As someone who loves wearing a ton of feminine clothes with a lot of soft colors, lace trim, or flirty floral patterns, spring is the season these type of styles thrive best. Warmer days are drawing near and soon it’ll be time to throw back those closet doors and take those spring pieces out of hibernation. I like owning a little of everything, from the most current styles to the classic ones. Fashion being cyclical, there’s always at least one or two tops or bottoms that can easily be worn again. Long skirts, or maxi skirts, is another style that dominated much of ’90s fashion along with clogs and crop tops. Despite the resurgence of these long and flowy skirts, I seem to not be taking part in this trend again.
When I reflect on my days as a young girl growing up during the ’90s, I can pretty much say I have tried almost every trend that was huge. Like any kid at an impressionable young age, I wanted to look and be cool. If you weren’t keeping up with what was hot at the moment, then you were just lame. Or not in the know. It’s crazy when you think about the kind of pressure we succumbed to or what we believed to be true. Among the styles I made sure to stock up on growing up as a pre-teen to teenager were maxi skirts.
I remember being particularly drawn to maxi skirts out of all the other popular ’90s styles. The different prints and cuts of maxi skirts (floral, solid, side slit, or no slit) made this THE skirt that just about any girl could wear and make their own. Whether you are the goth girl, girl next door, or sexy lady maxi skirts really are a style for all occasions and seasons. Back then half my closet was filled with lots of long skirts and very few short skirts. Personally, what I liked about maxi skirts is the level of modesty it offered. Depending on the fabric, the flowy feel you get from wearing one of these made me feel like a princess. It was the closest thing to wearing a “long gown”, as I saw it, but with a modern day spin on it.
So why after being such a huge fan of maxi skirts in the ’90s have I not embraced this trend now or in recent years? The skirts I owned then have mostly been donated. They’re either not age appropriate or not a classic cut or style I can wear often. While I could have gone to any department store and update my maxi skirts with the current ones being made, I found I lost all desire to really own them again. I now seem to favor shorter skirts of a moderate length, and my favorite type of skirts to wear are the A-line or skater skirts.
The shift in style has even surprised me when I look at my closet now. When maxi skirts used to make up the majority of my dressier clothes, I see less of them and more shorter to mid-length skirts. Maybe it’s because I find these skirts more flattering for my shape and height. Or maybe I haven’t found the right maxi skirt to fall in love with again. For now, my history with this style will remain a fond memory of my young girl past.
What do you think of maxi skirts? Do you wear them yourself?
simpleek 
Like you, there was a time when my closet was full of long skirts. I practically lived in them year-round! Now, I guess my eye for style has just changed, as I also prefer shorter, mostly knee-length skirts. They just seem more versatile, and they’re easy to pair with office-wear, like blazers and cardigans. Long skirts don’t always work well when you’re on-the-go.
Yeah, I agree! While the maxi skirts are versatile and can probably work for the office, I kind of think you need to know how to do that well. The wrong blazer or cardigan with a long skirt can make you look more frumpy than polished professional, you know? I also think shorter skirts are easier to pull an outfit together without putting too much thought into it. I still haven’t ruled out wearing maxi skirts though. You never know, the right one may just be in a department store I haven’t encountered yet! 😉
I own a couple of maxi dresses that I love. With the right fit, they are so flattering while also remaining modest and covering enough that I don’t get toooo cold. And I agree that the skirts with a slit add a little bit of sexiness that’s unique! I was definitely happy when I saw maxi skirts and dresses showing up on shelves a few years ago. 🙂
There are definitely a lot of pretty maxi dresses. But I think because I’m short, I don’t really bother to try these on. I think they probably make some that are for people my height, but I always picture myself being in a fitting room with a maxi dress on and it looking like a little girl being lost in clothes much too big or long for her. I do think maxi dresses are the perfect casual, low-key dressy for the spring and summer months. They do flow so beautifully and this has more of a princess effect than the skirts themselves. 🙂