The mini makes a maxi comeback: Dior’s new range inspires old miniskirt lovers

More than five decades since English model Jean Shrimpton sparked a furore at the Melbourne Cup in her white minidress, the mini is back …with a vengeance.

At the first catwalk event in Paris since the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the global fashion industry, famed designer Christian Dior lifted the curtains, and hemlines, on his new range.

Proving that everything old is new again, this show began with a bang, with not the usual one model gracing the catwalk but 85, according to a report in The Guardian.

Of those, all but six were wearing short skirts.

Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri described the bold move to embrace skimpy hemlines as “starting again”.

“The past two years have been super intense, and there has been an idea that maybe we should renounce fashion, because of the impact on the planet. But fashion has always been a constant in our lives. It is not just about catwalk shows. It is something that all of us are part of,” she said.

“I love a miniskirt. It represents revolution and the spirit of youth. And I like very much the ideas of the younger generation right now.

“When I worked with (Italian fashion designer ) Mr Valentino he used to say that miniskirts were only for young women. But I don’t agree with him. Anyone can wear them as long as it’s not cold.”

Proving Chiuri is right, Canadian singer Celine Dion embraced the leggy look when she donned a yellow frilly mini skirt at age 51.

And earlier this year, former Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, 65, turned heads when she donned a bright pink mini at a night out in Sydney.

Designed by Mary Quant, the mini skirt was an instant hit the minute it hit the shelves.

“I had myself in mind when I designed it,” she said.

“I liked my skirts short because I wanted to run and catch the bus to get to work. It was that feeling of freedom and liberation,” she said.

But it wasn’t until Shrimpton embraced the flirty fashion at the Melbourne Cup Carnival, and without stockings, gloves or hat, that it made world headlines.

According to The Guardian Dior has fully embraced the 1960s but with a twist. Onlookers describe the latest line as more 1950s but with a splash of sci-fi.