The Maxi Coat

The turn of the 1970s was a moment of total confusion about hemlines, as the midi skirt backlash entry explains. Minis, midis, and maxis all competed at once. One of the most striking results was the maxi coat, and especially the fashion for wearing it over a very short skirt - a look that put the shortest and longest hemlines of the era in a single outfit.

The maxi coat reached the ankle or even the floor. It was usually fitted through the body and flared toward the hem, often with a high collar, a belt, and a double row of buttons, and it came in wool, tweed, suede, leather, corduroy, and fake fur. Worn open over a mini skirt or hot pants with long boots, it created a long, dramatic line, with a flash of leg every time the coat swung open. It was practical, too: a mini skirt in winter needed something warm on top, and the maxi coat covered everything.

Several influences fed into it. The romantic Russian costume of the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago - long, fur-trimmed coats and hats - helped inspire a wave of "Zhivago" coats. The military greatcoat, bought second-hand from army surplus shops and popular with young people in the late 1960s, gave another version. And the hippie trail brought the embroidered Afghan sheepskin coat, with its shaggy fleece trim, which became a symbol of global and bohemian style. Long coats also fitted the romantic, historical mood of the early 1970s, alongside the maxi dress and the bohemian silhouette.

Not everyone loved it. Maxi coats were heavy, could trail in puddles and on stairs, and some critics found the "maxi over mini" combination ridiculous. By the mid-1970s, hemlines had settled, and coats came back to more practical lengths. But I find the maxi coat a wonderful garment for understanding the moment: it shows the fashion world trying everything at once, and it has a real sense of drama. A long coat swirling around a pair of platform boots is one of the most memorable images of the early 1970s.