Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
A wrap skirt is a skirt constructed from a single shaped panel that wraps around the waist, the front edge overlapping the back, and is secured by ties, buttons or a buckle rather than a fixed waistband and zip. This page defines the wrap skirt, distinguishes the true wrap from the sewn faux wrap, and places it in the world family of wrapped waist garments that includes the sarong.
A wrap skirt is a skirt made by wrapping: a flat, shaped piece of fabric passes around the body, overlaps at the front or side, and fastens at the waist. Because the closure is the overlap itself, the skirt opens out flat when untied, and its fit is adjustable across a range of waist sizes. Ties are the commonest fastening, sometimes with an inside button or hook to anchor the under-layer before the outer panel is tied over it.
A true wrap skirt depends entirely on its fastening. A faux wrap skirt imitates the diagonal wrapped front but is sewn shut and closes with a zip, hook or elastic like an ordinary skirt. The two are easy to tell apart: check whether the front panel can actually be unwrapped. True wraps are standard for beach cover-ups, dance skirts and casual summer wear; faux wraps are used where the wrap look is wanted with the security of a fixed garment, such as office clothing. The related wrap dress applies the same closure to a whole dress.
The wrap skirt belongs to the oldest and most widespread family of garments: wrapped cloth held at the waist. Its relatives include the sarong of Southeast Asia, the Pacific pareo, and the overlapping front aprons of the kilt. What distinguishes the wrap skirt from the sarong is finish: the wrap skirt is cut to a skirt's shape — narrower at the waist, wider at the hem, with the curve built into the panel — and is hemmed, faced and sometimes lined, where the sarong is an unshaped rectangle tied as it is.
The working measure of a wrap skirt is its overlap: the distance the outer panel crosses past the body's centre front. An overlap of a third of the waist measurement or more keeps the skirt closed while walking and sitting; less than that gapes. Makers manage this with a small button or slot at the side seam through which one tie passes, fixing the under-layer independently. In wind, a wrap skirt worn with the overlap against the prevailing side is the traditional answer — the construction that makes the skirt adjustable is the same one that makes its security the wearer's business. The product treatment is in the Fashion Influence guide to wrap skirts.
A skirt made from a shaped panel of fabric that wraps around the body and fastens at the waist, usually with ties, so the garment opens flat and adjusts to fit.
A skirt sewn closed with a conventional fastening that imitates the diagonal front of a wrap skirt without actually unwrapping.
Both are cloth wrapped and tied at the waist. The sarong is an unshaped rectangle; the wrap skirt is cut to shape, hemmed and finished as a garment.