History of Skirt
Skirts are one of
the oldest styles of garment known to mankind.
A straw-woven skirt dating to 3900 BC was
discovered in Armenia at the Areni-1 cave complex.
Men as well as women wore skirts, and
ancient art shows remarkably "manly" men in skirts. But as time
passed, it was women who became known for wearing skirts with few exceptions
like Scotsmen and Ireland men wearing kilt. The kilt is a skirt of Gaelic and Celtic history. It is
part of the Scottish national dress, and is worn formally. Irish and Welsh
kilts also exist but are not so much a part of national identity.
image by http://www.highlandstore.com/
Other countries men skirts such as lungi,
kanga and sarong worn in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The earliest known culture to have females
wear clothing resembling miniskirts were the Duan Qun Miao, which literally
meant "short skirt Miao" in Chinese. This was in reference to the
short miniskirts "that barely cover the buttocks" worn by women of
the tribe. (Miao is minor tribe nation in China, most of them live in Southwest
of China)
Image by
http://www.vanishingculturesphotography.com/
The
majority of Chinese people are Han people. Their skirts before 17th
century are most like high waist with a fabric belt tighten up. But very
different from the western culture, ancient Chinese women don’t wear any petti
coat or hoop to make the volume. The skirts normally made of very light but
draped fabric, such as silk. Men worn long skirts also but beneath skirts they
worn pants.
image
by www.hanfumap.com
From
mid of the 17th century to earlier 20th century, China
was ruled by Manchuria. (A different nation from Han) Women worn totally
different type of skirts. A pleated or flat heavy skirt with silk faille and
embroidery became the skirt for rich women and up class as well as the royal
family.
Image
by tadezhihui.com
image by
news.china.com
In the west culture before the 20th
Century skirts were usually voluminous and long. Before the Industrial Revolution
fabric was a rare and expensive material, common people managed with just an
adequate amount. Women wore their skirts long as a mark of their modesty as
well as their prestige. Sweeping the floors with clothes was a
sign of wealth, and also arrogance.
Skirts in the 17th century image
by https://www.pinterest.com/pin/340936634265619949/
Skirts
around 18th century.
Images by
https://www.pinterest.com/laurafrantz/18th-century-style/
Skirts in the 19th century
During the 19th century, the cut of women's
dresses in western culture varied more widely than in any other century.
Waistlines started just below the bust (the Empire silhouette) and gradually
sank to the natural waist. Skirts started fairly narrow and increased
dramatically to the hoopskirt and crinoline-supported styles of the 1860s; then
fullness was draped and drawn to the back by means of bustles.
Image by
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/174444185542517136/
Skirts in the 20th and 21st centuries
But
things began to change in the 20th century, with skirts becoming more
streamlined to the body. In the 20th century, the hardships of war required
women to wear shorter, more work-friendly clothing.
then long (1930s),
then shorter (the War Years with their
restrictions on fabric). After the war,
women who went out to work discovered pants, and stopped wearing corsets.
then long (the "New Look"),
Image by
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/411516484677422497/
then
shortest of all from 1967 to 1970, since mini skirt born.
Since the 1970s and the rise of
pants/trousers for women as an option for all but the most formal of occasions,
no one skirt length has dominated fashion for long. A new trend that allowed
for activities and aimed at comfort prospered. Even the evening gowns got
shorter. Through the invention of synthetic fabrics, the use of nylon, acrylic
and polyesters increased, as did people's ability to buy clothing.
The new generations created an
unbelievable and unlimited style rather than wearing similar clothes to the
previous generation. In the 60’s fashion pioneer André Courrèges and Mary
Quant and others started to bring more ideas into fashion design such as modern architecture, technology, new fabrics, and modernism and futurism. It was Quant that gave women the freedom to really choose the length of
their skirts, which went to later become the micro-mini.
image
by http://www.costumecraze.com/
The brief history of skirt showed that this recent 100 years design of a skirt had changed a lot. Trends and fashion never stops as the old times. Women are wearing all length and kinds of skirts to express themselves or simply to be a unique self.
Content Reference:
Wikipedia
The History and Evolution of Skirts By Damyanti Ghosh
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