The Skirt

It is said to have been discovered back in 3,900 B.C. in Armenia, in the form of a straw-woven skirt. These garments have been worn by men & women over the years in many different cultures. This is still alive today, some men in Scotland wear kilts, as do some Asian men wear what is called, the Dhoti or Lungi, a piece of material that is wrapped around the waist and knotted, resembling a skirt.

Women’s dresses started to become a lot more varied in the 19^th century than in any other culture. Waistlines originally started under the bust, called the ‘Empire Silhouette’, and they started to drift towards the natural waist. The skirt had started of quite narrow, but was now moving towards styles like the Hoopskirt or Crinoline skirt. This was all taking place around 1860s.

Then, skirts took a radical change in the beginning of the 20^th century – the hem was no longer at the floor. Around the 1920s skirts became short(er), then in the 1930s, long again. Then throughout the War, skirts became shorter as there was a fabric restriction at the time.

And of course what came into fashion in the 60s? The Miniskirt by Mary Quant. She had dared to create this item the measured normally no longer than 4inches below the bottom. These skirts were so popular, as they are today, worn by teenagers, young adults and can also be seen in sport, such as skaters, cheerleaders and tennis players.