# Are long skirts back? Tell me it isn't so **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037 "2013-03-04T19:50:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/1 "2013-03-04T19:50:06Z")
I’m talking about down-to-the-floor long. Recently I’ve seen women wearing long skirts at the grocery store, at the mall, out and around. Not in a business setting, and not at college. And the look is sort of resort-y, i.e, the skirt is a bright color, it’s worn with a t-shirt, a colorful bag, etc. I do live in South Texas, which is not the most fashion-forward place in the universe. Styles usually get here pretty late. Has everyone been wearing long skirts already for a while? I’ve just gotten used to showing my knees. And I just moved and got rid of my long skirts from the 80’s. Don’t tell me I should have hung on to them. \*I think long long skirts look stoopid. Except maybe as a beach cover-up or at a prom. \* ---
**Author:** ![romadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@romadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romadea)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/2 "2013-03-04T20:23:49Z")
Yes, I think they’re making a comeback. Probably because they are so comfortable and almost universally flattering. I think it all started with the advent of the maxi dress a couple of summers ago. Personally, I like them, mostly because I like it when people are covered up. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/3 "2013-03-04T21:51:43Z")
Yes, they are considered one of the [major trends](http://www.worldlatestfashiontrends.com/maxi-skirt-spring-trend-2013.html) for Spring 2013. My 5’4" ridiculously shortwaisted self will not be participating in this particular trend, but that’s O.K., one of my favorite things in the world, floral prints, are another big trend for spring, so I won’t even need to update my wardrobe to be in style. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/4 "2013-03-04T21:57:33Z")
Gosh darnit…I just took all my hippie chick maxi skirts to the donation center!!! I hate fashion. I’m always wrong. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/5 "2013-03-04T21:58:51Z")
So if we have short legs and long torsos we’re not supposed to partake in this new trend? Good to know. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/6 "2013-03-04T22:20:14Z")
They are a good way to hide veins, so I like them. Wore one today as a matter of fact. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/7 "2013-03-04T22:52:31Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Gosh darnit…I just took all my hippie chick maxi skirts to the donation center!!! > > I hate fashion. I’m always wrong. Quick, toss all your crop-top t-shirts and short shorts! ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/8 "2013-03-04T22:54:24Z")
Does this mean we are in an economic depression? Hemlines (supposedly) correlate with the economy-dropping hemlines mean recession. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/9 "2013-03-04T22:58:28Z")
Fashion is for people who cannot set their own style. Don’t be a follower. ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/10 "2013-03-04T23:40:54Z")
I _like_ long skirts. They look good on me. I’m not going to stop wearing the just because they’re fashionable. All this means is that I’ll get to stock up on nice ones while they’re available. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/11 "2013-03-05T00:06:18Z")
Glad I kept mine around. I remember in the spring of 1998 when long skirts suddenly appeared on everybody. They hung around for several years afterward, but gradually faded. By the fall of 2009, it seemed everybody else in DC wore moderately short skirts (top of the knee). I went to a professional women event wearing a long skirt and posted my status that I have never felt so fashion-backward. Over this winter, quite apart from fashion trends, I’ve started reverting to ankle-length anyway, so this is just as well. 🙂 Long skirts make it so easy to look good. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/12 "2013-03-05T00:16:18Z")
I love long skirts, especially for dancing. I love to twist and swirl the skirt out around me, take it in one hand and whip it around, etc. I use them as an extension of my body. And I just like them for all occasions. I’ve been told I have great legs so I have nothing to hide… ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/13 "2013-03-05T01:26:53Z")
You will take my long skirts over my dead body. Long skirts are great. I occasionally wear something knee-length, but a girl’s legs can get kind of cold in an overly air-conditioned building. They also make me feel dressy and cool and important. Long skirts now, long skirts forever. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/14 "2013-03-05T01:42:13Z")
