Styles have changed over the years, not only in lengths and fabrics, but also in types. Here are some of the basic types:
- A-line skirt, a skirt with a slight flare, roughly in the shape of a capital letter A
- Bell-shaped skirt, flared noticeably from the waist but then, unlike a church bell, cylindrical for much of its length
- Circle skirt, a skirt cut in sections to make one or more circles with a hole for the waist, so the skirt is very full but hangs smoothly from the waist without darts, pleats, or gathers
- Culottes, a form of divided skirt constructed like a pair of shorts, but hanging like a skirt.[5]
- Full skirt, a skirt with fullness gathered into the waistband
- Pleated skirt, a skirt with fullness reduced to fit the waist by means of regular pleats ('plaits') or folds, which can be stitched flat to hip-level or free-hanging
- Short skirt, a skirt with hemline above the knee
- Straight skirt or Pencil skirt, a tailored skirt hanging straight from the hips and fitted from the waist to the hips by means of darts or a yoke; may have a vent or kick-pleat set in the hem for ease of walking
- Wrap or wraparound skirt, a skirt that wraps around the waist with an overlap of material