Preen Chloe Louis Vuitton LanvinThe classic circle skirt is back impacting F/W 10 runways and already seen at retail and on the street. The riseand fall of this full, swingy skirt began with a rebellion against wartime fabric restrictions in the late 40s, reachedits heyday in the 50s (the poodle skirt), and lost ground to the mini and maxi during the following decades making brief appearances in the 80s and 90s. Now, as fashion rediscovers the natural waist, and a feminineaesthetic gains momentum after seasons of tough warrior women, it is no surprise that the circle skirt reemerges.Dior 1947 Late 1940s Dior 1947Circle skirts emerged at the start of the 1940s but WWII fabric restrictions put a stop to the fullness trend straight or slight A-line cuts prevailed. Then, in 1947, countering the stark wartime fashion, Christian Diorunveiled his New Look, which featured extravagant skirts using over ten yards of fabric. Balanced by anhourglass torso (achieved with belt, snug sweater or peplum jacket), Dior's circle skirt endured for the nextdecade and beyond.Vogue 1953 LIFE Magazine 1950s Separates c. 1950sFollowing Dior!s visionary triumph, the 1950s became the heyday for the circle skirt. Dominating high fashion forboth day and evening, the silhouette also ruled mass-market looks for women and schoolgirls, including the wildlypopular "poodle skirt " (decorated with a poodle-shaped appliqu) and Mexican hand-painted versions. Stiffcrinolines were often worn underneath, further exaggerating the full silhouette.1950s Circle Skirt 1950s Circle Skirt LIFE Magazine 1950sLIFE Magazine 1950s1950sFor home-sewers there were specially designed fabrics with the skirt pattern printed directly on the surface.Some were complete circles cut from one wide bolt; others consisted of three pieces: a front and back panel anda waistband. The flat plane construction made it a favorite for dancing, as it would twirlstraight out from a smallwaist. A popular variation was the semi-circle skirt (also seen on F/W 10 runways), offering a bit less volume,with the bias construction hugging the hips and falling into ripples below.Nina Leen 1950s Cadillac Originals 1950s1950sLarge-scale prints on cotton or barkcloth were prevalent for mid-century circle skirts, as were motifs specificallydesigned for the skirts with borders or elements that appeared to fade through scale changes from waist tohem. Stripes and plaids are particularly suited to the bias drape of the circle skirt, creating a diagonal pattern or achevron effect when joined at center seam.1950s1950s1950s 1950sSome of the most spectacular and sought-after 1950s circle skirts came from Mexico, a favorite 50s vacationspot. Most of the skirts had scenes or borders depicting Mexican life, and were block-printed, hand-painted orused a combination of both techniques. More elaborate versions were further embellished with sequins. Thesouvenir skirts were extremely popular and the style was copied outside of Mexico.1950s Poodle Skirt1950s Circle Skirt 1950s 1950s Poodle Skirt1950s Circle Skirt 1950s Circle Skirt 1950s Circle SkirtThe appliqud circle skirt is an icon of the 1950s, but it actually started in 1947 when actress-turned-designer JuliLynne Charlot designed some Christmas-themed circle skirts featuring felt appliqus. The skirts immediately soldout, and her following collection included the poodle skirt. These appliqud felt skirts became a 50s fashioncraze, and the poodle motif evolved into allsorts of shapes, from race-horses to lamp-posts.LIFE Magazine 1950s Unknown UnknownNina Leen 1950sNina Leen 1950sThe conversational circle skirt was another popular variation in the 1950s. Pictorial motifs told a story throughboth prints and appliqus/embellishments, often in border layouts. Artists like Picasso and Dal eitherdesigned original prints or had works adapted and printed on fabric, creating conversational circle skirts that wereboth fashionable and culturally informed.LIFE Magazine 1950s Miss Hawaii 1950s 1960s 1950sThe amount of fabric in a circle skirt creates a large canvas, offering plenty of space for oversized patch pockets.When symmetrically placed at the hip, the pockets further exaggerate the hourglass figure; a single pocket placedbelow the hip were often framed with soutache trims or ribbon embellishments. More elaborate techniquesincluded coin purses sewn on in place of pockets (perhaps inspired by Bonnie Cashin's designs) or appliquswith attached chains that emerged from inside the pocket.LIFE Magazine 1950s 1950s Joe Davidson 1950s Dior 1952The circle skirt transitioned into evening as an alternative to the cocktail dress. Evening circle skirts were made ofrich silks, taffetas or moir weaves (often with velvet waistbands) and could be embellished, have a lace overlayor were quilted to enhance the opulence of the design. Evening circle skirts were worn as hostess-looks forcasual gatherings, or were dressed-up with femme blouses and chic accessories for more formaloccasions.Audrey Hepburn 1953 Louise Dahl -Wolfe 1951 Lauren Bacall 1950sCircle skirts were part of designer collections throughout the 1950s, including those from Dior, Fath andBalenciaga, and were featured in Vogue and L!Officiel in photographs by Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Richard Avedon.Actresses like Lauren Bacall in Key Largo and Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday helped popularize the skirt,wearing them with simple shirts, wide belts and flat sandals for a casual yet elegant everyday look.1960s1960sPeggy Moffat, 1960s 1960sCircle skirts held their ground throughout the early 1960s, vying with the newly introduced waist-less shiftsilhouette (not seen since the 20s). While 1950s circle skirts typically fell to mid-calf, the youth culture-influenced60s brought the hem to the knee or above. Even at the height of high fashion!s Space Age Mod trend, circleskirts were still embraced by many women, and their flattering shape and feminine swing are sure to find newfans today.1950sRunway Roadmap > Full Swing I Must Haves > The Full Skirt I Classifications > Full Circle I Retail Analysis >The Full Skirt I Vintage to Runway > Circle Skirt I S2M > The Circle Skirt I Viva Las Vegas > Fit and Flare