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Types of Skirts – Ultimate Guide to Skirt Styles

When it comes to choosing a skirt style there are dozens to choose from, and inventive fashion designers are continually coming up with new twists on shapes and combinations, creating different types of skirts. We will discuss the 40 basic types of skirts in this guide, which has been designed to give you inspiration when sewing or buying skirts. Often you see a skirt style but are not quite sure what it is called, so this is why we have collected together the different types of skirts with illustrations to provide you with inspiration for your new season wardrobe.

The 40 different skirt styles discussed below are in alphabetical order.

Different Types of Skirts

A-Line

The A-line skirt as its name implied starts off fitted at the waist then is cut to give room over the hips and thighs. A-line skirts can come in any length from fairly short to full length. They are a standard style that has remained in fashion year in and year out purely because of their practicality.

Accordion

The accordion pleated skirt is reminiscent of the pleats in the old piano accordions played by buskers on the streets. The material is pleated using a special factory process and then the skirt is made afterwards. They tend to go in and out of fashion.

Asymmetric

The asymmetric skirt often has one side cut longer than the other and can be made in a structured fabric in color blocks, or in a soft draped jersey or even in chiffons. The asymmetric style is favored by fashion designers for the impact it creates.

Bias

By cutting on the bias skirts have a swing and drape to them that is hard to achieve when cutting along the straight grain of the fabric. Top designers often use the bias cut to give their garments a good flow. Best suited to softly draping fabrics.

Box pleated

The box pleat involves bringing fulness under control at the waistline. The pleats can either be box pleats or inverted box pleats – it just depends which way the pleats face. Pleating gives the appearance of a slim top then opens out with the pleats further down the skirt, eliminating fullness around the waist. A firmer fabric suits this style – light suiting, tartans, twill or cotton.

Bubble

The bubble effect is achieved by gathering the fabric at the hem and fastening to a band, then fastening the band to the lining so the effect of a bubble is created. The skirt suits light flowing fabrics like chiffons.

Buttoned Straight

The skirt is cut straight up and down with side seams and buttons in the front. This enables the wear to decide how much leg to show by unbuttoning as many buttons from the hem upwards as they desire.

Cowl

The cowl skirt has soft drapes over the hip area, requiring a special cutting technique. It provides fullness, narrowing towards the hem, and is a great style for thin women or those who feel they need more accent on their hips.

Draped

Draped skirts are a designer favorite. They involve a lining then draping the fabric and pinning in place on a dressmaker’s dummy to get just the right fall of fabric. Often the simpler ones involve cutting on the bias to get the soft draped look. It is a great style to master as a home sewer.

Fixed box pleat

In this style the pleat is stitched down a certain length – a couple of inches or even right down to the hip, then opens out. The best example that most people are familiar with is the Scottish kilt.

Flip

The flip skirt is cut with a little fullness near the hem – often cut on the cross or bias, so that it fits across the hips then gives a little cheeky flip  – often also known as the skater skirt.

Flounced

Flounces or frill care added in tiers around the skirt which cut be straight or A line. The flounced skirt is a beloved Spanish style. It gives a smooth look over the hips then the flounces add some movement to the skirt.

Full circle

As its name suggests the full circle of fabric is cut to make this skirt, often in two pieces as it is difficult to get fabric sufficient wide. It can get a bit bulky unless a soft fabric that drapes well is used.

Godet

The godet skirt is cut in panels, then inserts are placed halfway down the skirt where the seams would normally join, to make the panels flare out when the wearer moves. Often a different color or fabric is used to provide interest to the skirt – for example lace godets. They provide a flattering swing to the skirt.

Gored

Whereas the godet skirt relies on extra pieces of fabric inserted between the panels, the gored skirt has the bottom half of the panels flaring outward to create fullness at the hemline. They provide a swing to the skirt when a person moves.

Gypsy

The gypsy skirt is a full one with the tiers starting at the waistline, adding more gathering to each tier as the skirt is constructed using 3 to 5 tiers, sometimes more. It provides ease of movement and swings out when a person moves. It is the type of skirt associated with freedom and festivals.

