Why the miniskirt is back on catwalks everywhere from Dior to Prada to Miu Miu, and how to wear one this winter

The mini has always been about optimism, and don’t we need some of that amid a pandemic? Short hemlines have certainly been all over catwalks this autumn

Sexy and more flattering than you think, minis can be worn at many ages and in various ways. Pair them with tights, boots and bulky or outsize tops for winter

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A look, featuring a miniskirt, from the Prada spring/summer 2022 collection. Many recent fashion shows have seen the return of shorter hemlines.

Published: 7:15am, 22 Nov 2021Updated: 7:40am, 22 Nov 2021

There’s nothing like a head-turning, thigh-baring miniskirt to lift your mood. Which is perhaps why – after a weary 18 months of pandemic-related disruption – they’re firmly back in fashion.

Short hemlines create a sense of “revolution and youth”, said Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri after an autumn catwalk show that paid homage to miniskirt pioneer Mary Quant, and was filled with miniskirt suits, short tunics and shift dresses with matching coats in pumpkin, candyfloss pink and moss green.

Dior was not the only brand with abbreviated skirts: the return of the mini is a trend that has been picking up momentum over a month of catwalk shows. At Prada, the minis were short but tailored – rarely tight but always colourful.

Like Dior, this is a traditional flared mini that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the King’s Road in London in 1965. And much like in the ’60s, they dominated the entire collection: 29 of the 39 looks shown on Prada catwalks in Milan and Shanghai were short.

A look from the Prada spring/summer 2022 collection. Three-quarter of the looks it showed were short.

Minis were trimmed with gilt chains at Balmain and safety-pinned over a side-split at Versace. Miu Miu, meanwhile, had skirts so short they had more in common with the belt than an actual piece of clothing. Slung low on the hip and pleated with a hemline just below the bottom, these minis were closer to the skimpy LA fashion that was popular around the millennium than anything from Swinging London.

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