
Mermaid Skirt
Decade: 1930s
Fabric: Silks and satins, which allow the dress to flow when worn
Origin: Created by Marcel Rochas, who created trademark hourglass silhouettes as a tribute to the female form.
Circle skirt
Decade: 1940s
Fabric: Light/Medium weight woven fabric, such as cotton lawn.
Origin: Created by Christian Dior. The nipped waist, full skirted re-defined postwar fashion in the 1940s. After fabric rationing ended, Dior wanted to create a style which was no longer limited by the amount of fabric it was made from.


A-Line Skirt
Decade: 1950s
Fabric: Crisp light/medium weight fabrics, eg silk or cotton A-Line Skirt
Origin: Created by Christian Dior, as a move away from his postwar New Look collection. Slender shoulders, flaring out gradually from the waist to create an A shape.
Mini Skirt
Decade: 1960s
Fabric: Medium weight knits, denims or cottons
Origin: Created by Mary Quant as a controversial way of rebelling. The miniskirt shaped the image of young, modern, self-aware women. Twiggy became the unofficial poster girl for the look.


Rah-rah Skirt
Decade: 1980s
Fabric: Lightweigh fabric, eg cotton, silk, linen
Origin: A reinvention of the mini skirt, became the layered rah-rah skirt.