Skorts are back, thanks to Zendaya and Taylor Swift — and even men are embracing them: ‘It took off’

Who wears short skorts?

The skort is a literal portmanteau of “skirt” and “short” that saw its heyday in the mid-1990s, worn predominantly by young girls or tennis players.

Now, the skort is having a renaissance, and everyone — including the fellas — is serving their best looks while wearing the garment.

The traditionally feminine piece of clothing appeared all over the Fall 2024 men’s runways, with high-end menswear designers such as Comme des Garçons, Fendi and Louis Vuitton showing off skirted trousers in their collections.

“I think skorts have lost their radical meaning on the runway,” industry analyst Alexandra Hildreth told Hypebeast. “What used to be a statement about subverting gender norms has actually become just that: the norm, even if the IRL application of men in skorts still hasn’t permeated past the chronically online and fashionable few.”

The concept of men in skirts has actually played a historical role in menswear. Men wore “shendyts” in the Old Kingdom of Egypt; men wrapped themselves in garments such as togas and chitons in ancient Greece and Rome; Japanese men wore kimonos; Korean men wore the hanbok; the kilt was a staple in Scotland and so on.

In the present-day, skorts are on their way to becoming a fashion staple for both men and women.

The “Tenniscore” trend started to make its way into mainstream toward the end of last year as everyone had their eyes on the US Open and Wimbledon — and because it overlaps with some of the internet’s other fixations, such as quiet luxury and old money.

But pop culture has really brought the skort to the forefront, with Google search interest at an all-time high over the past 20 years — and Zendaya and Taylor Swift might be the ones to thank for our lack of chafed thighs.

The April 2024 movie “Challengers” might have had a big influence on the skort resurgence. While promoting the movie, method dressing had a huge impact on Zendaya’s wardrobe. The 27-year-old actress was sporting skorts on and of the court — or, screen, rather.

Taylor Swift is another “it girl” who has fully embraced the skort trend. She’s been seen wearing the garment on a lunch date with boyfriend Tracis Kelce, in a YouTube Short posted in celebration of her”The Tortured Poets Department” album release, and most notably, at Coachella.

On top of the influence of some of the world’s biggest stars, skorts are just plain comfortable.

“Skorts became so popular because people were like, ‘We want them. They’re comfortable, they’re easy to wear,” Deirdre Clemente, a fashion historian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, explained to Vox.

“The thing about skorts is that they meet the needs of the women wearing them,” Clemente added. “As long as something is comfortable, practical, and easy to wash — these are the tenants of the American wardrobe.”