If 40 is the new 30, why can't we wear minis?

The short skirt was the Sixties’ fashion legacy to the world. The French designer Andre Courreges created the first version of the short skirt, or the “mod,” as he called it, in 1965, but it was Mary Quant, the British designer, who commercialized the look and turned the short skirt into an international trend in 1966. Her short shift dresses and micro-minis, as they became known, took the world by storm; women packed away and stored their “maxis,” or long skirts, in exchange for the miniskirt. Women proudly wore the look that came to represent the swinging ’60s and its accompanying prosperity and sexual revolution.

The mini became such a hit that Life magazine featured the iconic style on its August 1969 cover, validating its cultural relevance in the ’60s. The miniskirt remained an essential part of fashion over the decades and influenced many a fashion statement. The ’80s ushered in the punk/grunge generation with their black leather miniskirts and exaggerated, shoulder-padded micro-minis. The ’90s took serious stock of women in the corporate world, thus the “power suit” was born; women walked across boardrooms, shuttled to meetings, had power lunches in constructed jackets with pencil-cut short skirts, often with subtle slits worn with black stilettos.

The 20th century is all about celebrating the female form and having fun; women of all ages are taking charge of their bodies, getting healthier and more fit and making time to take care of themselves. They are showing off their bodies in minis that are sexy and young, baring legs in strappy high heels, wedges, platforms and stilettos.

The Long and Short of The Mini

So if the miniskirt of the 20th century is an expression of a woman’s journey in rediscovering her body and her sensuality, why do many people frown upon women in their 40s and upwards who wear minis? If the 40s are really the new 30s, why can’t we reaffirm this idea and have the freedom to slip into our minis and not hear a word about it? What’s up with all the rules and age-appropriate dressing?

There’s been a lot of age-appropriate-fashion talk going around lately and it brings to mind a closet full of rules on how to dress through the years — who gets to wear the mini tops the discussion.

For decades, we grew up with a standard set of rules on how to dress up, at what age to wear makeup, when to have our hair colored, which color of nail polish to apply, and so on. It was a fashion taboo for any woman older than 30 to be wearing a miniskirt lest she wanted to be on the receiving end of her mother or grandmother’s ire. But as fashion became more accessible and global, as more designers experimented with various styles and women became more adventurous with their fashion choices and took control of their health and fitness, fashion rules eroded and fashion individuality reigned. Certain fashion looks no longer belonged only to the young and that is no truer than in the case of the miniskirt.

According to Hal Rubenstein, editor-in-chief of InStyle magazine, the fashion rule of today is that “there are no more rules.” These days, women are given so many style options that no one can dictate what we should wear and how we should look. There is no more “your bag should match the color of your shoes” rule, no more “wear black pantyhose to look dressy and formal” rule for evening and no more “can’t wear print-on-print” rule, to name a few. Mixing the color of your shoes and bags is now considered hip and cool, going to an evening event sans pantyhose is fashionably acceptable and matching print-on-print makes for a fabulous fashion statement. Denim or jeans, as we also call it, has graduated from a daytime, casual piece of clothing to an elegant and chic option for a night out on the town. The short dress is now referred to alternatively as a gown, and “fast” no longer just applies to food but fashion as well. So why don’t we just let loose, stop fretting about our age and enjoy the experience of wearing a mini?

While I think wearing short skirts at any age over 40 is tricky, it is not impossible. If music goddess Madonna can do it at 50, supermodel Cindy Crawford can pull it off at 44, Teri Hatcher, the “desperate housewife” can get away with it at 46 and Courteney Cox can look fabulously “cougar” at 46, why can’t we, mere mortals in our 40s, wear minis? We’ve all got the same body parts so there’s no reason why they can break free of the rules while we’re stuck playing by them. The key to achieving the “age-appropriate mini look” is to find the elegant-yet-sexy balance that any ordinary woman can strive for. Age should not be the only deciding factor when we choose our wardrobe; lifestyle, physicality, attitude and personality plus interests must come into play when we go shopping for clothes.

A Shortlist on The Mini

There are several things we need to determine and decide upon when we take the “wear-the-miniskirt” challenge:

• How long must a miniskirt be to fall under the category of age-appropriate? If a skirt barely covers your buttocks and exposes half your thighs, then that’s way too short to wear for any occasion. A mini that ends about three inches above the knee can be very elegant and flattering to wear to any event at any time. I have several short dresses from Calvin Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg and BCBG that I wear on evenings out with my husband or to parties with girlfriends and they have become staples in my wardrobe. They are easy to wear, simply and tastefully designed and can go from daywear to eveningwear with a change of accessories and shoes. They are short enough to make me feel very feminine and sexy and short enough to make me look younger without trying too hard. The right fit, fabric and design can spell the difference between looking elegant and coming off as cheap and trashy.

• Does a woman have enough chutzpah to carry off the mini look? If a woman is constantly tugging at her skirt, looking down at her legs and trying to appear “correct” while furtively glancing around, gauging people’s reactions to her miniskirt, then she’s better off wearing something with a longer hemline. If a woman knows how to stand, sit, walk and conduct herself confidently in a mini, then by all means indulge in the look. My suggestion to women who want to give wearing a mini a try is to find a dress that fits well, in a fabric that feels comfortable against the skin. There is nothing like a proper-fitting dress to give an added boost to a woman’s confidence. Also, don’t buy a mini that has too many details or exposes too much skin, especially around the cleavage area, because these will give you reason to fret or feel uneasy.

• What type of natural body shape does a woman have? If a woman has a small waist, then a longer skirt worn with a nice belt is probably a better option than a miniskirt. If a woman has a more flattering upper body, then emphasize that instead of the legs. Of course you don’t have to have legs that go on forever to carry off wearing a mini, but they must look good (waxed, please!) and well-proportioned compared to the rest of the body.

• Does a woman have the right physical shape to pull off the look? If a woman has been running, doing Pilates or working out in the gym and has developed firm, slender-looking legs, then by all means she should show off the gams in flattering minis. Up until about two years ago my legs were kind of “jiggly” and out of shape despite regular exercise, but after correcting my diet and taking weight-training more seriously, I lost some of the fat on my thighs and noticed that my legs became leaner. Running made my legs even more firm and toned. After noticing the difference, I became inspired and dared myself one day to try on a mini; I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dress looked good on me and made me look younger and sexier. Now, when I chance upon a mini I like, I don’t hesitate to try it on.

• Where and on what occasion do you plan to wear a mini? If a woman is headed for the beach, going on a date, attending a party that doesn’t require long gowns or off for some dancing, then it’s perfectly fine to wear a mini. But if a woman is attending her child’s graduation, a baptism, funeral or attending church, then a mini is a definite no-no. This is where the “appropriate” part of age-appropriate dressing comes into serious play. I’ve seen women in church wearing very short dresses and sometimes showing too much skin and it is an uncomfortable and embarrassing sight; people around can’t help but look and whisper.

• Why do you want to wear a mini? If your answer to the question is because “I look great, feel great and want to celebrate life,” then wear the heck out of the mini, but if your answer is because “I really need to find a boyfriend” or “I’m feeling kind of old and irrelevant,” then you should think twice about slipping into that mini because you will definitely attract the wrong kind of attention.

Age-appropriate dressing cuts both ways: there are young women who dress far too old for their age and there are mature women who dress way too young for their age. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We must learn to be comfortable in our own skin, be mindful of our limitations, use common sense to live by certain rules and set out to define our own personal style — one that truly represents who we are. We must never make the mistake of falling victim to fashion; we should instead use fashion as a visual expression of our individuality. Happy mini-dressing!