Thanks to the pioneering designs of Mary Quant, the 1960s was the decade that changed the fortunes of the miniskirt, with the style becoming a symbol of feminism, free love and, of course, fun. Today, however, there’s another time period that has become synonymous with thigh-grazing hemlines: the ’90s.
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With a devotion to minimalism after the “boom boom” aesthetic of the ’80s, the ’90s was the era when countless supermodels and sitcom stars embraced a uniform of basic tops and sleek miniskirts. It was a formula seen on the likes of Kate Moss, Jennifer Aniston and Naomi Campbell, and it recalibrated the garment’s mood for a new generation.
Fast-forward to spring/summer 2026, and Valentino’s pre-fall collection featured a grey pinstripe skirt paired with a beaded silk camisole, lace tights and earrings that grazed the collarbone. Dior’s miniskirts, meanwhile, were delivered in multiple guises, from stiff pleats to leather pelmets to bow-tied bubbles.
If you’ve found yourself drawn not to miniskirts but midis over the past few years, I don’t blame you (especially during winter), but you’d be missing out if you swore off the miniskirt entirely. Don’t take my word for it – look to Kate Moss, who is hard to argue with style-wise, and allow her and other ’90s muses to influence your personal hemline index this year.
Black and white: the ultimate combination for so many reasons, not least in this format modelled by Moss. A black crew-neck top, a white miniskirt, a pair of black almond-toed ballet pumps – no more, no less (although you could add a black wool coat into the equation during winter).
Rachel Green was a fan of the miniskirt, and so too was ’90s Jen An. Her approach was to allow the garment to add a little spice to an otherwise basic outfit of a polo neck, a single-breasted coat and knee-high boots, all in black. Perfect for now but, come spring, swap the coat for a funnel-necked leather bomber.
Although the decade was minimalist in mood, it was also one ruled by Dame Viviene Westwood, which meant plenty of punk tartan. Claudia Schiffer’s little red kilt, again teamed with a uniform of black (polo neck, tights, boots), as well as a double-stranded chain belt, was the supermodel way to nail the print.
Suiting
On Valentino’s haute couture runway in 1991, Naomi Campbell modelled a miniskirt suit that wasn’t remotely minimalist, with a burnished jacquard surface that shone under the catwalk’s lights. While it might not be a fabrication for today’s 9-to-5, the skirt-suit formula is ripe for reinvention this season.
