Mastering The Mini Skirt: Millennial Edition
“Oh no I can’t wear that, I’m too old now” or “I’m a mum now I have to dress appropriately” - sound familiar?
As a woman, in my thirties, edging closer each day to 40, I am often self-reminded that life as I knew it in the midst of my 'fashionable' twenties has all but youthfully burned, left in a wake of Sass and Bide 'Rats' and Jefferey Campbell booties. These days the reality of dressing for one’s 'age' is now often the topic of conversation amongst groups of friends, and often overheard at coffee shops and retail stores. “Oh no I can’t wear that, I’m too old now” or “I’m a mum now I have to dress appropriately” - sound familiar? Maybe you’ve even thought to yourself 'I would have worn that 10 years ago, but now I can’t, I’ll be judged because I'm over thirty'. As if some kind of age police are out in force, and now we must subject ourselves to a uniformed wardrobe of boyfriend jeans, sneakers, maxi dresses and the same t-shirt in 5 colours, including a striped version.
After seeing Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber and their loyal counterfeits sporting the micro mini across socials, I begged the question to myself: “Am I too old to wear a mini skirt?” I’ve recently been battling with this idea that the humble mini is only for girls in their twenties, not full fledged reality-stricken women with careers, families and mortgages. I even made a daring decision and purchased a white linen mini skirt last week, only to receive it, try it on and feel like I was trying too hard to be 21 again, even testing out the subdued version of the ‘bend and snap’ (Legally Blonde fans rejoice) to test the ‘is my underwear showing’ rule. My mind wasn’t made up, I had to research this critical fashion question. And after a “quick” search through Instagram and a (bias-fuelled) long winded Pinterest and Google reconnaissance mission I was delightfully surprised to find women in their 30’s 40’s and even 50’s rocking the mini skirt. The lightbulb moment: they seemingly followed one rule that my fashion forward mother told me at the height of my confused teenage fashion journey: “Tits out or legs out, not both”. And there you have it folks, a small insight into my teenage years, and wise timeless advice from my mother.
So in conclusion, no I am not too old to rock a mini skirt, and please let my self-doubting experience be a reminder that fashion should always be about building confidence and an expression of one’s true self. With this in mind (and mum's #1 sartorial rule) let’s explore 6 stylish and more refined mini skirt looks.
Disclaimer: For those (like my sister) who may be asking "why can't women have it all and have tits and legs out?!" Well to you my ladies, I say go forth - yolo it out, because if you've got it flaunt it and don't be afraid to break said #1 rule, go shorter in hemline, or lower on the hips, and let the girls out. For you we have also added some rule breaking looks down below.
Sustainability/Ethical Rating: For our conscious fashion girls, we've added a 1-5 star sustainability rating based on this article here and taken into account ethical brand ratings from Good On You to give an estimate score out of 5.
- THE TWEED MINI SKIRT
2. THE DENIM MINI SKIRT
3. THE PLEATED MINI SKIRT
4. THE LEATHER MINI SKIRT
5. THE SPARKLY MINI SKIRT
6. THE MINIMAL MINI
7. FOR THE RULE BREAKERS
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Written by Becky Smouha for Oh Yes Her