The Invention of Skirts

Skirts can be sassy, flirty, businesslike, severe, fun or elegant, but all of them definitely emphasize one quality; and that is femininity. There was a time when the European women wore nothing but dresses and skirts, even to the point that the word "skirt" became slang for "woman" in the English language. But skirts were not always as feminine as they are today.

The History and Evolution of Skirts

Skirts are one of the oldest styles of garment known to mankind: after the loincloth, it was the skirt that graced the human form. Once a rectangular piece of material, be it animal skin or leaves woven together, was wrapped around the waist, the essential skirt was created.

early symbols with man in skirt

Importantly, men as well as women wore skirts, and ancient art shows remarkably "manly" men in skirts. But as time passed, it was women who became known for wearing skirts with few exceptions like Scotsmen, who still wear their kilts on traditional occasions.

Women wore their skirts long as a mark of their modesty as well as their prestige, because before the Industrial Revolution, fabric was expensive. Until the 19th century the skirts of dresses emphasized the waist while enlarging the hip , and as is evident from the picture of the society lady and the design sketches, skirts were usually voluminous and long..

But things began to change in the 19th century, with skirts becoming more streamlined to the body. In the 20th century, the hardships of war required women to wear shorter, more work-friendly clothing. This marked the beginning of the upward journey of the skirt hem, which went up from ankle-length, to calf-length and then the knee length by the 1960s.

But the defining moment for the modern skirt arrived in the 1960s, when inspired by the 1965 short skirts by André Courrèges, Mary Quant, took the hem up by a few notches to give women the new length that was here to stay: the mini, shown below.

Mary Quant miniskirt

It was Quant that gave women the freedom to really choose the length of their skirts, which went to later become the micro-mini as seen on the three American cheerleaders in the picture below.

The micro-mini is now worn on its own, with stockings or with leggings. The low-waisted fashions of the previous years have affected the skirts as well, and skirts with low waists and extremely high hemlines are now seen often on ramps, as well as on young women at nightclubs or parties.

Skirts have become a staple in any woman's wardrobe: their ability to mix and match with the same tops that are teamed with jeans and trousers make them convenient and versatile. In the decades of the 20th century, the hemlines have risen and fallen, and as we step into a new millennium, we now have the legacy of all the different skirt lengths possible

Polka dot skirt on a hanger.

A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.

In European culture, skirts are usually considered women's clothing. However, there are exceptions. The kilt is a traditional men's garment in Scotland, and some fashion designers, such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, have shown men's skirts.

At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of material (such as pareos), but most skirts are fitted to the body at the waist and fuller below, with the fullness introduced by means of dart, gores, pleats, or panels. Modern skirts are usually made of light to mid-weight fabrics, such as denim, jersey, worsted, or poplin. Skirts of thin or clingy fabrics are often worn with slips to make the material of the skirt drape better and for modesty.

The hemline of skirts can be as high as the upper thigh or as low as the ground, depending on the whims of fashion and the modesty or personal taste of the wearer.

Some medieval upper-class women wore skirts over three metres in diameter at the bottom. At the other extreme, the miniskirts of the 1960s were minimal garments that may have barely covered the underwear when seated.

Costume historians typically use the word "petticoat" to describe skirt-like garments of the 18th century or earlier.

Contents

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1 History

o 1.1 Skirts in the 19th century

o 1.2 Skirts in the 20th and 21st centuries

2 Basic types

o 2.1 Fads and fashions

3 Lahenga

4 Male wear

5 See also

6 References

7 External links

[edit] History

Skirts have been worn by men and women from many cultures, such as the lungi, kanga and sarong worn in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and the kilt worn in Scotland.

The earliest known culture to have females wear miniskirts were the Duan Qun Miao, which literally meant "short skirt Miao" in Chinese. This was in reference to the short miniskirts "that barely cover the buttocks" worn by women of the tribe, and which were "probably shocking" to Han Chinese observers in medieval and early modern times.[1]

[edit] Skirts in the 19th century

During the nineteenth century the cut of women's dresses in western culture varied more widely than in any other century. Waistlines started just below the bust (the Empire silhouette) and gradually sank to the natural waist. Skirts started fairly narrow and increased dramatically to the hoopskirt and crinoline-supported styles of the 1860s; then fullness was draped and drawn to the back by means of bustles.

See also History of Western fashion: 1795-1820, 1820s, 1830s, 1840s,1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s

Victorian fashion, Artistic Dress movement, Victorian dress reform.

Colourful skirts for sale at Market, Victoria, Seychelles

[edit] Skirts in the 20th and 21st centuries

Beginning around 1915, hemlines for daytime dresses left the floor for good. For the next fifty years fashionable skirts became short (1920s). then long (1930s), then shorter (the War Years with their restrictions on fabric), then long (the New Look), then shortest of all during the 1960s, when skirts became as short as possible while avoiding exposure of underwear, which was considered taboo.