Handkerchief

Imagine taking a square of thin fabric and holding it up at the center  – allowing the sides to fall. This is the effect created when panels of fabric are joined to give an asymmetrical hemline with pointed ends. Popular for resort wear and evening wear, the style is one of those perennials coming in and out of fashion.

Knife pleated

Thought we’d give you some eye candy from the catwalk – not only women wear skirts! Think of Brad Pitt in his skirt in Troy, and Scotsmen that wear kilts. Knife pleats are usually smaller than box pleats and fold over in one direction only. Traditionally they are used with fabric that has a good fall to it, giving an elegant look to the narrow knife pleated skirt, or they can be bold, as shown here in a tweed type fabric.

Layered

A layered skirt will have gathered tiers not joined onto each other like in the gypsy skirt, but stitched onto a lining so that the layers overlap each other slightly. It gives a soft effect and it often used for more formal wear for guests at weddings, or for party dresses.

Mermaid

The mermaid skirt fits tightly right down to below the knees but ease of movement is allowed by the addition of a flounced border, giving the illusion of a fish tail opening out at the base of the skirt.

Mini

The mini came into fashion in the 1960’s and has never really gone away. Girls and woman who have the figure for a really short skirt love the look, often pairing it with leggings or boots in winter, and sandals in summer.

Paneled

The panels give a constructed look to a skirt – the skirt may be short or mid length and is often popular for corporate wear as it molds to the figure. Panels can be slim cut for the sculpted look, or cut more generously so the skirt flares more towards the bottom.

Pants skirt

The pants skirt gives women the best of both worlds – a pair of pants that allow for bending and stretching, while cut to give the look of a skirt. Sometimes the panel at the front giving the illusion of a skirt covers the pants part and sometimes the skirt is cut so that when a person is standing, the inverted box pleat gives the illusion of a skirt.

Pareo

Often the words sarong and the pareo are used interchangeably, but the sarong is traditionally worn in places like Thailand by both men and women, is 4 to 5 feet long and wraps around the body, and tucks in to form a sheath type skirt. The pareo on the other hand, originated in Tahiti and soon adapted to western ideas of the island lifestyle with bright floral prints. Often the pareo is slightly shaped and has ties attached to make wrapping it around the body easy.

Pegged

The pegged skirt has a little fullness below the fitted waistband then narrows down to the hemline. It is ideal for women who feel they need a little more interest between the waist and hip line.

Pencil

The pencil skirt has been fashionable for years – it fits to the body and gives a slim silhouette. It gives a perfect corporate look and is also suited to smart casual events teamed with a soft blouse or draped top. This is the style that suits all body types.

Peplum

The peplum skirt has an extra flap of material over the hips, usually cut on the cross to give it a bit of flounce. The style was popular in the 1940’s teamed with seamed stockings, tiny hats and nipped in jackets and had a brief resurgence in the 1980’s, but has not made a recent return to fashion, although seeing as it comes around every 40 years or so may be due for another whirl soon.

Prairie

Similar to the gypsy skirt, the prairie skirt is not as full and only has three longish tiers, reaching to ankle length. Often teamed with a suede jacket, and ankle boots, it’s a country style look that equally at home in the city.

Sarong

Originating in Thailand, the sarong traditionally comes in batik designs and is worn as a sheath type skirt, simply tucked in at the waist to keep it up. It is usually worn at the beach, but in Thailand and Indonesia it is a traditional garment, usually paired with a white long-sleeved blouse for ceremonial visits to temples.

Semi-circle

As opposed to the full circle skirt the semi-circle skirt uses less material. It is cut on the cross giving a slim fit over the hips then flaring out towards the hem.

Sheath

The sheath is fitting and can be either long or short, often made form a stretch fabric to give ease of movement, and sometimes with a slit at the back. It is a popular style lending itself to evening wear and corporate wear as well as casual wear – it all depends on the fabric used from embroidered laces to stretch denim, jersey knits, velvet and cotton knits.

Slit

The slit skirt is either slit at the front to expose knees, at the sides for a view of calves and a peek of thigh or at side front. The skirt may be a narrow sheath style or a slightly fuller skirt, but whichever style, it gives a classy yet flirty look.

