Ah, the miniskirt... it really is one of those love or hate items. With a hemline well above the knee it's not for the faint hearted, but no one can deny that it has earned its place as a key piece in fashion history. The mini marked a turning point in fashion Before the miniskirt came to prominence in the 1960s, it was generally seen as an item to be worn during exercise for example, dance. However, that all changed with the emergence of Mary Quant designs which revolutionised the way we see fashion. Quant named her dress after her favourite model of car: the Mini. Mary Quant at work The miniskirt was made even more popular by the designs of  André Courrèges who incorporated it into his Mod look, for spring/summer 1965. Yves Saint Laurent also started to show shorter skirts in his autumn/winter 1965 collection, by then the miniskirt had made it. Although longer length skirts also became popular, including both midi and maxi, the mini never really went away. The miniskirt on the catwalk Blondie made it a style staple during the 1970s and Carrie in Sex And The City made sure that the mini was a huge feature of 90s fashion. Even now, check out any high-street shop from Zara to Topshop and you're sure to find more than one variation of the mini: from the skort to the traditional skirt shape. The mini has been around for over 50 years and it's not showing any signs of fading just yet. Carrie wearing a miniskirt This article was brought to you in association with HTC, Beautifully designed smartphones & manufacturer of the world's most awarded Smartphone in 2013, the HTC One