What exactly makes a slip skirt a slip skirt? In fact, the answer lies in its original purpose: this thing was created as an underlayer, worn under clothes. The lightweight fabric separated underwear from clothes, smoothed lines, reduced transparency and prevented complex materials from “clinging” to the body. Today, after numerous rethinkings by designers and the mass market, the slip skirt has become the easiest way to integrate underwear style into your everyday wardrobe. And famous fashionistas are very happy about this, who actively wear one of the most fashionable skirts of the year both in everyday life and for special occasions.
XNY/Star Max
Advertising.
Last summer, the lace-trimmed slip skirt became a quiet but sure hit, with brands like The Row, Prada, and Dries Van Noten emphasizing a romantic, delicate aesthetic—proving that even lingerie-inspired pieces have long since moved beyond the confines of the intimate wardrobe.
However, today's It-girls are eschewing boudoir embellishments—lace, ruffles, and frills—in favor of a more restrained, refined silhouette in the spirit of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Zoe Kravitz, Hailey Bieber, and Kendall Jenner are bringing the slip skirt back to the center of their spring wardrobes, reimagining it through the prism of 1990s minimalism. To understand its relevance today, it's worth looking back at that decade.
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in 1997. Ron Galella/Getty Images
In a sign of rebellion against excess, in the 1990s, slip skirts were worn as casually as possible: low-cut, without unnecessary details, paired with basics – knitted vests, simple T-shirts or barely noticeable tops. This is how they are still styled today. Kate Moss made the look synonymous with affordable luxury, while Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy elevated it to the level of evening elegance. Brands of the era – including Calvin Klein and Jil Sander – established the cult of clean lines and oblique cuts, which still define the character of this item today.
Kate Moss in 1995. Photo: Tom Wargacki
Made of “liquid” silk, matte satin or even translucent fabrics, the slip skirt has become a basic wardrobe element around which the spring look is built. It easily adapts to different scenarios: in combination with a shirt or jacket it works as part of the office wardrobe, with everyday things it creates a relaxed, “careless” mood, and in the evening, thanks to the play of textures and proportions, it acquires the same restrained sensuality that Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy once personified. It is these stylistic formulas that are actively rethinking new style icons today – and it is they that should be taken as the basis for your own looks.
Slip skirt + flip-flops
Kendall Jenner. TheStewartofNY
Slip skirt + cardigan
Slip skirt + sports long sleeve
Zoe Kravitz. XNY/Star Max
Slip skirt + boots
Kaya Gerber. Patricia Schlein/Star Max
Slip skirt + bandeau top
Michael Herrold. Elisabetta A. Villa/Getty Images
Based on materials from vogue.co.uk