The Key to Summer Fashion Success - Mini Skirts!

Image via WikipediaBy Jennifer Delrue

Maybe you have been looking at the mini skirt sensation and staying as far away from it as possible, or maybe you are more than ready to jump on board!

Mini skirts are a big part of the Elan International clothing line and women of all ages and sizes are beginning to see the potential this simple yet sexy style can deliver. Within this article we are going to not only discuss the basics of the mini skirt style but how you can wear it this summer and what your overall options are. As you know, when it comes to women's fashion, the options are nearly unlimited!

Let's first get out of the way that there are mini skirts and what are now known as micro-mini skirts. Mini skirts are definitely more popular because of the length they offer where the micro version of this casual skirt is definitely pushing the limits for the majority of women which is why it has not yet made the top of the Elan clothing must-have list.

The length of the mini skirt is generally an inch or two above the knee. For many women, this is a very comfortable length but for others this is taking a big leap from their knee length skirts and even floor length skirt options. If this sounds like you, we have some ideas that can help you get used to the shorter skirt length while still retaining the coverage you are used to.

Layering is a major part of women's fashion today and it not only refers to women's fashion tops but bottoms as well. Leggings are not just a layering tool for the cooler months of the year but for the summer as well.

Often times you can't reuse your winter leggings because of the thick materials used to keep you warm. You obviously want the opposite for the summer months of the year and spandex is a great option because it allows you to breathe and wicks away the sweat. After locating your new summer leggings, preferably in a cropped length, you can wear these under your new mini skirt for additional coverage.

Bike shorts under a denim miniskirt are a great combination women of all ages are taking advantage of this summer. It creates the ambiance of a '70s style, similar to many of the other '70s fashion trends that have made a comeback within the past few years. It's important to note here that although you are layering your miniskirt, it may still not be appropriate for the office but it is definitely a summer ready outfit you will want to wear over and over again!

If you are looking for more summer must-have hits let's not forget about Elan International casual dresses. Summer dresses are just as much of a staple as a bathing suit so don't forget about the hot Elan International dresses that can be found online in addition to their miniskirt variety!

Are you wondering what fashions and trends are coming up for spring 2011? J.Delrue is the fashion blogger who can help you with this. Mini skirts are back this year and are here to stay! Break out of your shell and try out this daring fashion trend for yourself.

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All About Miniskirts

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All About Miniskirts by Brandon Dove

Long and large belong to the old times. Now, the fad commands our fashion taste to go for anything small, short, or mini. Speaking of the mini, it is the mini skirt that supersedes the long skirt that was usually worn by people, especially women, in colonial times. Along with the banishment of colonial times is the banishment of colonial mentality, hence women are just so natural in flaunting their wonderful legs and skins by wearing miniskirts. Just like any other clothes, miniskirts did not pop out for no reason. To know the facts behind it and its history, read on.

Needless to say, miniskirts are skirts usually worn 8-10 inches above the knees. Most miniskirts are made in cotton, denim, wool and knits. They come in different mini sizes, designs, colors, and styles. The prices usually range from $5-$250 depending on the brand and quality of cloths. The word "mini" was used instead of "short" after a British car model called Mini.

The history of miniskirts began when Andre Courreges created miniskirts in the early 1960s. However, some say that it was Helen Rose who invented miniskirts for the costumes in the movie, Forbidden Planet, which was released in 1956.

In 1966, mini skirts were brought into the fashion spotlight through Mary Quant who designed mini skirts 7 inches above the knees. This design was thought to be a product of young women's search for new thinking of feminine independence. The design was a remarkable success.

In the next decade, miniskirts were not as popular as in the previous decade. The general perspective of women that time left them wanting to be respected for their capabilities rather than their physical allure or beauties. However, in 1990s, miniskirts went back to the spotlight. It was an indication that women could have both- beauty and intelligence.

Nowadays, the top brands of miniskirts are American Eagle, Old Navy, Gap, BabyPhat, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Newport News, and Xhilaration.

Some people think that miniskirts do not make them look fashionable. This can be a wrong notion. There are steps to make miniskirts look so fab for your legs. The first step is to give your legs a boost, that is, enhancing it by waxing, tanning, or paling them if they are not so fab to look at. Second, you should wear the right type of miniskirts according to your body size, mood and age. For slim women, tight miniskirts suit them. For older, miniskirts that allow them to move freely while flowing minis are good for those wanting a romantic feel.

The third is that you should choose the appropriate shoes that match your miniskirts. Face the mirror when you choose your mini with its matching shoes. The advisable shoes include those with high heels, boots with different lengths, wedge shoes, pointed flat shoes and flip flops. The fourth step suggests that you should match your top shirt with the kind of mini skirt you will wear. T-shirts, jacket and blazers look excellent when paired with miniskirts.

Miniskirts are a must-have in a woman's wardrobe. It is a proven fact not by its fame in several decades but by its general design that women in different generations cannot help admire. So, whatever is your size, go and purchase a number of minis in the nearest store now!

