Ditch The Denim & Switch Up Your Summer Look With These Skirts

There tends to be a focus on dresses come summertime and with this season's offering (patchwork, polka dot, slip and wrap, to name just a few), we understand why. Yet warm-weather wardrobes needn't be restricted to one piece of clothing – no matter how versatile – which is why we're zoning in on the skirt.

Often labelled as either dowdy or flirty, the skirt gets a bad rep. It's been making waves since the '50s, when below-the-knee circle skirts were worn by wholesome girl-next-door types à la Sandy in Grease. The Swinging Sixties brought rebellion to Carnaby Street in the form of the daring mini, which sat seven inches above the knee and signalled the changing attitudes of that decade's youth. A-line skirts ushered in the '70s, with fabrics like cord and suede becoming synonymous with bookish women like Love Story's Ali MacGraw, while the '80s brought more questionable shapes – think Bananarama in ra-ra and puffball skirts (these made an unfortunate return in the early noughties, paired with giant belts...).

And now? Well, the skirt sits nicely in any wardrobe, thanks to the variety displayed on SS17's catwalks. The midi has been freed from its librarian shackles, while the mini no longer hints at teens climbing out of bedroom windows with a bottle of their parents' rum. Prada gave black satin skirts a utility update with belts and bumbags, Tory Burch proved the skirt could take centre stage with a dose of embroidery, and Altuzarra's frilled, fruity offerings made us long for a summer on Copacabana beach. Ashish paired political slogan T-shirts with full, layered ankle-grazers, while Toga, Topshop Unique and Osman showed us just how powerful a skirt-and-shirt pairing can be.

We're wearing ours with band tees, poplin shirts and boxy jackets, and pairing minis with flats and midis with heels for proportion play. There is no one style out there right now: fabrics range from patent to patchwork denim; there are pleats, ruffles, and waterfall hems, plus metallics, florals and gingham galore.

It's time to welcome back the skirt: click through to see our favourite minis and midis.