Askirt is the lower part of adress or a separateouter garment that covers a person from the waist downwards.[1]
At its simplest, a skirt can be adraped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such aspareos). However, most skirts are fitted to the body at the waist or hips and fuller below, with the fullness introduced by means ofdarts,gores,pleats, or panels. Modern skirts are usually made of light to mid-weightfabrics, such asdenim,jersey,worsted, orpoplin. Skirts of thin or clingy fabrics are often worn withslips to make the material of the skirt drape better and for modesty.
In modern times, skirts are very commonly worn by women and girls so they could rub their thighs while walking or cross their legs by sitting. Some exceptions include theizaar, worn by manyMuslim cultures, and thekilt, a traditional men's garment in Scotland, Ireland, and England.
Thehemline of skirts can vary frommicro to floor-length and can vary according tocultural conceptions ofmodesty andaesthetics as well as the wearer's personal taste, which can beinfluenced by such factors asfashion and social context. Most skirts are complete garments, but some skirt-looking panels may be part of another garment such asleggings,shorts, andswimsuits.
A straw-woven skirt dating to 3900 BC was discovered inArmenia at theAreni-1 cave.[3] Skirts were the standard attire for men and women in all ancient cultures in theNear East andEgypt. TheSumerians inMesopotamia worekaunakes (Ancient Greek:καυνάκης,romanized: kaunákēs, ultimately fromSumerian:𒌆𒄖𒅘𒆪TÚGGU-NAK-KU),[4][5] a type of fur skirt tied to a belt. The term originally referred to a sheep'sfleece, but eventually came to be applied to the garment itself. Eventually, the animal pelts were replaced by "kaunakes cloth", a textile that imitated fleecy sheepskin.[6] Kaunakes cloth also served as a symbol in religious iconography, such as in the fleecy cloak ofJohn the Baptist.[7][8]
Statue of Ramaat, an official fromGiza wearing a pleated Egyptian kilt,c. 2250 BC
Ancient Egyptian garments were mainly made of linen. For the upper classes, they were beautifully woven and intricately pleated.[9] Around 2130 BC, during theOld Kingdom of Egypt, men wore wraparound skirts (kilts) known as theshendyt. They were made of a rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the lower body and tied in front. By theMiddle Kingdom of Egypt, longer skirts, reaching from the waist to ankles and sometimes hanging from the armpits, became fashionable. During theNew Kingdom of Egypt, kilts with a pleated triangular section became fashionable for men.[10] Beneath these, a shente, or triangular loincloth whose ends were fastened with cord ties, were worn.[11]
During theBronze Age, in the Southern parts of Western and Central Europe, wraparound dress-like garments were preferred. However, in Northern Europe, people also wore skirts and blouses.[12]
Duan Qun Miao women from aOne Hundred Miao Pictures album, pre-1912
In theMiddle Ages, men and women preferred dress-like garments. The lower part of men's dresses were much shorter in length compared to those for women. They were wide cut and often pleated or gored so that horse riding was more comfortable. Even aknight's armor had a short metal skirt below the breastplate. It covered the straps attaching the upper legs iron cuisse to the breastplate. Technological advances in weaving in the 13th–15th century, like foot-treadle floorlooms andscissors with pivoted blades and handles, improved tailoring trousers and tights. They became fashionable for men and henceforth became standard male attire whilst becoming taboo for women.[13][14]
One of the earliest known cultures to have females wear clothing resemblingminiskirts were the Duan QunMiao (Chinese:短裙苗), which literally means "Short Skirt Miao". 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 observers in premodern andearly modern times.[15]
In theMiddle Ages, some upper-class women wore skirts over three meters in diameter at the bottom.[citation needed] At the other extreme, theminiskirts of the 1960s were minimal garments that may have barely covered the underwear when the woman was seated. Costume historians[who?] typically use the word "petticoat" to describe skirt-like garments of the 18th century or earlier.[citation needed]
During the 19th century, the cut of women'sdresses in western culture varied more widely than in any other century.Waistlines started just below the bust (theEmpire silhouette) and gradually sank to the natural waist. Skirts started fairly narrow and increased dramatically to thehoopskirt andcrinoline-supported styles of the 1860s; then fullness was draped and drawn to the back by means ofbustles. In the 1890s, therainy daisy skirt was introduced for walking or sportswear. It had a significantly shorter hemline measuring as much as six inches off the ground and would eventually influence the wider introduction of shorter hemlines in the early 20th century.[16]
