Culture

Does The Miu Miu Mini Skirt Mark The Return Of Low-Rise Culture?

The mini skirt is coming back in a big way, and we are powerless against it.

by Millie Roberts  23 February 2022
Miu Miu Skirt

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A low-rise micro mini skirt by Miu Miu is threatening to tear the internet in two, signalling the end of the beloved high-waist.

The pleated number from their Spring/Summer ’22 collection sits on the hips, with a raw hem just below the crotch, and is generally paired in a set with a cropped sweater or top. A widespread campaign by stylists and editorial rooms has peddled the itty bitty skirt around the world — and also inspired a dedicated Instagram account capturing everyone in it.

The Miu Miu skirt first made waves when Nicole Kidman wore it on a recent Vanity Fair cover, throwing readers into chaos about what the return of the low-rise mini will mean for the culture. The skirt has since been seen on Hayley Bieber, Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Lim Yoona, Saweetie, and more celebrity influencers.

Described as a preppy look inspired by the ongoing Y2k resurgence, the main difference from the bygone era of size-zero models is a more inclusive take this time around — the plus-size model Paloma Elsesser recently wore it on the cover of iD Magazine, and male model Yugo Takano did the same in Dazed Korea.

Trickle Down Skirt-Conomy

In an iconic The Devil Wears Prada scene, Meryl Streep explains in a monologue how the “lumpy blue sweater” main character Andy had pulled out her wardrobe without thought before work that morning was actually the aftermath of a cerulean Oscar de la Renta gown shown on the runway in 2002. Whatever we see released by designers usually ends up in consumer wardrobes one way or the other, and mostly subconsciously.

It’s been six months since Miu Miu first debuted its micro mini skirt, and the recent push this fortnight has since gotten the ball rolling. Beige and grey micro-minis may soon be inescapable, having already started popping up on sites like ASOS, Fashion Nova, and Shein, while also being likely to dominate TikTok and Instagram feeds in the coming months as well.

Low-Rise On The Horizon

Already grappling with low-rise jeans emerging from shadows after two decades, the Miu Miu skirt was a natural next step in the trend cycle. If New York Fashion Week was anything to go by this month, micro-mini skirts have been cemented as a 2022 staple from the likes of Christian Cowan, Kim Shui, Dauphinette, and LaQuan Smith through their runway shows, as predicted by Nylon.

Love it or hate it, the micro mini skirt is happening — but whether you choose to hop on is sheer personal preference. The New York Times replied to a reader who feared they had aged out of low-rise clothing on Friday by saying that confidence and comfortability are key, just like with any piece of clothing.

But what is next? Skinny jeans? Thin eyebrows? Time will tell.