This sexy detail on the skirt is killer in its background

The slit brings sexiness to the skirt. However, it was not adopted for sensual reasons. Unplash

As spring progresses, the weather warms up, and clothing becomes lighter. Summer dresses and skirts appear in the street scene, many of which have slits.

The slit is therefore quite a common detail in women’s clothes today. They can be seen in the gala creations of celebrities, on the catwalks of the fashion world, in athletic sports skirts and in office suits.

The length and placement vary, but the solution is resorted to in style, if at all.

In Western fashion history, the emergence of split skirts took place at the beginning of the 20th century, when a French fashion designer Paul Poiret created a “hobble skirt” with a narrow hem.

What was special about the style was that it included a looser top in a time when corsets were popular.

– I freed the bosom, but shackled the legs, described Poiret himself of the Medium website by.

Accidents and traffic jams

The tripping skirt definitely restricted movement. When you could only take short steps. For example, getting on the tram or even just walking became difficult.

on EBSCO it is said that there were traffic jams in Paris because women wearing trip skirts walked so slowly. In some American cities, trams were introduced that were lower than before, so that women with narrow skirts could climb on them.

The clumsy style was mocked in caricatures. The events included outrageous running races where men were made to tingle in trip skirts.

At the same time, more and more women went to work outside the home, and some employers even became concerned about the skirt security risks.

Women who were stinging in tripping skirts had accidents. One woman was killed at a Parisian racetrack when she couldn’t get away from a runaway horse. A young woman from New York again tripped in her tight skirt into the canal and drowned.

So the need for practicality won, and slits were started to be cut in the hems of the skirts. They made everyday life easier and also made it easier to dance popular fashion dances such as tango.

However, not everyone warmed to the cracks. Studied the cultural history of the fashion business Anchita Agarwal tells on his blogthat older people didn’t consider women dancing in slit skirts to be as sloppy as they did stingers in tripping skirts.

The guardians of morals were also horrified by the fact that the legs of the women, which were previously kept hidden, were showing through the cracks.

Slit skirts was frowned upon in club circles so much so that the King of Belgium banished a woman who wore one from court dances. He was an unwanted guest according to the king.

Despite the criticism and horror, the cracks were here to stay and are still in use today.

Long traditions

The present-day cracks are therefore considered to date back to the beginning of the last century. As always with trends and fashion, the origin of this phenomenon is by no means so simple.

Split skirts have existed even before tripping skirts. For example, in the 16th century, upper-class women’s outfits had many layers. The upper skirt was split so that people could see the decorative petticoat underneath.

Outside of Western countries, the practicality brought by cracks had also been appreciated for a long time. For example, the robes worn by Manchu women in China had long side slits. Sometimes they were cut even to the waist. Thanks to the slits, women could ride. For decency reasons, pants were worn under the outfit.

In 1920s China, a new version of this traditional dress was developed, the cheongsam, a tight and boxy outfit with slits. Pants were no longer worn under it, but the outfit was combined with western silk stockings and high heels.

The cheongsam, also known as a qipao, is still a common outfit in China. However, there are clear rules for its use.

For example, the location and length of the crack are precisely defined. Chinese clothing manufacturer New Hanfu states that the slit should end no more than 12 centimeters above the knee.

Renaissance

There was an important step in the history of slit skirts when Christian Dior created an approach to his collection pencil skirt. A slit was added to the back so that the garment could move.

Vintage Clothing Guides says that Dior was inspired in his style specifically by tripping skirts. Dior’s style became an instant hit when, for example, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn adopted it.

The back slit used by Dior is still a common solution in today’s narrow pencil skirts, which are seen in office fashion as well as, for example, in flight attendants’ uniforms.

Canadian University of Calgary Fashion Network tellsthat slits are an important detail in denim fashion as well. Moving around in jean skirts would be difficult without them because of the thick material.

See below for examples of split styles through the ages