In the 19th century, in the United States and United Kingdom, there was a movement against skirts as part of theVictorian dress reform movement, and in the United States, theNational Dress Reform Association.[citation needed] There was also the invention of different ways to wear skirts. For example, in 1851, early women's rights advocateElizabeth Smith Miller introducedAmelia Bloomer to a garment initially known as the "Turkish dress", which featured a knee-length skirt over Turkish-style pantaloons.[17] Bloomer came to advocate and promote the dress, including instructions for making it, inThe Lily, a newspaper dedicated to the "Emancipation of Woman from Intemperance, Injustice, Prejudice, and Bigotry". This inspired a craze for the dress, which came to be known asbloomers.[18]Elizabeth Cady Stanton,Susan B. Anthony, andLucy Stone, other early advocates for women's rights, also adopted this style of dress in the 1850s, referring to it as the "freedom dress".[19] Concurrently, some female labourers, notably thepit brow women working at coal pits in the Wigan area, began wearing trousers beneath a short skirt as a practical component of their uniform. This attracted the attention of the public, and various photographers produced records of the women's unconventional manner of dress through the mid to late 19th century.[20]
After 1915, ankle-length skirts were not generally worn in the daytime. For the next fifty years fashionable skirts became short (1920s), then long (1930s), then shorter (in theWar Years with their restrictions on fabric), then long (the "New Look"), then shortest of all from 1967 to 1970, when skirts became as short as possible while avoiding exposure ofunderwear, which was consideredtaboo.[citation needed]
Since the 1970s and the rise ofpants/trousers 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.[citation needed]
An ankle-length daytime skirt, popular with women in the late 1960s as a reaction against miniskirts.[22]
Midi skirt
A skirt with hem halfway between ankle and knee, below the widest part of the calf. Popularized by designers in 1967 as a reaction to very short mini skirts.[22]
Sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, separated as mini skirt, or shortened to simply mini, a miniskirt is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than 10 cm (4 in) below the buttocks.[23]
Microskirt
A shorter version of the miniskirt, called the microskirt or micro-mini, which emerged toward the end of the 1960s.[24][25]
A skirt that is fitted at the hips and gradually widens towards the hem, giving the impression of the shape of a capital letter A.[26]
Bell-shaped skirt
Abell-shaped skirt, flared noticeably from the waist but then, unlike a church bell, cylindrical for much of its length.
Circle skirt
A skirt cut in sections to make one or more circles with a hole for the waist, so the skirt is very full but hangs smoothly from the waist without darts, pleats, or gathers.
A form of divided skirt, split skirt, or pantskirt constructed like a pair ofshorts, but hanging like a skirt.[27]
Full skirt
A skirt with fullness gathered into the waistband.
Gored skirt
A skirt that fits through the waistline and flares at the hem. May be made of from four to twenty-four shaped sections. Dates from the 14th century and much used in the 19th century. Very popular in the late 1860s, mid-1890s, early 20th century, 1930s, 1940s, and now worn as a classic skirt style.[22]
Inverted pleated skirt
A skirt made by bringing two folds of fabric to a center line in front and/ or back. May be cut straight at sides or be slightly flared. Has been a basic type of skirt since the 1920s.[22]
Pleated skirt
A skirt with regularpleats or folds, which can be stitched flat to hip-level or free-hanging.
A slim-fitting skirt with a straight, narrow cut. Generally the hem falls to, or is just below, the knee and is tailored for a close fit. It is named for its shape: long and slim like apencil.[28][29]
Also referred to as a Juliet skirt or a romance skirt, it is a full skirt that is worn by ballet dancers and is composed of multiple layers of fabric. Ballet dancers wear the longer version of the skirt, while for fashion purposes the skirt is worn shorter, like a mini skirt for better dancing, the cocktail version.[30]
Broomstick skirt
A light-weight ankle-length skirt with many crumpled pleats formed by compressing and twisting the garment while wet, such as around a broomstick.
