Michael Hamilton and Poodle Skirts Another name often associated with the poodle skirt is Michael Hamilton. Michael Hamilton takes credit for inventing poodle skirts in the early 1950's. Hamilton says she made poodle skirts in her neighbor's barn in Montecito, California near Santa Barbara.

Hamilton became known as "the Poodle Skirt Lady" as these skirts were very popular. Her original designs included imprints of circus horses, monkeys and pigs. These fun skirts became the symbol of the 1950's fashion.

Poodle skirts were made out of full circles of felt fabric. Designs were placed around the skirt for embellishment and to add personality. Many poodle skirts were made by the girls who wore them.

Decorations on poodle skirts reflected what teenagers of the time were interested in. Some designs included appliqués of 45 rpm records. Rock and roll music was popular, and these skirts made dancing to the music even more fun.

Circle skirts were worn by women of all ages during the 1950's. Poodle skirts, however, were seldom worn by any besides the teenagers. Poodle skirts have become what we typically associate with when we think of 1950's clothing styles.

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Where Did Poodle Skirts Come From? When you think of the 1950's, you automatically envision girls dancing around in poodle skirts. Circle skirts were very popular during the 1950's, but they actually got their start in the late 1940's. After WWII ended, skirts began to get fuller and longer.

In 1947, actress turned designer, Juli Lynne Charlot, designed some skirts for Christmas. These skirts were made from a complete circle of fabric and were decorated with felt appliqués of Christmas trees. They were soon sold out at the local store.

Her next project involved featuring dogs. One of the dog skirts she designed was with a poodle, and the rest is history. These poodle skirts were a huge success and were soon widely copied.

Circle skirts were easy to make, so many were made at home by the wearer. Major pattern companies carried skirts with a wide variety of designs, including the poodle, black records and decks of cards. Other embellishments were added as desired by the wearer.

These decorated skirts really caught on with the teenage crowd. Poodle skirts were a young, casual, trendy fashion of the time. Most embellishments reflect teen interests of that time period.

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Juli Lynne Charlot and the Poodle Skirt Juli Lynne Charlot was born Shirley Ann Agin.  She was an actress turned designer. In 1947 she designed a full circle skirt which she decorated with the appliqué of Christmas trees.

This skirt was so successful that she continued making other similar skirts with embroidered and appliquéd designs. Many credit her with the first design of the poodle skirt. The poodle skirt was a big hit with the teenage crowd during the 1950�s, and has become a symbol of that era.

Poodle skirts were made from wool felt that was cut out in the shape of a big circle. A hole was cut in the center, and a waistband was added to secure it to the waist. Many of these skirts carried an appliqué of a poodle, along with other embroidery work.

Besides creating poodle skirts, she also decorated marvelous sweaters.  Sometimes she made matching sweater and skirt sets. The juli lynne charlot label also included some matching accessories to go with the outfit.

Today, when we think of 1950�s clothing, the image that most often pops into our mind is the poodle skirt. Poodle skirts were fun to wear and fun to dance in. They were widely worn by all the girls at that time.

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Why Are They called Poodle Skirts? Circle skirts first appeared in Harper�s Bazaar in 1949. These skirts got their name from the way they are made � they are literally a large circle of fabric with a hole cut out for the waist. Less expensive skirts were made using two pieces of fabric sewn together with two seams.

These circle skirts were made from many types of fabrics and often were quilted, hand-painted, embroidered or appliquéd. The circle skirt most often associated with the 1950�s is the poodle skirt. Poodle skirts were usually made from wool felt and were decorated with appliqués, embroidery, beading and/or spangles.

These first felt poodle skirts were appliquéd with poodles, hence their name. Later on, they were decorated with many other designs such as Cray fish or artist�s palettes. Teenagers especially liked poodle skirts with lavish appliqués, sequins and other decorations, and wore them to school as well as to parties.

Women in the 50�s always wore dresses or skirts. Most wore circle skirts that were plain. Circle skirts were sold in inexpensive clothing stores as well as in the high end stores. During the day, most women wore plain circle skirts.

Poodle skirts never caught on with the adult crowd, but were worn extensively by teenagers. Felt was inexpensive and easy to sew. Girls could have fun with the appliqués, adding a silvery telephone or black record surrounded by the words �See ya later, alligator.�

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