Wearing Skirts Over Pants Trend That's Everywhere Right Now

The trend of wearing skirts and dresses over pants has officially returned, and the look is ideal for all the unsure people out there.

This trend's flawless blending of traditionally feminine and masculine styles is one feature we love. You can simply choose to wear both a dress and pants, which is the fashion equivalent of being able to have your cake and eat it too. This trend seems appropriate given the increasing blurring of gender boundaries in fashion.

Of course, it's nothing new to wear a dress or skirt over pants. In traditional Indian clothing, both men and women put on a kurta or kurti (a long, tunic-like top) over coordinating pants, sometimes even jeans. The áo dài is a long gown worn in Vietnam that is also paired with pants.

Bloomers, loose pants worn beneath tunics and dresses that gave women more freedom of movement than the constrictive dresses and petticoats of the time, helped the fashion become part of everyday life in the United States in the 1800s.

Some women continued to wear hostess pyjamas or hostess gowns into the 20th century, which frequently included a robe-like top layered over a pair of pants. The outfit was designed to be worn indoors. Fans included celebrities like Lucille Ball and Ginger Rogers.

pants underneath skirts and dress in 1990s

It was also quite common to wear pants underneath skirts and dresses in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the trend has gradually made its way onto red carpets and runways over time (Emma Watson's 2014 Golden Globes ensemble is a good example).

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I've found myself trying to train my brain to just wear what I like—regardless of whether it's in the men's or women's section—because fashion is increasingly moving in a genderless direction. I even stopped shopping for clothes solely based on gender last year, and since then, I've accumulated a tonne of new items that have given my wardrobe new life.

But is there one area I've resisted entering? Skirts. Despite the fact that fashionable people of all genders are now wearing the item, particularly during the most recent New York Fashion Week, I still feel apprehensive about baring my knee in that way. The skirts-over-pants look, a new fashion fad, makes the concept considerably less unsettling.

Image Credit: GettyImg

You're probably asking: Skirts over pants? Really? Yes, throwback fashion is making a comeback after having a major moment in the early 2000s thanks to teen idols like Ashley Tisdale and Miley Cyrus. Only now it has a much more refined and mature appearance. The perspectives that Dion Lee offered up during its spring 2023 show last week greatly inspired me: Like a suit but more sassy, black or brown pleated knee skirts were worn over elegant dress pants and paired with blazers. Because more is more, Sandy Liang displayed dressy pant-skorts, Kenneth Nicholson wore mint green skirt-pants, and Chopova Lowena wore two-tone miniskirts over printed pants.

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I was motivated by these fresh ways to wear a skirt and decided it would be the ideal way to ease into rocking one, so this week I went shopping for my first skirt. I chose this black pleated skirt and my go-to black dress pants because I wanted to emulate the dressier vibe displayed at Dion Lee.

I added a black t-shirt and a black leather blazer to lean into minimalism, and the result was surprisingly youthful. The skirt detail gave my otherwise basic outfit just the right amount of visual interest without making a strong statement. But I needed a second opinion, so I went to my neighbourhood Starbucks to take a spin.

Image Credit: Instyle

I grabbed my favourite barista's iced pumpkin spice latte (yes, I'm basic) and asked her what she thought of the divisive skirt-and-pant ensemble. She praised my appearance, saying, "Honestly, it's a slay." You're providing what is required.

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On my caffeine walk, I experienced neither the strange side glance nor the dramatic head turn that I had anticipated would happen if I rocked a skirt in public. It has a subtle cool factor, which I love that a monochromatic approach to the look makes hardly noticeable. And now that I've overcome my skirt trepidation, I've started to consider new outfit ideas for this fall. By layering a denim miniskirt over jeans, I could truly channel the Y2K look.

Alternatively, I like the thought of wearing a pleated Chopova skirt over cargo pants. I'm even willing to just wear a skirt by itself. They're not really that scary, I promise.