Bubble skirt
Also called a balloon skirt. A voluminous skirt with a hem that is tucked back under to create a "bubble effect" at the bottom. Popular in the 1950s, 1980s, and again in the 2010s.[22]
A skirt in the Bavarian-Austrian dirndl style, made of a straight length of fabric gathered at the waist. The style derives from Tyrolean peasant costume.[22]
A skirt with a narrow enough hem to significantly impede the wearer'sstride. It was called a "hobble skirt" because it seemed to hobble any woman as she walked. Hobble skirts were a short-livedfashion trend that peaked between 1908 and 1914.[31]
Kilt-skirt
A wrap-around skirt with overlapping aprons in front and pleated around the back. Though traditionally designed as women's wear, it is fashioned to mimic the general appearance of a man'skilt.
Also called Ghagra or Garara. A long, pleated skirt, often embroidered, worn mostly as the bottom part of theGagra choli in North India and Pakistan.[32]
Also called "puff" or "pouf". A bouffant skirt caught in at the hem to create a puffed silhouette. Popular in the mid-late 1980s when it was inspired byVivienne Westwood’s "mini-crini".[38]
A skirt with a pair of integral shorts hidden underneath.[39]
Skater skirt
A short, high-waisted circle skirt with a hemline above the knee, often made of lighter materials to give the flowing effect that mimics the skirts of figure skaters.
Spank skirt
Also called spanking skirt. A skirt that has an additional opening in back designed to expose the buttocks, so that the wearer can be spanked without removing or repositioning the skirt. Consideredfetish wear, these kind of skirts are typically tight-fitting and made of fetishistic materials such as leather, PVC or latex.
A one or two piece outfit based on Native American clothing. Fashionable in the 1940s and 1950s.[40]
Swing skirt
A flared skirt, circular or cut in gores, fitted at hips with a wide flare at the hem. Popular in the late 1930s and at interval since. Very popular in the mid-1980s.[22]
T-skirt
A skirt made from a tee-shirt. The T-skirt is generally modified to result in a pencil skirt, with invisible zippers, full length two-way separating side zippers, as well as artful fabric overlays and yokes.
Tiered skirt
A skirt made of several horizontal layers, each wider than the one above, and divided by stitching. Layers may look identical in solid-colored garments, or may differ when made of printed fabrics.
There are a number of garments marketed to men which fall under the category of "skirt" or "dress". These go by a variety of names and form part of the traditional dress for men from various cultures. Usage varies – thedhoti is part of everyday dress on the Indian subcontinent while the kilt is more usually restricted to occasional wear and thefustanella is used almost exclusively as costume. Robes, which are a type of dress for men, have existed in many cultures, including the Japanesekimono, the Chinesecheongsam, the Arabicthobe, and the AfricanSenegalese kaftan. Robes are also used in some religious orders, such as thecassock in Christianity and various robes and cloaks that may be used in pagan rituals. Examples of men's skirts and skirt-like garments from various cultures include:
Thefustanella is a full-pleated skirt worn by men inAlbania and Greece and other parts of the Balkans. By the mid-20th century, it was relegated to ceremonial use and as period or traditional costume. It is worn by the Evzones, or Evzoni (Greek: Εύζωνες, Εύζωνοι, pronounced [evˈzones, evˈzoni]), which is the name of several historical elite light infantry and mountain units of theGreek Army. Today, it refers to the members of the Presidential Guard who parade thepresidential mansion wearing a short version of this historic costume.
Thegho is a knee-length robe worn by men inBhutan. They are required to wear it every day as part of national dress in government offices, in schools and on formal occasions.[41]
Thehakama is worn in Japan. There are two types of hakama, divided umanori (馬乗り, "horse-riding hakama") and undivided andon hakama (行灯袴, "lantern hakama"). The umanori type has wide and divided legs, similar toculottes. Some hakamas are pleated.
Thekilt is a skirt of Gaelic and Celtic history, part of theScottish national dress in particular, and is worn formally and to a lesser extent informally. Irish and Welsh kilts also exist but are not so much a part of national identity.
