Skirts: Know your signature piece

A skirt is a tube that is made out of a garment that hangs down from the waist line of the wearer and is meant to cover all or part of the lower body. In the western tradition, skirts are normally considered a female kind of wear. The simplest design of a skirt can be a draped down garment made using only one piece of material. Today, there is a varying array of skirts all over the fashion market. Most skirt designs are designed to fit the body at the waistline and grow fuller as you move downward. The fullness below may be introduced by elements within the skirt such as darts, pleats, panels or gores. Today, skirts are designed using light and other mid-weight fabrics including denim, jersey, poplin and worsted. Any thinner fabric used to design skirts may used together with slips, that makes the skirt more modest and drape better. Depending on the design of the skirt, the height of the hemline may vary. This gives the skirt a totally different outlook and meaning in the way it is used. It also gives a bit of difference to the designs, from the mini skirt, which is the highest the hemline can go, to the long skirt, whose hemline falls all the way down. The height of the hemline may be influenced by such factors as fashion trends, social context, and cultural context of a particular region and the limits of the term modesty. Today, there are many designs of the skirt that may serve women of all ages, social status religious background.

The diversity of social life over the year that the skirt has been in existence has made it inevitable to have different design of the skirt to serve the many occurring functions. Each skirt design is specially tailored to give a specific impression of the wearer in a unique way. To add to this, skirts, just like dresses are meant to serve as apparel wears for different functions and mismatching a skirt and an event would be equal to fashion suicide. For example, the mini skirt is a clear example of an informal wear and is means for non-official events such as a picnic, a weekend outing or a simple coffee date. The mini spells out a bit of freedom for the wearer in a fashion kind of way. Similarly, the long dress is meant for more formal occasions. The long skirt means that the hemline falls anywhere from below the knees, downwards to the ankles. The long skirt or the full skirt is the complete opposite of the mini skirt and should therefore accompany the figure of a woman attending formal events. Such events include gatherings like a corporate dinner function, a semi-formal company meeting, an official or first time date, and may also be used for other white tie and black tie events. There are many other styles of the dress in between these two extremes of skirts.

Find a special skirt for your personality and body

While it is important to have the latest trend of skirt hanging down your waist, it is also good to have something from the lot that suite your personality and body. The A-line skirt is considered the most basic skirt that comes with a number of variations within the design. The A-line sits firmly on the waistline, embraces the hips and thighs in a fitting way, though not too tight to appear clingy. The skirt starts to widen from the mid thigh section going down to the hemline. The hemline falls right below the knee section, but may also vary in height depending on the designer’s artistic outlook and the wishes of the wearer. If for example you have great legs, your hemline can fall slightly below the knee, showing off the treasures below. The A-line style is meant to balance heavy hips and thighs and is therefore recommended for ladies with pear-shaped bodies as they come with heavier bottoms and light tops. The A-line may not be recommended for women with slim figures and narrow hips as the design may not appear as flattering as it should with their figures. The A-line can either be formal or informal depending on the material used for the design. Designs including Hervé Léger skirts are considerable fashionable if you are in the search for an A-line skirt.

Flared skirts are also a common item in many female wardrobes. Just like their A-line counterparts, the flared skirts can be used to hide heavier bottoms. The flare is an A-line with added flare at the bottom. The flare swings with the movement of the wearer, bringing in a floating feeling. The flared skirts are best for tall women who are heavy on the hips, as these skirts would otherwise look overwhelming for slender bodies. A slit in front or on the side would be an interesting addition to the final skirt, giving a glimpse one leg when walking. The flare is more of a casual wear regardless of the material used to design it. It would therefore be appropriate for a lunch date with some friends, a party or a movie date and would go quite well with slight heels.

Suggestions on what skirt you should get

Considered one of the most versatile dress styles, straight skirts can be used casually as well as formally depending on the specific design of the skirt. For example, a black satin straight skirt would be a good selection for a party event. This would be substituted with Lanvin embroidered skirt. On the other hand, a straight skirt without any print and a plain but elegant design would be appropriate for office use. Just as the name suggests, the straight falls from the hips all the way down. The flexibility of the Straight Skirt is evident as it goes well with any figure, as long as it fits around the waist. However, the results may vary depending on the body type of the wearer length of the skirt and waistline. Straight skirts with the hemline falling on the knee would work well in hiding big hips and thighs. Petite women with shorter bodies would look better with shorter designs of the straight skirt.

The pencil is another popular skirt style among women and is more suitable for official purposes. As the name would suggest, the pencil skirt is designed to have a tight fit around the lower part of the wearer’s body. The pencil is not designed to go very low and falls slightly above the knees. The skirt gives the waist, hips and thighs a huggable feel bringing out the curves in the most official kind of way. Majority of designers today create their pencil designs using stretchable material as they are already tight and rigid materials would come out as uncomfortable when moving around in the dress. Pencil skirts also feature a back slit that allows for the movement of the wearer’s legs as the hemline is quite limited. The pencil is quite convenient for skinny figures and is mostly considered a formal dress for office use based on its articulate appearance. A variety of pencil skirt designs including Alexander Wang skirts, would give any slim lady a variety to choose from.

The bubble skirt is also is one of the newest designs of the skirt, bringing in a new edge to fashion and skirts in general. The general appearance of the bubble skirts is puffy. The outstanding character of the bubble is that the width of the hemline is more or less the same as that of the waistline. The mid section of the dress is quite puffy and wider, creating a bubble shape when put on. This gives the dress the appearance of a bubble. The hemline is however fitted with an elastic lining inside the loop, making it easier and freer to use and move around with. The bubble is limited to the slim figured among the female population. The bubble skirts are common in checked designs, and may also come in simple plain but elegant materials including a famous design, the Tulip Skirt Dress of Marc by Marc Jacobs’s skirts.

The circle skirt a simple design where the original material is cut to come up with different sections so as to make a circle. The final outcome is such that the skirt hangs smoothly from the waist downwards and in a wavy appearance. The Pleated skirt design is a popular design especially for the school girl. They can be of varying lengths and come in a variety of styles. One thing that makes the pleated design unique is the fact that they have a reduced fullness so that the skirt fits the waistline of the wearer by using pleats. The most popular design of the pleated skirt design is the famous schoolgirl pleated skirt. However, the pleated skirt can also be made to appear longer and with a lighter material which is quite appropriate for the summer look.

One final word, remember that how you dress speaks a lot about who you are. So style up and look the best you can.