50 DEPARTURES STYLE THE
50 DEPARTURES STYLE THE NEW MINI simple, modernist shapes that Quant and others espoused are still evident, the new mini goes much further, partly because women’s attitudes have changed. The 1960s celebrated growing freedom from social strictures and the expectations of family life; post-#MeToo it’s about freedom of identity and a woman’s right to dress and look exactly as she pleases without being pre-judged. This pushes the mini to new heights like Miu Miu’s pleated pelmet skirt, poised between hipbone and upper thigh, or Versace’s tiny, neon-bright dresses from bodycon to trapeze-shaped, which are catnip to the confident. Another fallen maxim is that wearing a miniskirt requires covering up other areas. No more – thanks to a charge led by actors and singers who have long loved a tiny dress for the stage or red carpet and now add cutouts and sheer fabrics to a potent mix. The bra or bandeau as outerwear was a shock hit two years ago and mainstream collections like Michael Kors now feature a crop top and skirt under a conveniently loose-cut coat. The size barrier falls too. Singers are not necessarily model-slender and see that as no bar to wearing a barelythere minidress. As we adjust to new-normal body shapes, this makes sense: Miu Miu’s skinny, exposed torsos seem less appealing than the luminously beautiful, realistically curved (though, in truth, only size 12) Dutch model Jill Kortleve in minis tailored at Max Mara or Versace. The same applies to age. One of Louis Vuitton’s best-known clients is 69-year-old French First Lady Brigitte Macron, who wears her sharply cut coats and suits well above her exceedingly neat knees, and who would doubtless choose embellished uniform-style jackets with short skirts from a theatrical spring collection inspired by a 1920s vampire ball. At Balmain, designer Olivier Rousteing – known for clothing partying celebrities in ornate, short dresses – featured mature models, including another French First Lady, Carla Bruni, in little dresses crunchy with embroidery and beading or swirls of appliquéd metal chain. In London, Preen’s bright, draped dresses come with softly asymmetric high-rise hems but, as co-designer Justin Thornton points out, “It just felt right to bring hemlines up. Our client FROM LEFT: © VALENTINO, MONICA FEUDI, ALESSANDRO LUCIONI / GORUNWAY.COM, LUCA TOMBOLINI, © MICHAEL KORS, © ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © CHANEL, GIOVANNI GIANNONI, © PRADA, © YVES SAINT LAURENT Top, from left: pastel summer tweed by Chanel; officer braid and chunky boots at Louis Vuitton; the mini as ball skirt at Prada; opposite, from left: barely there and bright at Valentino; appliquéd silk at Miu Miu; glossy chainwork at Balmain; sixties revival at Courrèges; crunchy lace slip at Michael Kors; delicate sky print at Alexander McQueen loves that feeling of fun, powerful confidence, and shorter lengths are no longer only for the young.” The surprising truth of the new mini is its versatility and sophistication. Length is flexible, though should fall at least two to three inches above the knee. Tailoring is work-appropriate, like Dior’s vivid, graphic dresses under slightly longer coats, or Chanel’s summer tweed suits, far lighter than their 1960s predecessors. The sharply cut blazer becomes a mini coatdress at Saint Laurent, where designer Anthony Vaccarello was inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s muse, the individualist but always polished Paloma Picasso, and at Alexander McQueen, where Sarah Burton adds crystal-hung, skintight leggings. Small dresses run the gamut from svelte trapezes with wearable cutouts at Valentino or simple modernism at Courrèges to ruffled smocks inspired by Victorian nightwear at Simone Rocha. Softly draped styles at Balmain or Valentino suit less formal evenings, while Prada adds a cheeky train so the mini can still go to the ball. With no rules, be guided by aesthetics. The lithe-legged can commit the original sin of a mini with stilettos and get away with it; everyone else can ground the skirt with chunky ankle boots, knee boots to disguise legs less blessed, or flatforms for height without sacrificing comfort. There is a new mini for everyone – it just takes a little self-critique and a pinch of Ms Picasso’s confidence. The jacket dress at Saint Laurent DEPARTURES 51
