Purple and yellow zigzag print mini dress
Designed by Barbara Hulanicki for Biba, London, 1967
T.12-1982

Mini-length garments like this one concentrated attention on the wearer's legs. This was a contrast to fashions of the previous two decades which had emphasised the female bust and hips.
In her book 'From A to Biba' Hulanicki provides an alternative explanation for the invention of the mini skirt. Soon after 'Biba' opened on Kensington Church Street in 1966, she received a delivery of skirts made out of stretchy jersey fabric which had shrunk dramatically between leaving the manufacturer's and arriving at her shop:
'... I nearly had a heart attack. The skirts were only 10 inches long. God, I thought, we'll go bust - we'll never be able to sell them. I couldn't sleep, but that little fluted skirt walked out on customers as fast as we could get it onto the hatstands.'