MINI skirts and the little black dress have topped a fashion poll as the most iconic clothing items ever worn.

But fashion followers in Swindon think jeans should have topped the poll.

The mini has periodically been the height of fashion since the late 1960s when Mary Quant began producing skirts several inches above the knee.

Although whether she actually invented the clothing revolution has been hotly debated in fashion circles.

The mini lead the way in the Harvey Nichols store survey in front of more recent fashion trends including combat trousers and trainers.

It was crowned the nation's favourite fashion item above jeans and the timeless little black dress.

Gina Akers, the Evening Advertiser's beauty columnist said that the poll was very "of the moment".

But she thought that jeans should have been crowned the king or queen of fashion clothing.

She said: "Many of the items seem to be of the moment. I would have thought jeans would have been top of the list they have never gone out of fashion and have made a big comeback in recent years.

"I personally think the little black dress is a bit 80s so I would not have had it so high in the top 10, but I definitely agree that shell suits are the worst."

Jean Parker, manager of the Arti clothes shop in Borough Fields, Wootton Bassett, said: "I would have thought that jeans would have been top of the poll, but the mini-skirt is timeless.

"They are getting shorter and shorter these days, almost like pelmets.

"In the last few years jeans have seen a big resurgence. Even when combats came in a few years ago, jeans went on and are more popular now than ever."

Jeans have stood the test of time, having first become cool in the 1950s thanks to Hollywood stars like James Dean and rock and roller Elvis Presley.

But other fashion items have divided opinions so much that they appear in both the top 10 best and top 10 worst lists.

Platform shoes came sixth in the top 10 all-time best but were also considered to be the fourth worst item. The shell suit was unsurprisingly named as the number one worst ever style crime.

Their bright colours and comfort were initially attractive to sports enthusiasts.

Then manufacturers began to produce cheaper versions, it became a mass fashion item before being treated as a joke.

The worst . . . and the best

Top 10 Fashion Items

1 Mini Skirt

2 Jeans

3 Little Black Dress

4 Flares

5 Cowboy Boots

6 Platform Shoes

7 Poncho

8 Trainers

9 Combats

10 Trench Coat

Worst 10 Fashion Items

1 Shell Suits

2 Leg Warmers

3 Leggings

4 Platforms

5 Flares

6 Poncho

7 Hot Pants

8 Puffball Skirt

9 Tank Tops

10 Ra-Ra Skirt

Anthony Osborne