Therah-rah (orra-ra)skirt is a shortflounced, layered skirt that originated incheerleading and became a popular fashion trend among teenage girls in the early 1980s. It marked, as theOxford Dictionary noted, the first successful attempt to revive theminiskirt that had been introduced in the mid-1960s.[1]
Gifi Fields claimed that he co-created the rah-rah skirt with designerAngela Stone,[2] but there are also claims that the skirt was created byNorma Kamali.[3][4] Later in the 1980s, it was often worn with leather, denim or lace.[5]
In the 1990s, the miniskirt regained popularity on its own, largely eschewing the frills of the rah-rah. The latter made a comeback in Britain in 2008, with a headline inLondon Lite proclaiming: "Eighties look is all the ra-rave."[6]
Examples of the rah-rah could be seen on the covers of music albums such asSince Yesterday byStrawberry Switchblade (1984).
Rah-rah is a reduplication[7] of an abbreviation for "hurrah",[8] which is used as a synonym for "cheering".
While the rah-rah skirt originated incheerleading, it was introduced to mainstream fashion in 1982.[9] It was popular in the 1980s until the mini skirt regained popularity, but the rah-rah experienced a resurgence in 2008.[10]
