Ornate Skirts Are About to Become Winter’s Most Important Buy

As party season approaches, I’m ready to hedge a bet on what the most elegant, on-trend dressers will be swanning through soirées in: ornate skirts.

With plenty of encouragement from Prada, we’re well and truly living through the season of the skirt. By now, the elegant staple has earned a permanent place in the wardrobes of the chicest dressers. But as we move into a new season, there’s still plenty of room for fresh iterations to come to the fore. And right now, the most compelling way to wear the trend is in its most decorative form.

Think designs swathed in floral detailing, crafted from lustrous satin and silk, embellished with intricate beading or finished with playful tassels. There’s no hard-and-fast rule for what qualifies as an ornate skirt; instead, I like to think of them as pieces that bring an element of elegance, whimsy and occasion to an outfit.

Riffing off the ornate jacket and opera coat trends we’ve seen gaining traction, these skirts champion sophistication alongside statement dressing, which makes me sure that they’ll become a party-season sell-out.

There’s no shortage of options to choose from, either. Zara is already home to a plethora of compelling iterations, whilst Prada, Ulla Johnson and La DoubleJ are also putting their own spin on the trend.