British miniskirt pioneer Mary Quant dies aged 93: family....

Mary Quant, the fashion queen of Britain's Swinging Sixties who popularized the miniskirt, died on Thursday at the age of 93, her family said.

Quant "died peacefully at home in Surrey, UK, this morning", they said in a statement, calling her "one of the most internationally recognized fashion designers of the 20th century and an outstanding innovator".

Quant went down in the history books for the mini-skirt and making women's clothes fun and affordable.

Whether she actually invented the iconic fashion item has been the subject of a long and bitter dispute with late French designer Andre Courreges, among others.