Skater Plaid Skirts

A skater skirt sits high on the natural waist and flares into a full or half circle hem, so it moves when you do. The name comes from figure skating dresses, which use the same shape for the same reason. The swing comes from the amount of cloth in the cut, not from netting or stiffening underneath, so it drapes rather than sticking out.

The flare comes from different places. A skater skirt takes its volume from the cut, with panels widening from a fitted waist into a smooth circle. A pleated skirt takes it from folded cloth hanging in defined lines off the waistband. Skater reads softer and more casual. Pleats read sharper and more traditional. Put them side by side in pleated plaid skirts.

They have never really left. The shape moves in and out of the front row but it has been a wardrobe staple since the fifties, and tartan versions sit outside the trend cycle because the cloth carries its own history. Want the current read? Wear it short with chunky boots, the way the Y2K styling does it. Want it timeless? Take it to the knee with a plain knit.

Something fitted, always. The skirt already carries the volume, so a cropped knit, a tucked shirt or a plain bodysuit keeps the proportion balanced. Pull one of the quieter colours out of the sett rather than matching the loudest one. Black tights and ankle boots move it into autumn. A white tee and trainers bring it back to everyday. Add a tartan scarf in the same sett only when the top is plain.

Most finish 16 to 20 inches from the waist, landing above the knee on an average height. Yours does not have to. Put your waist measurement and the finished length you want in the order notes and it is cut to that. Between sizes? Size to the waist, not the hip, because the flare handles the rest. For a straighter shape, look at A line plaid skirts.

On a circle cut the sett curves with the panels, so the lines travel at a slight angle towards the hem rather than staying square. That is normal for any checked cloth in a flared skirt and it is not a fault. The waistband and side seams are matched. The cloth is premium acrylic woven to the sett, so the pattern runs through the weave and is not printed on the surface.

Many people do, particularly at the shorter lengths, because a circle skirt lifts more freely than a straight one. Cycling shorts or a slip solve it entirely and are invisible under the cloth. Check the product page, since some styles include a lining and some do not.

Hang it from the waistband using clip hangers rather than folding it, since a folded circle hem takes creases at the fold lines that are hard to press out evenly. If you must fold it for travel, fold along the existing seams and steam rather than press it on arrival.