Wrap skirts take me back to the ‘90s, although they featured decades before that and I wore them in the ‘70s. The oh-so-trendy nod to the ‘90s this year is more prominent than I expected. I’m not generally a fan of ‘90s fashion, but am thoroughly enjoying the redux at retail.
Wrap skirts come in all sorts of colours, patterns, fabrics, and lengths. Silhouettes can be straight like pencils, or A-line and flared. The wrap feature on the waist and across the front of the skirt can vary greatly too. Most wrap skirts are authentic, thereby wrapping around the body like a bandage. Others are faux, which means they look like they “wrap” but the front cross-over panel is sewn down either at the waistband, or down the front of the skirt. That means there’s a zipper at the back, or it’s a pull-on style. The collection below shows a wide assortment of wrap skirts.
The beauty of the wrap skirt lies in its breezy comfort. It’s a very non-restrictive style, because the wrap detailing makes the front fall open allowing ease of movement. Even the faux versions are A-line and quite roomy. The fit is forgiving because you can wrap the style to fit the contour of the body by adjusting the ties or the position of the buttons on the waist. The versions with waist ties make a fabulous statement, and can accentuate the waist. Flowing wrap skirts are magical in motion, and there’s something sensual and soft about the silhouette.
Wrap skirts have their annoying traits too. Authentic wraps can gape in front as you stride and sit, especially when the fronts are cut skimpy and fail to cover enough of you. Styles with waist ties can be fussy and harder to layer with a topper. Most wrap skirts look best with a very cropped top, or tucked and semi-tucked top, which might not be your thing. If you like to wear untucked tops, wrap skirts are not the way to go. That said, when the wraps are faux and the waistbands are flat, untucked tops are easier to style with them.
It’s been 25 years since I wore a wrap skirt. I remember liking Summery and very flowing wrap skirts with waist ties at midi lengths combined with a tucked body-con top and slides. I’d absolutely wear that look again because it’s pretty. I also remember wearing and disliking short A-line faux wrap skirts, and will not be revisiting that look.
Over to you. What’s your take on wrap skirts? What else is good and bad about wearing them?
