Prairie Skirt
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A prairie dress or prairie skirt is a modest American style of
skirt A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are ...
, an article of women's and girls'
clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
. Prairie dresses may be straight to slightly flared to very full, and may have one or more flounces (deep ruffles) or tiers; prairie dresses may be worn over a ruffled eyelet or
lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
-trimmed
petticoat A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', in current British E ...
. Traditionally, prairie dresses have long sleeves. In keeping with their design inspiration, traditional prairie skirts are usually made of "country" fabrics such as
denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more Warp (weaving), warp threads. This twill weave produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. Denim, as it is recognized today, was f ...
and flowered
calico Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...
, though they can be of a solid colour too. Prairie skirts are a staple of women's
western wear Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th century Wild West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of American frontier clothing, to the stylized garments ...
, and very full prairie skirts are worn for square dancing. Prairie dresses are often worn by women who attend Christian churches that emphasize the practice of
plain dress Plain dress is a practice among some religious groups, primarily some Christianity, Christian churches in which people dress in clothes of traditional modest design, sturdy fabric, and conservative cut. It is intended to show acceptance of trad ...
(as with the
Bruderhof Communities The Bruderhof (; German for 'place of brothers') is a communal Anabaptist Christian movement that was founded in Germany in 1920 by Eberhard Arnold. The movement has communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Paragu ...
) or the doctrine of
outward holiness Outward holiness, or external holiness, is a Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian doctrine emphasizing holy living, service, modest dress and sober speech. Additionally, outward holiness manifests as "the expression of love through a life charac ...
(as with the
Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (AWMC) is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement. It is primarily based in the United States, with missions in Peru, Ghana, and Haiti. The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Conne ...
). They are seen as fashionable, especially in cold weather. Prairie dresses earned their name for people travelling to the Western parts of the United States, though they were once "worn by women of all classes all over the country."


Origins in the 19th century

Prairie skirts are so-called after their resemblance to the home-sewn skirts worn by pioneer women in the mid-19th century, which in turn are a simplified version of the flared, ruffled skirts characteristic of high-fashion dresses of the 1820s. The style originated as an adaptation of high fashion to the practicalities of rural life in the
Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...
. Deep colors and prints were used as they did not show dirt, while decorations were used to update clothing to changing fashions.


Revival in the 1960s and 1970s

Counterculture
Hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
rejecting mainstream fashion looking instead to historical and non-Western styles. While 19th century prairie clothing was usually homemade, new companies such as Gunne Sax in San Francisco began manufacturing ready to wear prairie clothing. The style grew in popularity in the 1970s with the approach of the
United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. It was a central event in the memo ...
and was introduced to high fashion by
Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren (brand), Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped do ...
in his fall 1978 Western-themed collection.George-Warren, Holly, and Michelle Freedman: ''How the West Was Worn'', p. 184-187. Mid-calf length, button-front denim prairie skirts with a single flounce, worn with a 1950s-style petticoat that was slightly longer than the skirt, became a mainstream
fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...
in the 1970s and early 1980s following Lauren's introduction. Blue-prairie-dress.jpg, Late 1970s prairie dress Blue-prairie-dress-closeup.jpg, Collar of a 1970s prairie dress, showing common parts of the style such as lace, buttons, floral fabric, and ruffles. Brown-and-pink-prairie-dresses.jpg, 1970s prairie dresses


21st century

Short, many-tiered prairie skirts of
voile (; French for veil) is a soft, sheer fabric, usually made of 99% cotton or cotton blended with linen or polyester. Named for its light weight, the fabric is mostly used in soft furnishing. In tropical climates, ''voile'' is used for window tr ...
, chiffon or other lightweight fabrics were a fashion trend in 2005. Some wear longer-length prairie skirts with a slip or underskirt to preserve their modesty. Prairie dresses were again a fashion trend in the late 2010s, and were part of the cottagecore trend in 2020. Prairie dresses are often worn by women who attend Christian churches that emphasize the practice of
plain dress Plain dress is a practice among some religious groups, primarily some Christianity, Christian churches in which people dress in clothes of traditional modest design, sturdy fabric, and conservative cut. It is intended to show acceptance of trad ...
(as with the
Bruderhof Communities The Bruderhof (; German for 'place of brothers') is a communal Anabaptist Christian movement that was founded in Germany in 1920 by Eberhard Arnold. The movement has communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Paragu ...
, an Anabaptist denomination) or the doctrine of
outward holiness Outward holiness, or external holiness, is a Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian doctrine emphasizing holy living, service, modest dress and sober speech. Additionally, outward holiness manifests as "the expression of love through a life charac ...
(as with the Evangelical Wesleyan Church, a Methodist connexion in the holiness movement).


See also

* Cape dress *
Christian headcovering Christian head covering, also known as Christian veiling, is the traditional practice of women covering their head in a variety of Christian denominations. Some Christian women wear the head covering in public worship and during private prayer ...
*
Denim skirt A denim skirt, sometimes referred to as a 'jean skirt' or 'jeans skirt', is a skirt made of denim, the same material as blue jeans. Denim skirts come in a variety of styles and lengths to suit different populations and occasions. For example, f ...
*
Outward holiness Outward holiness, or external holiness, is a Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian doctrine emphasizing holy living, service, modest dress and sober speech. Additionally, outward holiness manifests as "the expression of love through a life charac ...
* Plain people *
Western wear Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th century Wild West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of American frontier clothing, to the stylized garments ...


Notes


References

*George-Warren, Holly, and Michelle Freedman: ''How the West Was Worn'', Harry N. Abrams (2001), . {{Clothing Western wear 1970s fashion 2000s fashion Simple living Skirts Women's clothing Dresses