Less prim, more tomboyish and nostalgic, the season’s crop of mini skirts are worth considering. Here’s how to wear the length now …
Main image: Mini skirts and boxy jackets – this look is by Prada – as seen at the Brown Thomas autumn winter 2023 show.
Mini skirts for autumn winter aren’t a new idea. There’s nothing like the turning of a new season to inspire a return to 1960s dressing: patent leather, turtlenecks and Mary Quant-inspired mini lengths are all part of that look. What’s interesting about this year’s (ahem) crop of minis is how they upend expectations. Instead of being ultra feminine, a lot of styles are remixed in boyish ways – see Prada’s white minis worn with boxy dad jackets, or the cropped wool skorts at COS, styled with Western slingback mules (pictured below). Is the skirt suit still around? Yes. The fact that chunky loafers are in right now elevates the look: see Massimo Dutti’s black pleated skirt worn with leather penny loafers, it looks cool and subversive – rather than prim and pretty – when paired with a cropped jacket. Imagine: the late great Stella Tennant for Chanel, rather than Sex and the City’s Bunny McDougal.
If you’re not so confident at shorter lengths, lean into fluted and pleated styles that skim the body rather than sitting too tightly against the legs. A lot of these styles are longer than micro lengths, settling somewhere above the knee (so you needn’t shuffle about whilst discreetly trying to stop yours from hitching up your thighs). What to wear it with? Black tights are always in vogue. Opt for a sheer style, unless you want to go bold with a pair in brightest red, as seen on the runways for autumn winter at Gucci, Eudon Choi and David Koma (I’ll be sticking with black and very sheer; I get mine at Wolford or M&S). Get the right style and you can wear it sans tights in the good weather, too. Shop an array of the best mini skirts for autumn below.
Black mini skirt with pleated detail, €69.95, at Massimo Dutti.
Tan Bettie suede skirt, €165; www.sezane.com.
Cream bouclé button skirt, €215; www.sandro.com.
Black tailored pleated wool skort, €89, at COS.
Grey pleated wool-blend mini skirt, €99; www.arket.com.
Black Grace vegan leather skirt, Norma Kamali, €240; www.net-a-porter.com.