Do you ever feel like you came out of the womb wearing a specific article of clothing? That’s the way I feel about the maxi skirt. I adore long skirts. My closet has one for every occasion, and they are perfect for every season. In 2025, these skirts are strongly underrepresented in the trends, and I think we should bring them back big time.
The Benefits
I’m aware that putting on a long skirt can sometimes feel like cosplaying a grandma, but trust me when I say – you won’t regret making the switch from mini to maxi.
1. An Actually Effortless Look
Even if we don’t want it to be true, everything we wear says something about us. Still, we’re college girls, and sometimes, we don’t have all this time to put together the perfect outfit. A long skirt makes any outfit elegant and graceful. It elevates a look so much more than a pair of pants or shorts and makes life so much easier. I wake up in the morning and slip a long skirt on faster than you can say “hello.”
No matter how long it takes you to get ready, I will guarantee you that at least one person will compliment your outfit if you wear a long skirt.
2. Comfort
If there’s one thing to note about a long skirt, it’s that it will be comfortable. Many long skirts are held up by elastic bands, which can be so much more comfortable than the buttons on jeans yet miles more stylish than a pair of shorts being held up the same way.
The flowiness and airiness of the silhouette allows for just enough to cool you down while still keeping you warm when the temperature drops. In the Gainesville weather, they work no matter what time of year it is.
3. Versatility
Paired with a sweater for work, a T-shirt for class, a blouse for formal events and even a tank top for fun things like picnic dates with friends; the long skirt’s possibilities are endless.
All types of girls wear long skirts. You can give ‘90s baddie with a camisole and some chunky heels, ‘80s goth with a leather jacket and boots or ‘70s hippie with a pretty blouse and a cute hat.
I mean, my grandmother and I can both wear long skirts, style them differently, and we can both look totally cool and stylish no matter what our ages are.People wear them for a reason.
The History
Even though I think long skirts are the future, it’s important to note the controversial past harnessed by this garment.
Before the Industrial Revolution, bountiful access to textile was rare and reserved for the elite. For this reason, the more wealth a woman had, the more fabric she could pay for. This is why for a long time, being able to afford these extravagant long skirts was representative of being in the upper class.
At the same time, long skirts have historically been looked upon as the modest option when it came to a woman’s clothing choices. Up until the 1920s, a woman outside of a long skirt was relatively unheard of. And even at that, it took until the 1960s for a woman in a short skirt to be considered anything other than a harlot.
Even today, many women use long skirts to help them dress modestly, whether for religious, personal or rule-abiding reasons.
There is a complex balance between female oppression and empowerment in the long skirt. In the 1960s, the mini-skirt was a rebellion; however, the long skirt became its own rebellion soon after.
In the late ‘60s and ‘70s, the concept of the long skirt as a tool of oppression was revolutionized through the flower power movement. Suddenly, women were switching from the mini and the gogos to taking off their bras and putting on long skirts. The movement, characterized by motions of political peace and freedom had the same emphasis on these subjects in clothing. The long skirt represented freedom and comfort.
Even after the movement ended, the sentiment lingered. Think of Stevie Nicks; where would the white witch be without a good twirl in a flowy skirt?
The best part about today’s style is that we have so much freedom to experiment with what we enjoy. For that reason, I think that with just enough exploration, everyone can have at least one good long skirt in their closet to use however they’d like.