Miniskirts Back, But Will Trend Have Legs?

Jan. 17 -- After consecutive seasons showing prim and proper, below-the-knee skirts, fashion designers are unleashing the miniskirt in a big way for this spring.

Younger women in particular are expected to embrace miniskirts, minidresses and even the micro-minis — skirts so short that wearers dare not bend over. The jury is still out on how they'll go over with women who are a few years past their last frat party, but they're all over the fashion pages, and experts believe they'll make a splash.

"Miniskirts are going to be huge," said Suze Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion director of Glamour magazine. "It's a somber time, and people want to have fun. They like to change their fashion and clothes."

Miniskirts are generally defined by anything that is about six inches or more above the knee. They're not for everyone, and fashion experts warn there's a fine line between stylish and sleazy. Plus, while they're perfect for a date, they're not a smart look for working women jockeying for a promotion, she said.

"I don't recommend them for the office," Schwartz said. "Keep your pencil skirts."

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Miniskirts first took off in the late 1960s when London boutique owner Mary Quant slashed hemlines and helped popularize what became known as the "mod" look. (If you've seen Austin Powers movies, you get the idea.)

At the time, miniskirts were a big deal — a symbol of the sexual revolution — and considered an expression of female empowerment not seen since the flapper days of the 1920s.

Many of the new miniskirts are retro-looking, while others are made of washed out denim, and newer materials.

While they can still be funky and stylish, miniskirts have never been as hot as they were in their initial heyday, said Leah Feldon, a fashion expert who wrote Does This Make Me Look Fat?

"They do trot them out cyclically if they want to get people into the stores," Feldon said. "I wore them in the '70s, and everyone did. But you can't work in them, you can't even bend over a file cabinet in them."