If you were asked to name the very most iconic item of clothing of the last 50 years, you might think of stiletto heels, a classic trench coat or even a trusty pair of jeans – but in fact, it's the statement mini skirt that has recently been named our most revered fashion piece. Beating out Levi's popular 501s in second place, a pair of Dr Martens at number three and the denim jacket at number four, it seems the above-knee silhouette is seen as the most enduring, with 55 per cent of the women surveyed choosing it – according to a survey by fashion retailer Peter Hahn.
Cindy Crawford knew how to rock a mini skirt back in the 90s
And while many wouldn't think twice about wearing an A-line mini with a chic pair of boots today, the above-knee skirt actually represents a major moment in fashion history – so we can see why it's been named as our most quintessential. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything much more British, either, since our very own Mary Quant is most synonymous with the shape – which she created after she was inspired by everyday women who were raising their hemlines back in the 1960s.
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French designer André Courrèges is also associated with the style, though Mary famously once said: "It wasn’t me or Courrèges who invented the miniskirt anyway - it was the girls in the street who did it."
Kate Moss on the catwalk for Versace 1997
The likes of Twiggy and Jackie Kennedy became the poster girls for the mini back then, but throughout the years we've never lost our love for the sometimes-scandalous silhouette – whether it was the ra-ra skirt in the eighties, Julia Roberts' Pretty Woman in the 90s or Kate Moss walking the noughties' catwalks.
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Now, it's cute leather A-line numbers and kilt-inspired tartan pieces that line the shelves of our high street stores, worn with everything from slogan t-shirts to polo neck jumpers. If that's not an enduring item of clothing, we don't know what is. How do you wear yours?
