saia

Saia is a Portuguese noun meaning skirt, a garment worn around the waist and hanging down to cover part of the legs. It is used by speakers of Portuguese in Portugal, Brazil, and other Lusophone communities. The word covers a broad range of styles and lengths, from miniskirts to maxi skirts, and is made in a wide array of fabrics, including cotton, denim, wool, satin, and synthetic blends. Common modifiers include saia curta, saia midi, saia longa, saia plissada, and saia rodada, indicating short, mid-length, long, pleated, and flared designs respectively.

In fashion practice, saias are worn in casual, professional, and formal contexts, with design trends shifting by season and region. In Brazil and Portugal, as in many other countries, the saia is a versatile staple item and appears in traditional and contemporary outfits alike.

Etymology and related terms: The origin of the word is from the Romance-language tradition; the precise lineage is not definitively documented in concise summaries. The term is specific to Portuguese; cognates in other Romance languages use different words for the same garment.

See also: Skirt.