In Defense of the Big Skirt

If the past few years have been all about the monumental dress, let the next era be all about the big skirt.

Some of the most powerful designers of all time have obsessed over big, hulking, provocative skirts. Namely, Miuccia Prada, Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo; all of whom integrated the silhouette into their house codes for decades, but also frequently and fearlessly wear it themselves. “I found out for me, the skirt is like a t-shirt,” Mrs. Prada once recounted. “I want to have my ideas put there because after, you can dress very easily with a sweater or a shirt, and it’s easy to wear, it can be eccentric, but it doesn’t change so much yourself.”

Wearing a big, bold skirt that takes up space and makes a statement feels like a clear form of rebellion in 2026. It’s ultra-feminine without compromising or bending to the norm. You will knock down cups, plates and salt shakers in a restaurant. The edges and hemline of your skirt may brush against the casual passerby on a city street. You will subversively absorb more than one seat on the subway. In a world dominated by sweatpants, leggings and jeans, the big skirt has a rare feel of formality and non-conformity all at once.

We love the big skirt as a case for impracticality, too. In the Victorian era, the critic of capitalism and founder of conspicuous consumption, Thorstein Veblen, condemned skirts as being impractical, writing that the skirt, “hampers the wearer at every turn and incapacitates her for all useful exertion,” in the chapter “Dress as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture,” in his book, The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899). But today, one could argue, why don’t we all deserve a little bit of so-called leisure in our wardrobes?

Few garments have provoked as much argument, anxiety, and legislation as the skirt throughout history. Interestingly, Christian Dior’s infamous 1947 New Look silhouette, with its nipped waist, refined silhouette and most of all, its fuller skirt, could be read as a rejection of austerity and a strong message of possibility and personality after years spent dressing under wartime restrictions, even with its heavily body-con, corset-driven details. And of course, we all know the liberating power of the mini skirt. Even in recent years, it drums up conversations, celebrity obsessions and viral moments, by way of Miu Miu’s hyper micro mini. And yet to us, in 2026, the big, full, bulky skirt is what feels most rebellious of all.

The oversized skirt silhouette moves in cycles. Bottega Veneta, Chanel and Balenciaga all touted voluminous skirts on the spring 2026 runways too, maximizing over-the-top shapes with hyper-specific details in a world of wonderful hues like kelly green, ombre charcoal and scarlet red. But the focus of the skirts we love so much right now is decadence: overtly pink, rife with ruffles, or embellished with unexpected mirrors, beadwork, sequins, pleats or bows. Which one would you wear?

Here, the best big, bold skirts to shop now. Keep in mind lots of these will probably go on sale in the next month or so, so keep your favorites bookmarked.