A limp skirt is a narrow skirt that restricts movement, popular in the early 20th century. It was first designed in the 1880s and later called hobble skirts. Some skirts had hidden pleats or slits for easier walking. The style gave way to shorter hemlines and looser garments as women became more active.
A limp skirt is a skirt or the skirt of a dress that is so narrow at the hem that it impedes movement. Women who wore this type of skirt had to take very short calculated steps and are said to limp rather than walk with a comfortable step. It’s virtually impossible to run in this type of skirt, but at the time they were worn, women’s running was still frowned upon.
The first designer fashions for these skirts. they were made in the 1880s and are sometimes credited to the designer Paul Poiret. The term was born long after the actual design. Restrictive skirts were first called hobble skirts after 1910.
Some skirt styles, though narrow, only give the illusion of being a limp. A skirt may include hidden pleats or slits that allow for easier walking. Most commonly, early 20th century wedding dress featured a true limp skirt, as women didn’t really need a brisk step, unless they decided to take a break before the ceremony!
Sometimes the skirt was tied with cloth below the knee, or fitted just below the knee instead of right at the ankle-length hem. This is the case with the modern mermaid skirt and many designs from the early 20th century. Restricting the legs below the knee often leads to the same limp effect, as does a tight ankle hem.
Although these skirts are less fashionable, they have certainly never gone out of style. The modern pencil skirt, although shorter in length, can still be a limp skirt. Formal dresses for proms, balls, or red carpet events can also feature limp skirt elements. However, today when a limp hem is worn, or a fitted gown, it normally features slits, often quite high and revealing, so that movement is not impeded.
The limp skirt of the early 20th century gave way to much shorter hemlines and baggier, anti-limping garments like the flapper suits of the 1920s. As women gradually became much more active, they participated in sports and walked long distances, both the limp skirt and restrictive corset were undesirable features. Instead, freedom of movement was much more desired, representing the independence of young women.
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