10-16-2008
Poodle Skirts Are 50’s As Ever
What exactly is a poodle skirt costume? What does a poodle have to do with it? Is it a skirt worn while holding a poodle? When I asked my 11-year-old son if he knew what a poodle skirt is, he guessed, “A skirt worn by a poodle?” Then when I showed him a picture of one he said, “A poodle worn on a skirt!”
A poodle skirt is a skirt worn by girl teenagers in the 1950s that is a long skirt, usually one of solid color, and displays a sewn shape of a poodle near the bottom hem.
Poodle skirts were part of an entire hip hop outfit that included a belt, bobby socks, a button down short sleeve shirt with collar, the signature scarf, and those two-toned saddle shoes.
Think of what Olivia Newton-John and her girlfriends wore in the movie Grease. And don’t think of her character when she went “rebel”. No, that was when she wore black leather pants, if my memory is correct. Picture her character in the good girl role, with her ponytail and all. Do you remember what outfit she was in? Was it a pink poodle skirt she wore?
What material are poodle skirts made of? Are they made of cotton? Are they made of silk or polyester? Are they made of a thin fabric or a heavy fabric? Poodle skirts are made of heavy material. Poodle skirts today are usually made of 100% fine acrylic felt or non-woven quality felt. This gives it a nice weight, so that when you twirl in it, there’s enough inertia to give it the fun movement.
























