All You Need to Know About Circle Skirts And Skater Skirts

Nearly every girl should have at least one circle skirt or skater skirt in her wardrobe. You only need to wear one once to realize what an important place they have in your feminine style.

A circle skirt is a skirt that looks like a circle when you lay it down flat. They are made by cutting a large circle of fabric for the length of the skirt and cutting out a smaller circle in the middle for the waist. A skater skirt is essentially a circle skirt that is a lot shorter than knee length.

Let’s take a closer look at the key features of circle skirts and skater skirts so that you can more fully understand how important they are.

What Are The Significant Features Of A Circle/Skater Skirt?

A circle skirt is basically a skirt that looks like a circle when it’s laid out flat. So, just imagine a circle of fabric with a hole at the center the same size as your waist and you’ve got it. Circle skirts have a waistband and when worn they resemble the shape of a wide ‘A’, hang loosely, and offer a lot of movement.

Now, a circle skirt can be any length but a skater skirt is typically a short circle skirt that sits at the knee or above. The thing to bear in mind is that there are some skater skirts that don’t look like a circle when laid out flat.

What Are The Origins Of The Circle/Skater Skirt?

It’s difficult to say exactly where circle skirts originally came from because skirts have been around for many years. What we do know is that longer circle skirts were hugely popular in the 1950s after World War II. This is because Christian Dior presented his first haute couture collection known as the ‘New Look’ and it was revolutionary in women’s fashion. Dior’s collection featured cinched waists, rounded shoulders, and very, very full skirts! And it allowed women to be feminine again and extravagant after scaling back their spending and wearing simpler clothing during the war.

As for the skater skirt, we can thank figure skater Sonja Henie for the introduction of short and visually striking figure skating attire in the late 1920s. Fast forward to the 1980s and this is when the skater skirt became really popular in fashion due to figure skating hitting the mainstream around this time. In addition, figure skaters wore all sorts of unique and dazzling outfits on the ice during the 80s which struck a chord with the masses.

What Figure/Body Shape Is Best Suited To A Circle/Skater Skirt?

Inverted triangle and rectangle body shapes are best suited for this type of skirt as they can add volume to the hips and balance out the body. For the pear and hourglass shapes, you might want to avoid this style of skirt simply because they can make your hips look bigger than you may want them to look!

The bottom line is – circle and skater skirts are great for hiding the tummy and the hips (or giving the illusion of hips). But if you have curvaceous hips or a curvaceous bottom then this skirt may not hang the way you want it to!

Which Kinds Of Tops Can You Pair With A Circle/Skater Skirt?

A simple top and cardigan combo or a long-sleeved t-shirt will look super cute whether you are wearing a long or short circle skirt. And a silk blouse or turtle neck paired with a vintage belt is a good look for mid to long circle skirts especially.

For an effortless casual look, go for a short-sleeved t-shirt or a crop top cheekily showing off a little midriff when pairing with a skater skirt.

What Shoes Work Best With A Circle/Skater Skirt?

For longer circle skirts, peep-toe heels will give you that gorgeous 50s look as will flat peep-toes. Open-toe heels with an ankle strap look fab too but if you’re looking for comfort then ballets flats could be the way to go.

When wearing skater skirts with a t-shirt or crop top then trainers work well, especially if you have a busy day ahead of you. And for a sexy look, adding stylish ankle or knee-high boots will set pulses racing!