Types of Skirts

Types of Skirts

Skirts are an important part of women’s fashion. Extremely versatile, Types of Skirts can be dressed up or down to look fancy or casual for every occasion from a business meeting to a dinner date. Some of the many different Types of Skirts include bias cut, full, mini, A-line or princess, tulip, and pencil.
The Pencil Skirt, shaped long and straight like a pencil, was inspired by the hobble skirt of 1910.
The hobble skirt was designed by Paul Poiret and was unpopular due to its overly-tight, leg constricting shape. The hobble skirt was modified into the straighter, looser Pencil Skirt by 1915 and the Pencil Skirt, both short and long, is still popular today.
Shorter versions of the classic pencil skirt reach just above the knee and can be worn anywhere such as to work with a blouse and pumps, to a party with fancy sandals and a glitzy top, and on the weekend with tights, flats or boots, and a sweater. Long versions in cashmere or jersey are especially comfortable. Pencil Skirt can be flattering to all figure types. A dark pencil skirt worn with a dark or medium-colored top that rests just above the hips can be visually slimming to a fuller figure.
Tulip Skirts have more fabric around the hips than pencil skirts, giving them the shape of an inverted tulip. Tulip Skirts look good on most figure types, especially slender figures as tulip skirt fabric tends to add a little extra bulk around the hips. A-line skirts, also called Princess Skirts, can be especially flattering to plus-size figures, but can be worn well by all figure shapes. An A-line skirt is shaped like a capital letter “A”, with a snug waist spreading out into a triangular shape. A-line/princess skirts are considered a wardrobe staple, especially in a neutral color and a season-spanning fabric such as lightweight wool.
Miniskirts hit the fashion scene in London in 1966 and the ultra-short miniskirt is still worn by those who “dare to bear.” The miniskirt is often considered the sexiest skirt shape. Miniskirts can be a very simple shape or can be pleated, but are always very short, and are available in a wide range of materials including denim, cotton, leather, and wool.
Full skirts have even more fullness in their fabric than Tulip Skirts and can overwhelm a petite figure or add more fullness to a full figure. Full skirts often balance out a slim-waisted, full-busted figure. Drop-waisted full skirts with fabric that flows from the hips into soft pleats can be very flattering to a plus-sized figure type.
Bias Cut Skirts is cut across the fabric’s grain on the diagonal. Cutting on the bias creates a flowing hemline that can seem ultra-feminine and romantic. Bias cut skirts can be long or short and have panels or multi-layers.

Types of Skirts

Types of Skirts

Types of Skirts

Types of Skirts

Puffball Skirt

Puffball Skirt

Puffball Skirt also known as a “bubble skirt” or “harem skirt,” a Puffball Skirt is a short to mid-length skirt that’s been folded under at the hem and sewn to the lining, gathering the fabric and creating a puffed effect. Puffball Skirts are usually fashioned from taffeta or satin, but have also been created in tweed, denim, and other more casual fabrics.
When a Puffball Skirt is fashioned from a relatively relaxed fabric, it’s usually then stuffed with tulle to give the skirt structure and added fullness.
In the 1950s, Puffball Skirts were a popular women’s fashion item often worn at cocktail parties and proms. French designer Yves St. Laurent designed a Puffball Skirt under his apprenticeship with Christian Dior, and the skirt was also a signature piece of The House of Balenciaga. During the late 1980s, the Puffball Skirt appeared on the runways in a collection by fashion designer Christian La Croix. La Croix is often credited with inventing the design, which was dubbed le pouf and included in his debut couture collection along with corsets, bustles, bows, and other details inspired by 18th century ball gowns.
The Puffball Skirt retreated from fashion during the grunge era of the early 1990s, when luxe fabrics and overly-ornate details were traded for plaid flannels and no-fuss minimalism. Puffball Skirt then made a comeback in the late 2000s, and were accompanied for the first time by “puffball sleeves” sewn using the same folded-under technique. Today, Puffball Skirts are a popular feature on prom dresses, wedding dresses, and dance costumes.
The Puffball Skirt is best worn with a sleeker, more fitted top, to avoid overloading the frame with too much volume. Puffball Skirts are also generally more flattering when the waist of the skirt is cinched with a belt or bow. Intricate details or accessories should also be avoided elsewhere on the outfit when wearing a Puffball Skirt, which should be the outfit’s central, stand-out piece. Some modern twists on the Puffball Skirt include asymmetrical hems as well as tiered hems.

Puffball Skirt

Puffball Skirt

Puffball Skirt

Puffball Skirt

Puffball Skirt

Puffball Skirt

Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts are a type of woman’s undergarment, related to the crinoline, which enjoyed a brief period of high fashion in the mid 19th century. Both were later replaced by the bustle, as woman’s fashion started to give way to more practical garments. The Hoop Skirts was worn on formal occasions by fashionable upper class women, and would not have appeared on workers and lower class women.
Navigating in Hoop Skirts is challenging, as any historical re-enactor will inform you, and wearing one required some training.
Hoop Skirts are made from a wide bell of sturdy material with casings sewn into it at multiple points along the length of the skirt. The casings hold stiffening materials such as whalebone, metal, rope, and twisted cloth. This causes the Hoop Skirts to project stiffly out from the wearer’s body. When dresses are worn over Hoop Skirts, they take on the bell shape of the Hoop Skirts. This gives the wearer’s lower body the look of a large triangle, and it was at one point very fashionable, although impractical.
For 19th century women, Hoop Skirts actually represented a huge improvement in their undergarments. Previously, women had to wear multiple layers of heavy petticoats to achieve the full bell shape which Hoop Skirts created. With Hoop Skirts, a woman only needed two petticoats, the Hoop Skirts itself, and the dress. The first petticoat was slim, rather than full, and worn under the Hoop Skirts for modesty. The second petticoat was worn over the Hoop Skirts to smooth its lines, so that the dress did not appear bunched or lumpy. All told, a woman would still be wearing a substantial amount of fabric, thanks to the immense flowing skirts which were so popular among the upper classes.
In the United States, Hoop Skirts are most frequently associated with Civil War fashion, and they often appear at history balls and events commemorating this period in American history. The full skirts actually represented serious hazards to the wearer. It would been difficult for women in Hoop Skirts to sit without exposing themselves, and the skirts also needed to be lifted to avoid puddles and filth on the roads. More importantly, Hoop Skirts could get caught in a doorway or piece of machinery, or could catch fire. Nurses were specifically prohibited Hoop Skirts, as the skirts would have made it impossible for them to attend to patients. Many women welcomed the slimmer style of the bustle with pleasure.

Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts

Hoop Skirts