The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for the South West of England. Established in 1993, SWFTA's core collection comprises of the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and TSW (Television South West). The archive also cares for a significant number of donated film collections, both amateur and professional, dating back to the early 1900s.
This film is part of Free

Miniskirts
Miniskirt - Passion and Power
News 1966 4 mins
From the collection of:

Overview
A woman models the iconic sixties’ miniskirt in the centre of Plymouth. Differing attitudes towards this daring wear as a bold fashion statement are caught on film. Miniskirts took the fashion world by storm in the swinging sixties and define the era. Short skirts were seen as items of dance or sports’ clothing or worn by the film actresses of the 50s in films such as ‘Flight to Mars’ or ‘Forbidden Planet’. Historically short skirts have been worn by soldiers and tribes.
Mary Quant is the most recognised name associated with the miniskirt like André Courrèges in France. Quant opened a boutique “Bazaar” on London's King’s Road, Chelsea in 1955 and encouraged experimentation with fashion. By the 60s many women expressed themselves politically and through new freedoms such as the way they dressed. Did Mary Quant invent the miniskirt? Mary had considerable influence in the mass appeal of the style of the miniskirt or minidress at the time. The popularity of the miniskirt endures to this day but remains as a contentious issue in many cultures.
Related
Textiles on Film

Caefelin Laundry, Llangollen Caefelin Laundry, Llangollen
Home movie 1937 20 mins Silent Location: Llangollen
Nellie Boote's laundry in Market Street in operation, the women dashing away with all manner of smoothing irons as clothes are sorted, mended, washed, ironed and sorted again.

Woven by Hand Woven by Hand
Documentary 1970 11 mins Location: Macclesfield
Handloom weaving, and its place in the history of textile production.

Platt's Lap Converter Platt's Lap Converter
Promotional 1951 13 mins Location: Oldham
Forget the carding machine - you need a lap convertor. Puzzled? Find out more here.

Textile Factory in Redruth Textile Factory in Redruth
News 1975 1 mins Silent Location: Redruth
Redruth Cottage Industry

Electricity - Power for Good Electricity - Power for Good
Promotional 1961 35 mins Location: Whitby
The NEEB sells an electrical future for modern homes and industries in the 1960s.

Lancashire Pride Lancashire Pride
Documentary 1950 58 mins Location: Wycoller
The looms of Lancashire: how the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution created the thriving textile industry.
Plymouth

Dingles of Plymouth Dingles of Plymouth
Advert 1960 1 mins Location: Plymouth
A charming regional commercial for Plymouth’s best loved department store.

Millbay Laundry Millbay Laundry
Advert 1960 0 mins Location: Plymouth
Help keep your relationship on track by outsourcing your laundry!

Skateboard Skateboard
Current affairs 1977 7 mins Location: Plymouth
The skateboard phenomenon is taking off on Plymouth Hoe.

Liberté Liner Liberté Liner
Current affairs 1961 5 mins Location: Plymouth
Cruising into the history books SS Liberté makes its final voyage stopping at Plymouth en route to Le Havre.

Model Clipper Sailor Model Clipper Sailor
Current affairs 1965 2 mins Location: Plymouth
Former shipwright turns his talents to model-making.

Bomb Squad Bomb Squad
Current affairs 1963 5 mins Location: Plymouth
Royal Navy Bomb Disposal Unit based in Plymouth covers the South West as a service for unexploded munitions.
New

Blue Pullman Blue Pullman
Industry sponsored film 1960 24 mins
A new luxury express is put through its paces. This film looks over the shoulders of the select band of craftsmen, engineers and operators, whose combined skills try to ensure that a train journey is a delightful experience.

The Scene from Melbury House The Scene from Melbury House
Documentary 1973 15 mins
British Transport Films record the varied daily lives of their neighbours as seen from the high roof of their building in London’s Marylebone.

This Is York This Is York
Travelogue 1953 21 mins Location: York
The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.

Fully Fitted Freight Fully Fitted Freight
Industry sponsored film 1957 20 mins
Illustrating the efficiency of express freight trains, and how they link manufacturers with their customers at the other end of Britain.

Train Time Train Time
Documentary 1952 30 mins
Examining a day in the life of what was then the busiest railway system in the world – British Railways.

A Future on Rail A Future on Rail
Industry sponsored film 1957 9 mins
A 1957 film examining the future for British Railways, and some of the opportunities provided by a new modernisation plan.
About the archive
Know this place?
Do you recognise a place, building or location in this film?
Help us populate the Britain on Film map by spotting and plotting the street or location you know. This is a BFI project and anyone can help.
Go to our Britain on Film crowdsourcing site and contribute to our mapping mission – to identify locations within our archive films.
Add a location