skort
{{Short description|Shorts made to look like a skirt}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2010}}
{{Infobox clothing type
| name = Skorts
| image_file = Field hockey skort (50269656266) (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = A field hockey player wearing a pair of skorts as part of her uniform
| type = Pair of shorts that look like a skirt, or shorts with a skirt-like panel in front and back
| material = fabric
| location =
| url =
}}
A pair of skorts (a portmanteau of skirt and shorts) is a pair of shorts with an overlapping fabric panel made to resemble a skirt covering the front, or a skirt with a pair of integral shorts hidden underneath.{{cite web|url=http://www.apparelsearch.com/Definitions/Clothing/culottes.htm|title=Culottes Skirt is a Skort|website=www.apparelsearch.com|access-date=29 January 2019}}
History
Initially called "trouser skirts", skorts were developed to provide more freedom to do activities (such as sports, gardening, cleaning, or bike riding), and give the appearance of a skirt. At first, skorts were not deemed appropriate to be worn during any non-athletic activity.{{cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/skort-history|title=How the Skort Went From Rebellious Garment to Athleisure Staple|first=Tanya|last=Basu|date=21 September 2017|website=Atlas Obscura|access-date=29 January 2019}}
Montgomery Ward claimed in their 1959 Spring/Summer catalog to have invented the garment they called a skort. It was a short knife or accordion pleated skirt with an attached bloomer underneath. Years later, the term was applied to a pair of shorts with a flap of fabric across the front (and often the back) making the garment appear to be a skirt. In recent years, the term skort has been given to any skirt with an attached pair of shorts.
Predecessors
The origins of skorts may be related back to earlier garments such as bloomers and jupe-culottes which grew in popularity in the late 19th century and early 20th century, despite common public disapproval for women wearing pants.{{Cite web|date=8 March 2019|title=Women And Pants: A Timeline Of Fashion Liberation|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/women-and-pants-fashion-liberation_l_5c7ec7f7e4b0e62f69e729ec|access-date=9 June 2021|website=HuffPost|language=en}} In 1911, Paul Poiret produced several designs that were a combination of skirts and trousers, and they became known as jupe-culottes or as harem pants.{{Cite web|last=Milbank|first=Caroline Rennolds|title=Paul Poiret|url=https://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/fashion-clothing-industry/fashion-designers/paul-poiret|access-date=9 June 2021|website=LoveToKnow|language=en}} Similar to skorts, culottes involve various styles that may appear as a hybrid between pants and skirts.{{Cite web|last=Borrelli-Persson|first=Laird|title=The Ups and Downs of Culottes|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/the-ups-and-downs-of-culottes-a-brief-history-from-paul-poiret-to-hedi-slimane|access-date=9 June 2021|website=Vogue|date=16 September 2019|language=en-US}} Skorts are distinguished by their construction as a pair of shorts with material over it to make it appear as a skirt.
Women's sports
The first noted skort-like clothing to be worn as tennis attire was done so by the Spanish player, Lilí Álvarez, who wore a pair of culottes which had been shaped to resemble a skirt during her Wimbledon match in 1931. Skorts have become common in sports such as field hockey, tennis, golf, ten-pin bowling and camogie.
Skorts have also gained popularity in casual and athletic wear due to brands such as Lululemon. High-waisted skorts, skorts with ruffles or asymmetrical hems, and skorts made with patterned or textured fabrics have all become popular options.
=Camogie=
In camogie, the requirement for skirt-like clothing is viewed by some as archaic. A request for shorts to be permitted was rejected by governing body the Camogie Association in April 2024.{{cite news |title=Motion on skorts fails to pass at camogie congress |url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/camogie/2024/0406/1442074-motion-on-skorts-fails-to-pass-at-camogie-congress/ |access-date=4 May 2025 |publisher=RTÉ Sport |date=6 April 2024}} Skorts are criticised by a majority of players as being uncomfortable, and giving rise to concerns about exposure in media content. All players on both sides in a 2025 Leinster Senior Camogie Championship game protested by wearing shorts, but all were required to change to skorts, otherwise the game would be abandoned.{{cite news |last1=Hickey |first1=Emma |title=Camogie players forced to change to skorts after protest-wearing shorts at Kilkenny-Dublin match |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/camogie-players-forced-to-change-to-skorts-after-wearing-shorts-dublin-kilkenny-6695248-May2025/ |access-date=4 May 2025 |publisher=TheJournal |date=3 May 2025}}
See also
{{Portal|Fashion|Clothing}}
References
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