Long skirts came back in about four years ago in my rather rural part of the country, so they were presumably on the cutting edge even before that. I don’t follow fashion enough to know whether they’ve gone out and come back again in that time, but I’ve definitely been seeing long skirts/dresses in department stores and on undergrad girls (I work in academia) around here for several years. > [@ralph124c](#): > > Does this mean we are in an economic depression? Hemlines (supposedly) correlate with the economy-dropping hemlines mean recession. I noticed the return of the maxi dress (by looking out my office window on a nice day and seeing several students pass by in long sundresses) in the spring of 2009, so that’s about a year into the “[Great Recession](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Recession)”. I noted at the time that this fit in with the economy/hemline theory I’d heard about – IIRC it’s mentioned in one of Terry Pratchett’s novels. ---
**Author:** ![jack\_tardiff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jack\_tardiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_tardiff)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/15 "2013-03-05T02:02:02Z")
I like them, as a pretty non-metro fashion-sense guy. Very feminine. I hope more women wear them more often. ---
**Author:** ![Kepler1571](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/db5fbb/32.png) [@Kepler1571](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepler1571)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/16 "2013-03-05T02:35:08Z")
Fashion is driven by the commercial need to make women unhappy so they will salve their despair with more spending. Style is an attribute of the woman herself. Make your own look. Tell all the peddlers to fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/17 "2013-03-05T03:32:17Z")
Never stopped wearing them, much cooler in the summers here. Fashion maven? I think not, I just like comfort. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/18 "2013-03-05T03:43:14Z")
They look great on me. I am 5’9" and [long skirts](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=5&gs_ri=psy-ab&gs_mss=floral+print+tumb&tok=IlERstPJvQQmajbQiYlewQ&pq=floral+print+tumblr&cp=14&gs_id=wp&xhr=t&q=floral+print+pants&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.eWU&biw=979&bih=476&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&authuser=0&ei=h2k1Ua2wEoKk9ASXpoDgAg#um=1&hl=en&authuser=0&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=long+skirt+trend&oq=long+skirt+trend&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l2.40449.44655.0.44825.20.15.3.2.2.0.158.1105.12j3.15.0...0.0...1c.1.5.img.7X6AGVW2tXE&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.eWU&fp=4e0f60f967fd44fd&biw=979&bih=476) are fab, esp the elastic waist ones on my pregnant belly. So glad these are in fashion. Now the [obnoxious floral print pants trend](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=5&gs_ri=psy-ab&gs_mss=floral+print+tumb&tok=IlERstPJvQQmajbQiYlewQ&pq=floral+print+tumblr&cp=14&gs_id=wp&xhr=t&q=floral+print+pants&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.eWU&biw=979&bih=476&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&authuser=0&ei=h2k1Ua2wEoKk9ASXpoDgAg) can suck it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/19 "2013-03-05T04:05:38Z")
You don’t have to wear long hippie skirts. You can find long pencil skirts, which tend to be a wee more flattering. (Floral pants? Gah!) ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037/20 "2013-03-05T04:09:31Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > (Floral pants? Gah!) I know, they look like something my [grandma wore in the 60s](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=60s+floral+pants&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.eWU&biw=979&bih=476&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&authuser=0&ei=jW81UfuZLoK29QSW54CIDQ) Who ever thought it was couture to wear [your couch](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=60s+floral+pants&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.eWU&biw=979&bih=476&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&authuser=0&ei=jW81UfuZLoK29QSW54CIDQ#um=1&hl=en&authuser=0&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=floral+couch&oq=floral+couch&gs_l=img.3..0j0i5j0i24l8.78218.85462.0.85978.13.13.0.0.0.0.232.1639.6j5j2.13.0...0.0...1c.1.5.img.akbQqbSBnWE&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.eWU&fp=4e0f60f967fd44fd&biw=979&bih=476) on your body? And now the hideousness is coming back:smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-long-skirts-back-tell-me-it-isnt-so/652037.md?page=2)