Fashion runs in circles, everything that is “fashionable” will become “old-fashioned” and vice versa. Micro miniskirts pay homage to the early 2000’s; the ‘00s paid homage to the 1960s etc. The first official appearance of the miniskirt was during the ‘60s by Mary Quant. At the time, their breakthrough was simultaneously linked with the rise of feminism, women’s rights and youth culture. In a way, miniskirts were a symbol of empowerment and freedom for that era. Is the rise of the trend this year linked to female empowerment; a sign of the post-covid era as a medium of body appreciation, or maybe all the above?
Many believe that Miu-Miu is the pioneer behind the instant rise of micro minis for this Spring-Summer 2022, as it is definitely the most talked about. The skirts appearing on the runway resembled cut-off pieces and the so-called ”belt-skirt” of the ‘00s. Their fit was low waisted, with the skirts’ barrel covering the underwear- the fabric was cut and the skirts were paired with similarly suited tops that just covered the waist.. The interpretation was that Miu-Miu wanted to portray the dynamism of the body and the empowerment of the figure. The styles were masculine, instead of stereotypically “girly”, supporting the view that the designers aimed to promote body empowerment and freedom. However, people still criticised the selection of the models in relation to body positivity- their body types maintained a skinny figure, and thus contradicted the move away from outdated runway standards.
Body empowerment is a major point of the post-covid era. Staying at home, inactivated for a long period of time, living in our sweatpants and enjoying life through a digital lens, led people, and therefore designers and the trends they set, to become more individualistic. We dress for ourselves; we dress for self-expression and we dress to have fun! Fashion editors, thinking one step ahead, characterise the micro miniskirt as a sign of our timeThey talk about the uselessness of this garment is the perfect paradox of the post-pandemic life, whereas everything we dressed up in, had a utilitarian purpose. Maybe the micro mini, with the very low waist and the short hemline is a way of rebelling against the “dressing for a purpose”.
After Miu-Miu’s lead there have been numerous brands following in their footsteps, such as Fendi, Prada, Versace, Dior, Simone Rocha, Bluemarine and the list goes on… What is left to see is whether the trend will actually be adopted by everyday-people or whether it will just amaze us from the catwalks. At the same time, if the trend is adapted to the city streets, is it going to be hyper-feminine or more masculine? In the end, it will either become a statement like the 60’s and the 00’s or fade away.
Written by Eirini Pytianou
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