Women's A-Line Skirt

An A-line skirt fits at the waist and widens in a straight line to the hem, tracing the outline of a capital A. Width comes from the cut of the panels themselves, not from gathers, pleats or elastic. So the waist stays flat while the hem finishes 10 or more inches wider than the hip.

Two or four panels are cut with angled side seams, and darts, small folds stitched into the fabric, remove the extra width at the waist. Because nothing is gathered, nothing bunches under a waistband or a tucked shirt. The skirt makes contact at the waist, skims the hip, then leaves the body entirely. That is why it works over so many hip shapes: below the widest point, the fabric is not touching you at all.

A pencil skirt runs the other way, following the hip and needing a vent to let you walk. Pleated skirts get their fullness from folded fabric, which adds weight, swing and bulk at the waist that an A-line never has. A wrap skirt is open down one side and adjusts, while an A-line is closed and fixed. A full circle skirt takes the same idea much further, with enough sweep to spin.

Fuller hips and thighs benefit most, since nothing clings below the waist. A defined waist shows well against the flat waistband. Short frames do best with a hem just above the knee, which keeps the flare brief and the leg long. Under a slim long coat it is a poor pick, because the extra hem width has to fold somewhere and creases.

Watch the side seams while someone walks in the skirt. They should hang straight down and stay at the sides. Seams swinging toward the front mean the hip is too tight and the skirt is riding. A lining is what keeps wool and tweed from clinging to tights, and it belongs about an inch above the hem. Zips go at the side or the center back and must lie flat, not ripple. Hang by the waistband loops and steam from the inside so the flare stays soft.