The banana skirt

The Banana Skirt

It was a hit of the 1970s – a skirt made of swathes of fabric that split at the bottom like a banana peel. Singer Maryla Rodowicz had her own version made using a fabric designed by the famous graphic designer Rafał Olbiński, although hers was actually a dress. It was this dress that she wore when singing her hit song Małgośka. Banana skirts were a hippie must-have. Shoppers could find them in government-run clothing shops or have one made by a tailor. Many women created their own one-of-a-kind banana skirts in the comfort of their own homes, sometimes even crocheting them. The banana skirt in the photograph was made out of polyester by a seamstress named Anna, who lived in a village in south-central Poland.