Skorts?? Eww. I mean, really? Those things from the seventies that looked like shorts in the back with a skirt flap in the front? You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me.

Yep, that pretty much summed up my thoughts when I was first aware of the fact that I would need to start considering skorts as a category when I was a merchandiser for Title Nine. It pained me to think that I had succumbed to buying something that I not only didn’t feel passionate about, but that I out and out despised. I equated it with pull-on polyester “travel” pants.

Then it happened. I wore a skort. In public. And loved it.

The first step into my spiral of skort wearing was realizing that skorts have come a long way from the stereotype that I had in my head. Skorts these days actually look like skirts – like CUTE skirts, but with a point and a purpose. No one should know you are wearing a skort until you need them to know that you are wearing a skort. Skorts are sneaky little tricksters like that. With my newfound love of skorts, I often find myself wondering why in the hell anyone would ever wear a skirt. In response to that, I have inadvertently upped my collection of athletic shorts to create DIY skorts out of my favorite skirts. I can feel my skirts giving me the stink eye from the depths of my closet, but I don’t care.

My first skort was the Title Nine solid Dream Skort. A simple black skort – a true skirt in disguise. Wearing it to work was not that big of a deal – people in the T9 office are much more liberal minded when it comes to this sort of thing. However, the first test was wearing it outside of the safety of the walls of T9. I took a baby step and wore it roller skating with one of my good friends. As I was sitting to put on my skates, the skirt portion flipped up to expose the (gasp) attached boy short. Below is a sampling of the conversation

“Are you wearing a SKORT?”
“Yep.” (insert smug face)
“YOU are wearing a SKORT.” (this was, in fact, said more as a statement than a question)
“Yep. Crazy right? I freakin’ love it.”
“Wow. I’m shocked, but it’s kinda’ cute. I would have never expected it.”

Unexpected AND cute – score! This upped my confidence and prompted me to wear a skort in a much more frightening arena – roller derby practice. This is NOT the place where you want anyone to question your bad ass-edness. This is NOT the place where you want to be heckled or make yourself a target (or more of a target that you already are by the nature of the sport). I was not only a newbie to this wicked sport, but I was a newbie wearing a skort in front of seasoned rollers. I hoped to leave practice in one piece, with all teeth in my head and all bones in alignment. I did.

The reveal came about at my own doing, which again, is what makes skorts fabulous. Someone on the league mentioned that my skirt was cute, to which I responded, “it’s a skort!” and proudly flipped up my skirt to show off the “ort” part of the garment. It was met with a “Wow!” but more of a “Wow!” of “that’s a pretty good idea!” It was followed with the “I didn’t know skorts were cute like that” type of response that I love. No one targeted me for additional pummeling. No one rolled their eyes and told me to sit out of the next drill. It was a pretty seamless, if not uneventful, reveal. From that point on, I have worn pretty much nothing but skorts as my bottom of choice to derby practice. It has become kind of my trademark with some of the girls, who ask in a joking, kind way “Are you wearing your skort today?” I now own approximately 5 skorts, and I am looking to grow this number.

The practicality of a skort is immeasurable, especially in a sport like derby, where falling is part of the game, and you are ass over teakettle in front of a lot of people on a regular basis. A skort gives you the mobility that you need to get a deep plow stop but the modesty you need to feel comfortable enough to fall doing it (trust me, I know about falling at derby practice…) Sure, I can just wear a super tight legging or hot short or Capri, and a lot of girls do, but I personally feel much more comfortable with a little covering over the hind quarters.

There is more function, however, than just keeping me covered during my spills and tumbles. After practice, if I want to, I can change my top and go out get a cocktail with the girls or meet my husband for an after practice food frenzy in the skort – throw on a pair of chucks, and you are cute as a (in my case, sweaty) button. How is that for practicality? I actually feel pretty damn proud of myself for being so after-practice ready in record time. Look at me, aren’t I just a smarty pants?

Yes, I have come around to and totally embrace the skort. I am no longer thinking “The seventies called, they want their horrible fashion back” when I hear the word skort. We have taken to calling them Skirts With Benefits, but no matter what you call them, I’m sold.

TOP 5 REASONS TO WEAR A SKORT

o Looks innocent, plays dirty
o Transitions from function to fashion in the blink of an eye
o Can’t be beat for ease of movement – movement in any direction
o Not everyone wants to display their “assets”
o Skorts today are not your mother’s skort!