Aprairie dress orprairie skirt is a modestAmerican style ofskirt, an article of women's and girls'clothing.
Prairie dresses may be straight to slightly flared to very full, and may have one or moreflounces (deepruffles) or tiers; prairie dresses may be worn over a ruffled eyelet orlace-trimmedpetticoat.[1] Traditionally, prairie dresses have long sleeves.[2] In keeping with their design inspiration, traditional prairie skirts are usually made of "country" fabrics such asdenim and floweredcalico, though they can be of a solid colour too. Prairie skirts are a staple of women'swestern wear, and very full prairie skirts are worn forsquare dancing. Prairie dresses are often worn by women who attend Christian churches that emphasize the practice ofplain dress (as with theBruderhof Communities) or the doctrine ofoutward holiness (as with theAllegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection).[3][4] They are seen as fashionable, especially in cold weather.[5]
Prairie dresses earned their name for people travelling to the Western parts of the United States, though they were once "worn by women of all classes all over the country."[6]
Prairie skirts are so-called after their resemblance to the home-sewn skirts worn by pioneer women in the mid-19th century,[7] which in turn are a simplified version of the flared, ruffled skirts characteristic of high-fashion dresses of the 1820s. The style originated as an adaptation of high fashion to the practicalities of rural life in theWestern United States. Deep colors and prints were used as they did not show dirt, while decorations were used to update clothing to changing fashions.[8]
CountercultureHippies rejecting mainstream fashion looking instead to historical and non-Western styles. While 19th century prairie clothing was usually homemade, new companies such asGunne Sax in San Francisco began manufacturing ready to wear prairie clothing. The style grew in popularity in the 1970s with the approach of theUnited States Bicentennial and was introduced to high fashion byRalph Lauren in his fall 1978 Western-themed collection.[9]
Mid-calf length, button-front denim prairie skirts with a single flounce, worn with a 1950s-style petticoat that was slightly longer than the skirt, became a mainstreamfashion in the 1970s and early 1980s following Lauren's introduction.[9]
Prairie dresses were a fashion trend in the late 2010s, and were part of thecottagecore trend in 2020.[10]
Prairie dresses are often worn by women who attend Christian churches that emphasize the practice ofplain dress (as with theBruderhof Communities, an Anabaptist denomination) or the doctrine ofoutward holiness (as with theEvangelical Wesleyan Church, a Methodist connexion in the holiness movement).[3][4]
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