board name comes from surfers’ surfboards, Since the ‘80s we call them ‘jams,’ you see. Boxer shorts are male underwear, Short versions are called boxer briefs. The very tight-fit spandex type Are ‘bun huggers,’ Oh my, good grief! Catherine Bach and Jessica Simpson Shorts with high heels can be glamorous. Want to create your own Cut-offs? Cut the legs off your worn jeans today. They are popular since the ‘70s Although not hemmed and allowed to fray. Daisy Dukes are very short cut-offs From the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ TV show. Catherine Bach wore them on television, Jessica Simpson, on film not long ago. FYI: The cut-offs known as 'Daisy Dukes' refer to that character in the TV show, ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’ played by actress, Catherine Bach(1979-1985). Actress Jessica Simpson played Daisy Dukes in the film, 'The Dukes of Hazzard' (2005).

The Royal Teens singing 'Short Shorts' (1957) Bike shorts with or without bike Raquel Welch in hot pants (1967) Three of the guys didn't get the email about wearing high socks with their lederhosen. Young men wearing cargo shorts I went to buy camouflage shorts and couldn't find any! Long bike shorts of spandex or nylon Are created to be super skin tight. They are supposed to relieve chafing But with that fit, chafing they might incite. For myself, I think I would choose Bike shorts that are a little more loose. Hot pants are also known as 'short shorts' With inseam length of two inches or less. Mary Quant designed them in the ‘60s, And launched them in London to great success. Lederhosen are well-known German shorts Worn with high socks in any weather. What are they made of you might ask? I thought you knew. They’re made of leather. Cargo shorts have more than 4 pockets Stitched to the outside with turn-down flaps. With all that extra room to stow your stuff, You can carry your baseball caps, several maps, assorted traps,

Question: Which British designer allegedly invented both the miniskirt and later hot pants?
Answer: Mary Quant