I was in Tahuna, Queenstown, with my whānau over the recent school holidays, and on one particularly dreary day, we ducked into the Arrowtown Museum. If you haven’t been, it’s worth a visit: equal parts informative and kitsch, with much of it dedicated to the region’s gold rush history. One part that caught my eye was the old photographs of the women who lived in the isolated gold-mining settlement at Skippers Canyon. It was a notoriously remote place tucked in the middle of the mountains, reached by a steep and perilous road, yet here they were, dressed as though they lived in central London. Hair immaculate, blouses buttoned, waists cinched, skirts full. My first thought was: what a fucking hassle. My second: we really don’t wear skirts any more.
For most of history, skirts were simply what women wore. They predate trousers by millennia, with hemlines rising and falling alongside politics, practicality and changing ideas of femininity. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that trousers entered the everyday, propelled by industrial work, wartime necessity and shifting social norms. Once we got a taste for practicality, there was no going back – women wore the pants. But this season, skirts are making a compelling case.
The most interesting thing about skirts in 2026 isn’t a hemline, it’s the absence of one. Fashion has abandoned consensus. Minis, midis and maxis are happily coexisting, leaving texture, fabric and tailoring to do the talking.
An easy entry point is the bias-cut slip skirt, and Paris Georgia has nailed it with theirs, in a silhouette that skims rather than clings before flaring softly through the hem. It’s pure ’90s minimalism, but styling changes everything: boots and leather for understated grunge; gauzy layers for bohemia; or a fine knit and flats for quiet luxury.
For something flightier, there’s the shorter iteration that lands just below the knee. Often cut in sheer fabrics or finished with a wisp of lace, it’s been everywhere this Euro summer. Dôen and Réalisation Par have long had the look on lock, but you’ll find versions ranging from high fashion to the high street. A baby tee and jandals give the flippy skirt an effortless downtown feel, while riding boots, a roll neck, and a leather jacket toughen it up. Add a matching blouse, kitten heels and gold jewellery, et voilà, you’re a girly girl.
Staying at knee length, the pencil skirt deserves mention. When Christian Dior popularised the streamlined style in his famous 1954 H-Line, he intended to hug curves and give women “the Marilyn Monroe wiggle” (ugh). The idea held until the ‘80s power set came along and recast the style by pairing it with strong-shouldered blazers and a healthy dose of corporate ambition. Calvin Klein, Nour Hammour, Country Road and Witchery all have convincing takes this season, and they should be viewed as investment pieces. Buy one in a beautiful fabric, have it tailored, and it’ll earn its place for years to come.
I feel for those women of Skippers, shackled by yards of fabric as convention demanded. They had little say in the matter, but we do. We have choices and options, and maybe that’s just the most fashionable thing about a skirt.
