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Skirt: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Skirt
The oldest known skirt, discovered in the Areni-1 cave in Armenia, dates back to 3900 BC and was woven from straw. This artifact predates the invention of the wheel and represents humanity's earliest attempt to cover the lower body with a structured garment. Before this discovery, figurines from the Vinča culture in Serbia, dating to 4500 BC, depicted women in skirt-like garments, suggesting that the concept of a separate lower-body covering existed even earlier. In ancient Mesopotamia, the Sumerians wore kaunakes, a type of fur skirt tied to a belt. Originally referring to a sheep's fleece, the term eventually described a textile that imitated fleecy sheepskin, serving as both a practical garment and a symbol in religious iconography. The Bible later referenced this fleecy cloak in the story of John the Baptist, linking the ancient garment to spiritual narratives. In ancient Egypt, linen was the primary fabric, and by 2130 BC, men wore wraparound skirts known as shendyt. These were rectangular pieces of cloth wrapped around the lower body and tied in front. By the Middle Kingdom, skirts grew longer, reaching from the waist to the ankles, and sometimes hanging from the armpits, while the New Kingdom introduced kilts with pleated triangular sections for men.
The Victorian Struggle
During the 19th century, the cut of women's dresses in Western culture varied more widely than in any other century, swinging from the Empire silhouette with waistlines just below the bust to the natural waist. Skirts expanded dramatically to become hoopskirt and crinoline-supported styles in the 1860s, before fullness was draped and drawn to the back by means of bustles in the 1890s. Yet, beneath the fashion trends lay a fierce political battle. In 1851, early women's rights advocate Elizabeth Smith Miller introduced Amelia Bloomer to a garment initially known as the Turkish dress, which featured a knee-length skirt over Turkish-style pantaloons. Bloomer promoted this dress in The Lily, a newspaper dedicated to the emancipation of women, inspiring a craze that came to be known as bloomers. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone adopted this style, referring to it as the freedom dress. Concurrently, female laborers in the Wigan area, known as pit brow women, began wearing trousers beneath a short skirt as a practical component of their uniform. These women attracted public attention, and photographers produced records of their unconventional manner of dress through the mid to late 19th century. The Victorian dress reform movement in the United States and United Kingdom actively opposed the restrictive nature of traditional skirts, arguing for practicality and freedom of movement.
The Miniskirt Revolution
Common questions
What is the oldest known skirt and where was it found?
The oldest known skirt was discovered in the Areni-1 cave in Armenia and dates back to 3900 BC. This artifact was woven from straw and predates the invention of the wheel.
When did the miniskirt emerge and what was its cultural significance?
The miniskirt emerged as a radical symbol of liberation in the 1960s with a hemline generally at mid-thigh level. This style pushed the boundaries of modesty and reflected a cultural shift where fashion became a tool for self-expression and rebellion against traditional norms.
Who won the legal case against Whickham School regarding girls wearing trousers?
University Professor Claire Hale took legal action against Whickham School in June 1999 when they refused permission to allow her daughter Jo Hale to wear trousers. The Equal Opportunities Commission backed the case and the school announced on the 24th of February 2000 that girls would be able to wear trousers in the future.
What is the kilt and which cultures wear it as national dress?
The kilt is a skirt of Gaelic and Celtic history that is part of the Scottish national dress 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.
When did the International Skating Union allow women to wear trousers in competition?
Since 2004, the International Skating Union has allowed women to wear trousers instead of skirts in competition if they wish. This decision reflects a broader shift in norms regarding gender and clothing.
The miniskirt, a garment with its hemline well above the knees and generally at mid-thigh level, emerged as a radical symbol of liberation in the 1960s. Sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt or shortened to simply mini, this style was so short that it may have barely covered the underwear when the woman was seated. The microskirt, a shorter version of the miniskirt, emerged toward the end of the 1960s, pushing the boundaries of modesty even further. This era also saw the introduction of the maxi skirt, an ankle-length daytime skirt popular in the late 1960s as a reaction against miniskirts, and the midi skirt, which had a hem halfway between ankle and knee. The 1990s brought the cargo skirt, a plain utilitarian skirt with belt loops and numerous large pockets, based on the military style of cargo pants. The 1980s introduced the bubble skirt, also called a balloon skirt, which was a voluminous skirt with a hem tucked back under to create a bubble effect at the bottom. Vivienne Westwood designed the mini-crini, a mini-length version of the crinoline, in the mid 1980s, which inspired the puffball skirt, a bouffant skirt caught in at the hem to create a puffed silhouette. These styles reflected a cultural shift where fashion became a tool for self-expression and rebellion against traditional norms.
The Kilt and the Kilt
While skirts are generally viewed as women's clothing in the Western world, men have worn skirt-like garments for millennia. The kilt, a skirt of Gaelic and Celtic history, is part of the Scottish national dress 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. In Greece, the fustanella is a full-pleated skirt worn by men, which by the mid-20th century was relegated to ceremonial use. It is worn by the Evzones, the members of the Presidential Guard who parade the presidential mansion wearing a short version of this historic costume. In Bhutan, the gho is a knee-length robe worn by men every day as part of national dress in government offices, schools, and on formal occasions. The hakama, worn in Japan, comes in two types: divided umanori for horse-riding and undivided andon hakama. The sarong, a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist to form a skirt-like garment, exists in various cultures under names like pareo, lavalava, dhoti, and mundu. In the Western world, some men have taken up skirts as forms of civil protest or as a measure of co-equality between women and men, challenging the historical taboo against male skirts.
The Courtroom Skirt
The legal status of skirts has been a contentious issue in modern history, particularly regarding school uniforms and court appearances. In the United Kingdom, the pleated tartan skirt began as a component of girls' school uniforms in the early 20th century. Although most UK schools now allow girls to wear trousers, many still enforce skirt-only policies in primary and secondary schools. In June 1999, University Professor Claire Hale took legal action against Whickham School when they refused permission to allow her daughter Jo Hale to wear trousers. The Equal Opportunities Commission backed the case, and on the 24th of February 2000, the school avoided a legal battle by announcing that girls would be able to wear trousers in the future. 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, establishing a precedent for gender equality in dress codes. 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 due to the idea that girls are fragile vessels deserving gentle treatment from boys. The court ruled the requirement was unconstitutional. Since 2004, the International Skating Union has allowed women to wear trousers instead of skirts in competition if they wish, reflecting a broader shift in norms regarding gender and clothing.
The Dance of Fabric
Many forms of dancing require women to wear skirts or dresses, either by convention or competition rules. In Scottish highland dancing, women wear the Aboyne dress, which involves a skirt, for the national dances, and wear a kilt-based outfit for the Highland dances. The ballerina skirt, also referred to as a Juliet skirt or a romance skirt, is a full skirt 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 1950s saw the popularity of the poodle skirt, a wide swing felt skirt of a solid color displaying a design appliquéd or transferred to the fabric, created by Juli Lynne Charlot in 1947. The design was often a coiffed poodle, but later substitutes included flamingoes, flowers, and hot rod cars. The rah-rah skirt, also called a cheerleader skirt, was a short, tiered, and often colorful skirt fashionable in the early-mid 1980s. The swing skirt, a flared skirt, circular or cut in gores, was popular in the late 1930s and at intervals since, becoming very popular in the mid-1980s. These garments were not merely decorative but essential to the movement and aesthetic of dance, allowing for the fluidity and grace required by the art form.