Goth Skirts

Goth Skirts, Short and Long

A skirt is the fastest way to make an outfit read goth without owning much else. Boots and tights do half the work, and the skirt decides whether you land witchy, romantic or punk about it.

Midnight Hour's range covers the short end and the long end rather than specializing in one. Minis and skorts for the nights you'll be standing, midis and maxis for everything from a Sunday to a funeral you weren't invited to.

Everything is black or built on black, in fabrics that behave differently from each other: tulle, chiffon, burnout mesh, swiss dot, cotton twill. The silhouette does more than the print does, which is the opposite of how most of the catalog works.

The grid serves witchy, romantic goth, casual goth and punk goth wardrobes, and it crosses into emo and grunge without any adjustment.

Minis, Skorts and the Short End

The Nocturnal Garden Skater Skirt is the flared mini, with a gray and purple gothic print and a lace hem. It's the one that works with everything already in your closet.

Three skorts cover the short lengths you can move in. The Decayed Forest Skort runs a botanical print, the Black Mini Skort is the plain one, and the Bewitched Shorts sit somewhere between the two.

Skorts are underrated for anyone who goes to shows. You get the line of a goth mini skirt and none of the calculation about how you sit down or what the pit does to you.

Midi, Maxi and the Long End

The Victorian Tulle Skirt is the statement piece, a voluminous layered black tulle skirt that takes up the room it's in. Nothing else here competes with it for drama.

For a black maxi skirt with more movement than volume, the Mesh Godet Maxi Skirt uses godet panels to flare from the knee, and the Fern Peasant Skirt goes tiered in burnout mesh for the witchy version of the same length.

At midi, the Folklore Midi Skirt and the Scorned Bats Midi Skirt are the print options, while the Swiss Dot Godet Skirt does texture instead. The Dark Ballerina Skirt is chiffon and moves like it.

Pinafores and Jumpers

Four pieces here are pinafores rather than skirts, which means they come with the bodice attached and need a shirt underneath rather than over.

The Witching Hour Pinafore, the Lichen Pinafore, the Black Pinafore Jumper and the Oxblood Plaid Jumper all work that way. The plaid is the closest thing in the grid to a punk skirt. They also live in the dresses collection, where the full range sits.

How to Style a Goth Skirt

The formula that never fails: a skirt, tights or fishnets, and boots. Change one of the three and the whole outfit changes register.

Short lengths want something structured on top, a fitted tee or a bodysuit, so the proportion doesn't collapse. Long lengths want the opposite, something cropped or tucked, because a maxi skirt with a long top turns into a column.

Sheer skirts go over a slip or shorts, and the mesh ones read better with a solid layer underneath than with bare leg. Finish with goth jewelry and a cardigan once it gets cold. Our fall layering guide has more outfit formulas.

Goth Skirts FAQ

What Makes a Skirt Goth?

Black, usually, but the fabric and silhouette matter more than the color. Tulle, burnout mesh, chiffon and lace in a Victorian or ballerina shape read goth. So does a plain black mini worn with fishnets and boots. The styling does as much of it as the garment.

How Do You Style a Goth Maxi Skirt?

Keep the top short or fitted so the skirt is the whole silhouette, and give it boots with some height. A maxi skirt with a long loose top reads as one shapeless column, which is the most common way the outfit goes wrong.

What's the Difference Between a Skort and a Skirt?

A skort has shorts built into it under the skirt panel, so it looks like a mini from the front and behaves like shorts when you move. It's the practical choice for shows, travel and anywhere you'd rather not think about it.

What Do You Wear Under a Mesh or Sheer Skirt?

A slip, bike shorts, or opaque tights depending on how sheer you want the result. Our sheer skirts are designed to be layered rather than worn alone, and the product page says which ones are lined.

If You Only Buy One

Go midi. It's the length that works at a desk, at a show and at dinner with people who don't dress like you, and it's the one you'll reach for without thinking.

If you want the piece that makes someone ask where you got it, that's the Victorian Tulle Skirt, and you'll wear it a tenth as often. Both are correct purchases for different reasons.