Tiered

The tiered skirt is constructed from tiers or layers but is not the same as a gypsy skirt which is fuller and usually in a Bohemian style print. The tiered skirt can be made in rainbow colors or a selection of three tones that give an ombré effect – for example, dark blue, mid then light blue. Tiered skirts can be in just one color, and can be either short, mid length or full length for a dramatic effect.

Trumpet

The trumpet skirt flares at the bottom, fitting snugly over the hips then flaring out from around mid-thigh. They provide ease of movement yet the body sculpting form is sophisticated. The trumpet style goes in and out of fashion periodically.

Tube

The tube skirt was very popular in the late 2010’s. Very simply made from a tube of stretch fabric, often without seams,  it had no waistband, other than an elasticated top. The tube can come in various lengths from micro mini to below the knee.

Tulip

Following the bell shape of the tulip flower the skirt experiences periodic resurgences on the fashion front, due to its flattering shape. The hemline mimics the petals of the tulip with an overlap or shapes cut as you can see in the photo. For office wear it is usually knee length and in a dark color, and provides a good alternative to the pencil skirt.

Tulle

Tulle skirts are synonymous with romance – wedding and ball gowns often have a tulle skirt paired with a tightly fitted corset style top.

Yoke waist

The yoke waist provides a fitted shape over hips – depending on the depth of the yoke, from which the pleats or gathers of a skirt can fall. The yoke can be a V shape or is slightly bowed and can come quite low over the hips or can be fairly short reaching about 10 cm below the normal waistline. It works well with soft cottons, voiles and thin jersey knits.

Yoke with flounces

This style combines the fitted yoke with a drop into a skirt that has flounces creating an intricate skirt suited to formal occasions -think weddings guest attire, afternoon tea events, and dances. The skirt is often made in chiffon or similar light fabric with a lining, or if made for summer outdoors days, a thin cotton or cotton blend.

Wrapped

The wrap style is very flattering, and allows for adjustment, tying across the body to the side with a bow, and sometimes plain or trimmed with a flounce or frill at the hem line. It is currently bang on trend in fashion, with the style never really going out of fashion for resort wear.

Types of Skirts FAQs:

Q: What style of skirt suits my figure best?

A: For all types of figures the pencil skirt, if it is fitted correctly, is the most flattering.

• For pear shaped figures the A line shape is flattering, as are the gypsy, prairie, wraparound, and yoke waisted styles
• For girls with athletic builds show off those calves and thighs with minis, sheath, or midi dresses with a slit, or wrap around styles.
• Thin girls can wear skirts with asymmetrical lines, tiered skirts, the peg style, mermaid or tulip style.
• Apple shapes should go for a definite waist and high waisted skirts that don’t have too much volume.

Q: How do I choose tops to go with my skirts?

A: The key is balance. If the skirt is flirty and full then go for a plain figure fitting top. If you have long sleeves they should be fitted. If the skirt is lean and figure hugging then you can go for a more complicated top maybe with an interest at the neckline, long sleeves that catch in at the wrist, ruffles or collar interest. The plainer the skirt the more colorful or ornate the top can be. Try to avoid a tiered skirt that goes out at a short hemline with full sleeves as it creates too much width at the hip level. If you want a more ornate top with a tiered skirt then make sure the skirt is a longer one and in one color, not a print or a combination of colors.

Q: What are the easiest skirts to make?

A: The tube, sheath and A-line slit and semi-circle are easy,  but if you follow a pattern then you can do very complicated skirts with just a little more effort than the simple ones.

 

Now that you have the alphabetical list of main skirt styles you may want to choose a few of them when planning the types of skirts to sew for the season. Skirt styles may change from year to year, but there are some that are perennial – the pareo or sarong will always be around for beach wear, then the sheath, button down, straight or pencil skirts are classic corporate wear. For the free spirited the prairie or gypsy skirts are always a staple for the wardrobe. For the young set the mini skirt and flip skirt are popular. Pleated and kilt style skirts are always good for that ‘schoolgirl’ look with an edgy twist, while the handkerchief and peplum skirts may take a while to come onto center stage on the fashion front but then are often quickly banished to the wings once the season is over.