Daisy Dukes
Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
Daisy Dukes are extremely short, form-fitting, denim cut-off shorts worn particularly in the American South. They were named after the character of Daisy Duke, portrayed by actress Catherine Bach in the early 1980s American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. Her appearances on the television show created a nationwide craze in the United States: young women clamored for the shorts, and even after twenty years they are still associated with, and referred to by the name of, the character. This page explains the cut-off construction behind the style — full-length jeans cut down, with the raw hem and sometimes the pocket linings showing — and its place among denim shorts.
"Daisy Dukes" are extremely short, form-fitting, denim cut-off shorts worn by young women, particularly in the American South. They were so named after the character of Daisy Duke (portrayed by actress Catherine Bach) in the early 1980's American television series, The Dukes of Hazzard.
The appearances on the television show created a nationwide craze in the United States. Young women clamored for the risqu shorts, and even after twenty years they are still associated with, and referred to by the name of, the character of Daisy Duke.
Learn more about denim jean shorts in our fashion influence section.
Shorts|
|
Clothing & Fashion Industry Definitions
Cut-Offs and Denim Shorts
The Daisy Duke is the extreme end of a practical tradition. Cutting worn jeans into shorts is as old as denim workwear itself — a way to get another season out of trousers whose knees had gone — and each era's shorts length follows its fashion: longer Bermuda and walking shorts in conservative periods, shorter cut-offs when shorter hemlines rule. What the television character fixed in the language was the name for the shortest, most form-fitting version, worn as a deliberate style rather than as a salvage job.
Construction details separate the style from ordinary denim shorts. The inseam is minimal, the fit close through the hip, and the hem is the cut edge of the original jeans leg, which is why authentic cut-offs fray with washing and wear — a finish manufacturers now reproduce deliberately. As a named term, Daisy Dukes show how popular culture supplies fashion vocabulary: a character's costume, seen weekly by millions, named a garment more permanently than any trade term could have done.
Common Questions
What are Daisy Dukes?
Daisy Dukes are extremely short, form-fitting denim cut-off shorts. They are made in the cut-off tradition — jeans or denim shorts cut to a very short length — and are particularly associated with the American South.
Who were Daisy Dukes named after?
They were named after Daisy Duke, the character played by Catherine Bach in the early 1980s American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. The character's shorts created a nationwide craze in the United States, and the name has stayed attached to the style ever since.
How are Daisy Dukes made?
Traditionally, by cutting off a pair of jeans: the legs are cut very short, the raw edge is left to fray or is turned up, and on the shortest cuts the front pocket linings may show below the hem. Ready-made versions copy that cut-off look in finished denim shorts.