Spanish Origin of Miniskirt?

[Baker, John]

The term "miniskirt" is usually thought to have been invented in London around 1965, possibly by Mary Quant, who had a well-known boutique in Chelsea.  However, the OED has an earlier citation, in 1962, to the Billings (Montana) Gazette.  Billings is not usually considered to be quite so fashion-forward.  

I took a look at the article.  It's datelined Mexico City and credited to John Abney, who I understand was a wire service reporter there.  Presumably it just happened that the Billings Gazette was the only newspaper that picked up the article and was included in online databases.  The article describes the "mini-skirt" or "Ya-Ya" as the latest thing on the production line in Mexico City.  It refers repeatedly to some kind of writing by a prominent psychiatrist, unnamed, who had argued that the miniskirt was a youthful protest of international threats to peace.

Mexico City is an unexpected source of "miniskirt," but still quite a bit more plausible than Billings, Montana.  Might "miniskirt" be a calque of some Spanish term?  It would be nice if someone who speaks Spanish and has access to the necessary databases could do a search of Mexico City publications from the period.


John Baker

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