Short answers, pulled from the story.
A straw-woven skirt discovered at the Areni-1 cave in Armenia dates to 3900 BC, making it one of the earliest known examples. Figurines from the Vinča culture, dating to approximately 5700-4500 BC in present-day Serbia, also depict women in skirt-like garments.
The kaunakes was a fur skirt tied to a belt worn by the Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia. It began as actual animal fleece and later evolved into a woven textile called kaunakes cloth, which imitated the texture of sheepskin and also appeared in religious iconography.
Juli Lynne Charlot created the poodle skirt in 1947. It was a wide swing felt skirt in a solid color with an appliquéd or transferred design, most often a stylised poodle, though later versions featured flamingoes, flowers, and hot rod cars.
The fustanella is a full-pleated skirt worn by men in Albania, Greece, and parts of the Balkans. By the mid-20th century it was largely confined to ceremonial use, and today it is worn by the Evzones, the members of the Greek Presidential Guard.
In 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled against the Charter Day School in North Carolina, which had required girls to wear skirts on the basis that girls are "fragile vessels" deserving "gentle" treatment from boys. The court ruled the requirement unconstitutional.
Since 2004, the International Skating Union has allowed women to wear trousers instead of skirts in competition if they wish.