Thesarong is a piece of cloth that may be wrapped around the waist to form a skirt-like garment. Sarongs exist in various cultures under various names, including thepareo andlavalava of the Hawaiian islands and Polynesia (Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, and Fiji), the Indiandhoti andlungi, and the South Indian and Maldivianmundu.
Aside from the wearing ofkilts, in theWestern world skirts, dresses, and similar garments are generally viewed exclusively as women's clothing which, historically, was not always the case.[42] However, some Western men have taken up skirts as forms of civil protest.[43] Other Western men advocate skirts as a measure of co-equality between women and men.[citation needed]
The skirt is a part ofuniforms for girls in many schools around the world, with lengths varying depending on local culture. Thepleatedtartan skirt began as a component of girls'school uniforms in the early twentieth century in the United Kingdom.[44] Most UK schools now allow girls to wear trousers, but many girls still wear skirts in primary and secondary schools, even where the choice of trousers is given. In the late 20th and early 21st century, many schools began changing their uniform rules to allow trousers for girls amidst opposition to skirts-only policies.[45] Although it is commonly accepted that girls may wear trousers to school, no test case is known to have been brought before the courts, making the legal position uncertain on requiring skirts as part of girls' uniforms. The rule is still enforced in many schools, particularly independent and selective state schools. In fact, United Kingdom government guidelines expressly state the decision of allowing girls to wear trousers is with individual schools.[46] In June 1999, University Professor Claire Hale took legal action againstWhickham School when they refused permission to allow her daughter Jo Hale to wear trousers. Amongst others, the Equal Opportunities Commission decided to back the case.[47] On 24 February 2000 the school avoided a legal battle by announcing that, in future, girls would be able to wear trousers.[48]
In the 1980s in Puerto Rico,Ana Irma Rivera Lassén was not allowed to enter court in trousers and was told to wear a skirt. She sued the judge and won.[49]
In 2022, theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled against the Charter Day School in North Carolina, which had required girls to wear skirts due to the idea that girls are "fragile vessels" deserving "gentle" treatment from boys. The court ruled the requirement was unconstitutional.[50]
Since 2004, theInternational Skating Union has allowed women to wear trousers instead of skirts in competition if they wish.[51]
Many forms of dancing require women to wear skirts or dresses, either by convention or competition rules. InScottish highland dancing, for example, women wear theAboyne dress, which actually involves a skirt, for the national dances, and wear akilt-based outfit for the Highland dances.
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^Barber, Elisabeth J.W. (1991): Prehistoric Textiles: The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages with Special Reference to the Aegean. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p.12
^Rief Anawalt, Patricia (2007): The Worldwide History of Dress. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 25
^Rief Anawalt, Patricia (2007): The Worldwide History of Dress. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 24
^Koch-Mertens, Wiebke (2000): Der Mensch und seine Kleider: Die Kulturgeschichte der Mode bis 1900. Artemis & Winkler: Düsseldorf Zürich. pp. 49-51
^Tortora, Phyllis G. et al. (2014): Dictionary of Fashion. New York: Fairchild Books. p. 11
^Koch-Mertens, Wiebke (2000): Der Mensch und seine Kleider: Die Kulturgeschichte der Mode bis 1900. Artemis & Winkler: Düsseldorf Zürich. pp. 156-162
^abcdefghiTortora, Phyllis G. et al. (2014): Dictionary of Fashion. New York: Fairchild Books. pp. 370-374
^George, Sophie (2007).Le Vêtement de A à Z (in French). Editions Falbalas. p. 100.ISBN978-2-9530240-1-2.
^Cumming, Valerie; Cunnington, C. W.; Cunnington, P. E. (2010).The dictionary of fashion history (Revised, updated and supplemented ed.). Oxford: Berg. pp. 130–131.ISBN9780857851437.
^Charles Panati:Panati’s Parade of Fads, Follies, and Manias 1991
^Evans, Caroline (2004)."Cultural Capital 1976–2000". In Breward, Christopher; Ehrman, Edwina; Evans, Caroline (eds.).The London look : fashion from street to catwalk. New Haven: Yale University Press / Museum of London. p. 149.ISBN9780300103991.
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