Rise of the hemline

American dancer, model, showgirl and silent film actress Louise Brooks posing in a frilly dress.

Actress, dancer and singer Betty Grable dressed in a short skirt on the set of This Way Please.

American actress Peggy Moran photographed wearing a beautifully cut short dress.

Rita Hayworth wearing a mini dress for the film Cover Girl.

Iconic actress and model Marilyn Monroe posing in a daringly short skirt.

Actress and author Raquel Welch wearing a pink towelling mini dress with a striking yellow hem.

English pop singer Sandie Shaw posing in a stylish mini dress.

Model wearing a Robert Krausz’s puzzle-inspired design.

Goldie Hawn posing in a mini dress in a film still from Cactus Flower.

French star Brigitte Bardot wearing a glamorous pink mini dress.

Joan Collins in a typical 1960s black and white mini dress.

American singer Nancy Sinatra in a hippy-style, red crochet mini dress.

English actress Kate O’Mara wearing a fringe mini skirt.

English actress Moira Foot posing in a short button-down dress.

Model wearing a 1970s-style yellow plastic ‘bubble’ dress.

English actress Jacqueline Bisset posing in a pink mini dress.

Kim Basinger wearing a T-shirt dress in a film still from Never Say Never Again.

Model Ali Espley in a sequinned mini dress called ‘Fantasia 2001’.

Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen posing in a sultry black mini dress.

Iconic image of Sharon Stone wearing a revealing white mini dress, in the movie Basic Instinct.

Kate Moss modelling a mini skirt by Karl Lagerfeld.

Mariah Carey posing in a short pleated dress on her hotel room balcony.

Cindy Crawford wearing a Herve Leger bodycon dress.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell showing off an asymmetric mini dress in Paris.

Tori Spelling wearing a short black dress in a still from the hit show Beverly Hills 90210.

Shannen Doherty posing in a floral print pattern mini dress.

Kate Moss wearing a black and yellow wool top over a black jersey knit skirt by Versace.

Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls performing in her famous Union Jack dress.

Mariah Carey wearing a white bodycon dress at the Fresh Air Fund Benefit Dinner.

Jennifer Lopez singing her heart out in a sequined split mini skirt with matching hot pants.

Paris Hilton wearing a denim mini skirt at the Pierrot Fashion Show in New York.

Mariah Carey performing on British TV in a purple ra-ra skirt.

Beyoncé wearing a sparkly Dolce and Gabbana dress at the World Music Awards.

Naomi Campbell modelling a colourful short dress for London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2010.

Shakira arrives at the NRJ Music Awards wearing a short strapless dress.

Kristen Stewart attending the MTV Movie Awards in a sparkly silver mini dress.