What is a Full Skirt?

A full skirt is a skirt with generous volume through the body and hem, creating a loose, flowing silhouette rather than sitting close to the legs. Fullness can be created in several ways, including gathering, pleating, circular cutting or joining shaped panels known as gores.

Full skirts can vary enormously in length and shape, from softly gathered everyday skirts to dramatic full circle styles for evening wear.

What makes a skirt a full skirt?

The defining characteristic of a full skirt is simply volume.

Compared with a straight or pencil skirt, considerably more fabric is distributed below the waist. This allows the skirt to fall away from the body providing plenty of room through the hips, legs and hem.

How that additional fabric is incorporated determines the finished shape.

Some full skirts have lots of volume immediately below the waistband, while others remain relatively smooth over the hips before becoming progressively wider towards the hem.

How is fullness created in a skirt?

There isn't one particular construction method that makes a skirt "full".

Designers can create fullness in several different ways.

Gathering – a larger width of fabric is drawn into a smaller waistband, creating soft folds and volume below the waist.

Pleating – fabric is folded into controlled pleats, allowing a large amount of fabric to be incorporated into the skirt while creating a more structured appearance.

Circular cutting – the skirt is cut using part or all of a circle, allowing the fabric to flare naturally from the waist.

Gores or panels – several shaped pieces of fabric are joined together. Narrower sections at the top and wider sections towards the bottom can create a skirt that fits relatively smoothly around the waist and hips before becoming much fuller at the hem.

What is a circle skirt?

A circle skirt is one way of creating a full skirt.

The pattern is based on a circle with an opening in the centre for the waist. When worn, the fabric falls vertically from the waist and creates considerable fullness around the hem.

Depending on how much of a circle is used, you may see garments described as quarter-circle, half-circle or full-circle skirts.

A full-circle skirt contains a particularly large amount of fabric and can create dramatic movement when the wearer walks or turns.

Not every full skirt is a circle skirt, but most circle skirts can certainly be described as full skirts.

What is a gored skirt?

A gore is a shaped panel of fabric used in garment construction.

In a gored skirt, several vertical panels are sewn together to create the overall shape. The panels are commonly narrower towards the waist and wider towards the hem.

This construction allows designers to create fullness lower in the skirt without necessarily adding lots of bulk around the waist.

You'll sometimes see descriptions such as six-gore or eight-gore skirt, which simply refer to the number of panels used in its construction.

Full skirt vs A-line skirt

These terms can overlap, but they don't mean exactly the same thing.

An A-line skirt gradually becomes wider from the waist or hips towards the hem, creating the triangular shape suggested by the letter A.

A full skirt describes the amount of volume in the garment rather than one particular pattern shape.

An A-line skirt can therefore have some fullness, but a very full gathered or circle skirt will usually contain considerably more fabric and movement than a classic A-line style.

Full skirt vs pencil skirt

These silhouettes sit at almost opposite ends of the skirt spectrum.

A pencil skirt fits relatively closely through the hips and legs and usually falls straight or tapers slightly towards the hem.

A full skirt moves away from the body and contains considerably more fabric through the lower garment.

Are full skirts always gathered at the waist?

No. Gathering is a very common way of creating a full skirt, but a skirt can also achieve substantial fullness through pleats, circular cutting, shaped panels or a combination of techniques.

A gored full skirt, for example, can sit quite smoothly around the waist and hips while having a very wide hem.

Are full skirts always mid length?

No. Fullness and length describe two different characteristics of a skirt.

A full skirt can be:

• above the knee
• knee length
• midi length
• calf length
• ankle length
• floor length

The same basic full silhouette can therefore appear in everything from casual skirts and uniforms to formal gowns.

Why are full skirts used in clothing?

Full skirts provide movement, ease and visual volume.

Because there's additional fabric around the legs, they generally allow considerably more freedom of movement than narrow skirt styles.

The amount and placement of fullness can also completely change the appearance of a garment. Soft gathering can create a relaxed silhouette, crisp pleats can make it more structured, and a full circle construction can create considerable movement and drama.

The choice of fabric matters too. A lightweight fabric may drape and move softly, while a heavier or more structured textile can hold the skirt further away from the body.

Full skirts in uniforms and workwear

Full skirts aren't as strongly associated with contemporary corporate uniforms as straight, A-line and pencil skirts, but fuller skirt shapes do appear in uniforms where movement, comfort or a particular silhouette is required.

Pleated and panelled skirts are particularly relevant because they can introduce additional room for movement while still maintaining a neat appearance.

When choosing a skirt for work, the construction is therefore worth considering alongside the fabric, length and size. Two skirts with similar waist measurements can feel completely different to wear depending on how much fullness has been incorporated below the waist.

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