Since the 1970s and the rise of pants for women as an option for all but the most formal of occasions, no one skirt length has dominated fashion for long, with short and ankle-length styles often appearing side-by-side in fashion magazines and catalogs

Any woman likes to wear skirts. They’re extremely fashionable, the right kind of skirt flatters the figure, women can show off their legs. The possibilities a skirt offers are endless. But do we know how the skirt evolved, and became the fashion statement it is now? We list the top ten fashionable skirts in history.

1. Towards the 1860’s, skirts were huge, quite wide – think Scarlett O’ Hara in ‘Gone With The Wind’. That changed to the skirt being pushed out at the back, in the form of a train.

2. In the 1880’s, we got the first truly tight skirts. The skirt became quite narrow from waist to hemline, and women teamed it with a chamois-leather petticoat. These were so tight it was difficult to walk!

3. A few years later, these skirts became a little more relaxed, as so women became more relaxed too, as walking and getting about got easier.

4. When the next century, i.e. the 20th century came around, the skirt changed again. This time it became one which was tight around the hips till the knee, and then, you could see a lot of flares and frippery. Teamed with tight corsets, women showed off their dramatic silhouettes with these skirts.

5. However, with the coming of the First World War, skirts underwent a massive change because women did not have so many maids to dress them up. There was a call for practical clothes, and in came sensible, uniform styles.

6. This continued till mostly the Second World War, and when this finished, fashionable skirts came back, with lots of nylon petticoats.

7. In the 1950’s, long tight skirts became the rage, and many fashionable women started wearing corsets again, which showed off the curves in an exaggerated fashion.

8. With the coming of the 1960’s, skirts became more relaxed, and became shorter, and a little more loose. Miniskirts, and straight skirts were introduced by designers, and in the early 80’s, fashionable women started wearing proper tight skirts again. While young women chose short skirts, older women favored knee-length skirts, either straight or tapered.

9. The 1980’s showed another change with padded shoulders.

10. And in the 1990’s, straight, sexy, short skirts were fashionable again, and thankfully, it has remained the same way since!

11.When models stepped out on the fall runways, it was obvious that leather was going to be the fabric of the season. And French Vogue’s much fetishisized leather pencil skirt is a clear example of that, comprising a huge trend now. Rock it with a tee for a funkier look, toughen the skirt with a pair of edgy booties or go elegant pairing it down with a sheer feminine blouse.

12.

13. Aquilano.Rimondi, Cyntia Steffe, Iceberg, Jenni Kayne

14.

15. Michael Kors, Nanette Lepore, Phi,

Spring 2010 Trend Alert: Full SkirtsOctober 19, 2009 by Roslyn Gold   Filed under News

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More meant more material as fuller skirts dominated the runways for Spring/Summer 2010. They flared out at the hips, descended into a sloped a-line and gave a little something extra to the bottom half of dresses and gowns. Women of all body types can now rejoice as we say goodbye to the days of skin-tight body-clinging apparel and welcome in the full skirt.

Marchesa flared out its ballgowns this season while showing in NYC. Gathered bouquets of fabric beefed up a bridal-esque ivory gown with a sheer sequined bodice while cut-out material fell way wards in a stiff asymmetrical skirt. Evening wear never looked more elegant and Marchesa’s collection was most definitely received well as one of the spring gowns was already seen on Kate Hudson during a wedding-themed photo shoot.

In Milan, Dsquared² brought trailer trash chic to the runway with trucker hats, bottles of beer and long ankle-length skirts that swung outwards in soft flares. Sure the materials may have been unconventional (look no further than Chanel Iman’s orange pleather gown), but the retro designs looked reminiscent of the fifties-style full skirt.

Chanel took us to the opposite end of the spectrum with high-waist hoop-skirted minis. Showing in Paris, Karl Lagerfeld presented this hoop-skirt style in demure cocktail dresses and also paired it in a skirt suit in place of a traditional pencil skirt. Every interpretation of this style hit mid-thigh and incorporated that classic Chanel design.

Finally, Antonio Berardi took a different spin on the full skirt in his London show. His futuristic styles slightly puffed at the hips and tapered mid-thigh to create a rounded design that was both unique and beautiful. He paired this round skirt with simple dresses and allowed it to also stand alone in solid colors.

To the disbelief of most, the full skirt can be worn by all body types. The full skirt allows for the waist to look super small as long as you pair it with a more form-fitting top. Those with a boy-shaped body can create curves using this style and those with a pear-shaped physique will be able to conceal their larger bottom halves and highlight their smallest parts. Busty and more full-figured girls might want to opt for a slightly flared a-line style. Fuller skirts (or fuller skirted dresses) can be paired with tight blazers or cropped jackets, and can also look effortlessly chic with a tucked in tank or tee.