The contemporary gathered skirt is historically traceable to the Alpine Dirndl (Fig.1), which originated as a functional garment for peasant women and domestic workers in Austria and Bavaria. Prior to the late 1800s, full dresses were the standard attire for most women. The gathered skirt evolved from the use of petticoats—underskirts gathered at the waist to augment the volume of dresses—which were subsequently adapted as outerwear as fashion modernized. The transition to the gathered skirt as a distinct standalone garment coincided with women adopting separates to enhance mobility. Introduced in the 1890s, the Dirndl was a shorter, gathered walking skirt, intentionally designed to remain six inches above the ground to prevent saturation from mud and water.

The introduction of above the knee skirts was a gradual process. British designer Mary Quant (Fig. 2) is frequently recognized for the creation of the miniskirt, directly influenced by London street and school girl fashion. Quant's most distinctive designs were made out of a type of wool jersey borrowed from sportswear. Quant's original specification for a mini mandated that the skirt's lower edge should intersect the mid-thigh, extending no more than four inches below the buttocks—a length now considered a modest mini.

Tennis culture has always favored the skirt for its freedom of movement, starting with floor length garden skirts in the 1800s to the early 1900’s. In the 1920s French star Suzanne Lenglen (Fig. 3) pioneered shorter, pleated knee-length skirts. Two decades later, Gussie Moran (Fig. 4) shocked audiences at Wimbledon in 1949 by wearing a skirt short enough to reveal lace-trimmed underwear. By 1955, glamorous Italian tennis star Lea Pericoli (Fig. 5) followed and tennis’ traditional fashion etiquette was bent. Her style on the court was often featured in the press, where Percioli embraced short skirts and dresses, even if that meant showing more than she planned on.