If you want to know more about fashion or maybe you have a celebrity fashion icon in mind, you can check this link:

Fashion Style

If you can't get enough, here's more:

Fashion Sense

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The Mini Skirt and Retro Fashion

Do You Remember: Retro Fashion and 70s Nostalgia by Zane Clements

Take for example the Mini Skirt.

Mary Quant, chanteuse of the swinging 60’s Carnaby Street, is credited as the first to reveal the ultra-short miniskirt. The mini was shocking, and not since the 20’s flapper had exposing your knee caused such a stir. Respectable ladies wore skirts at knee length, and young girls were supposed to follow the respectable path, but something happened when the daring Quant shortened skirts, and the world went mod.

Designer Andre Courreges is also credited with the mini’s creation, but Quant successfully commercialized the new freedom of teenage fashion, exposing the sexually explosive 60’s to the mini. The all-too-revealing miniskirt coincided with the birth of the sexual revolution, and exposed more than legs. The birth control pill hit the market in 1960, and in 1962, feminist and future Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown published Sex and the Single Girl, a support manual for young women who refused marriage but didn’t want to sacrifice the most primal urge. Sex was everywhere, and even more shocking than girls enjoying sex was that they were talking about it. And the miniskirt was the best advertisement for the sexual revolution.

Girls could strut their stuff, free to expose their sensuality, and men were just going to have to deal with it! No more covering up, keeping flesh under wraps because of the consequences of temptation. The miniskirt boldly stated the new confidence of a woman’s body, and her place in the feminine world. Protection and ‘providing for’ was no longer what the 60’s gal wanted. She called the shots, and in her sexy new miniskirt, she got what she wanted.

The miniskirt has remained a major staple throughout the years, as a sign of both sexuality and confidence (though we should warn you that showing thigh won’t instantly turn you into an Amazon princess. The mini might make you look sexy, but the confidence part is up to you). The 80’s returned the miniskirt back to pure unadulterated sensuality when Madonna slithered across the floor in thigh-high, black lycra miniskirts. Paired with lace tights and mesh shirts that exposed the navel, the 80’s miniskirt was unashamed and in your face. The 60’s mini was mild in comparison to the body-hugging shamelessness of 80's cotton lycra.

The mini-skirt received even more controversy when it found its way into the professional realm of the 90’s. Heather Locklear’s ‘Amanda’ on Melrose Place stirred up attention in her skirts that barely hung below the hemline of her suit jackets. Professional women were conflicted: yes, the mini-skirt made your legs look fabulous, but was this going too far? When Calista Flockhart’s title character on Ally McBeal received more attention for her skirts than for her law practice, girls had to wonder if the line had been crossed.

Hemlines rise and fall faster than the stock market—where liberated women are down on the exchange floor beside their fellow man, thank you very much. The true fashion icon of the 60’s, the mini skirt is fearless: it allows women to celebrate their sexuality, and yet defies the old fashion convention of yesteryear.

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Mary Quaint and the Mini Dress and Mini Skirt

Thank You Mary Quaint - For The Mini Dress! by Sarah H

It was the year 1960 and the world was to experience a lot of changes among them the introduction of the Mini Dress, which was said to be launched at the same time as the birth control pill was introduced. The introduction of the birth control pill is said to have brought on the sexual liberation of women and free love became a reality. Because of the sexual liberation of women and the free love that followed, the mini skirt became popular, not only for young teenage girls, but also for young mothers and even grandmothers who were adventurous enough to wear them.

Mary Quaint who by 1966, was producing short mini dresses and skirts for her boutique bazaar, from an idea she adapted from the 1964 designs of designer “Courreges”, is credited in part for the popularity of the mini dress and skirt, which did not become popular when it was first introduced earlier on. It became popular because it was quite different and was basically designed with young teenage girls in mind, but because of its popularity soon became the height of fashion with old and young alike.

With the shortening of hemlines, emphasis was placed on the legs and stockings became important and soon there were different colors and fashions, like fish net stocking, and so Ernestine Carter declared 1963 the year of the legs. In that same year the British Society for the Preservation of the Mini Skirt was formed, and boasted of some 450 mini skirts enthusiasts, who claimed that their society was for the good of mankind. In 1996 when Christian Dior was about to launch their new fashion of long coats and dresses the society protested, carrying banners that said” Mini Skirts Forever” and “Support the Mini”.

In 1967 the mini dress and skirt started turning into a micro mini with hemlines reaching as far as their bottom. These micro dresses and skirts were basically just a strip of material and because it was so short it was necessary to replace the stockings and suspenders that were usually used with the introduction of the pantyhose. Finally the 1960s which is affectionately remembered as the “Swinging Sixties” has brought a lot of changes with regards to the way women were looked upon and has made its mark in history with these changes in women dress hemlines and with the introduction of the birth control pill and the free love spirit that came about due to these changes.

Find more great tips and ideas on dressing at http://www.allaboutdresses.net/ a website offering tips, advice and resources on topics such as the mini dress, dresses by Jennifer Lopez, modern prom dresses and even jingle dresses.

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