As they emerge from lockdown, women have left leggings and tracksuits in the closet in favour of more sophisticated fashions. Right now, it is all about a hybrid kind of fashion, where comfort meets elegance, which seems to suit these freer but still uncertain times.

As a result, the skort is shaping up to be one of the star pieces of the season. It may be a strange word, but the concept is actually quite simple – shorts, with a skirt-like fabric covering it.

Anyone born in the 1980s and 90s will understand. As for everyone else, they will soon discover the practicality of this hybrid piece, which is both trendy and ultra-comfortable, and most often found on the tennis court.

In fact, the skirts worn by amateur and professional players are none other than skorts, even if on-court fashion has evolved in recent years.

The global search platform Stylight reveals that searches for “skort” have increased by 62% on Google Trends since the beginning of May. And the product category for tennis skirts with integrated shorts jumped 219% between May and last month across all of Stylight’s international platforms.

Note, too, that Halara, a specialist activewear brand that sells a range of dresses and skirts with integrated shorts, is proving particularly popular. According to Google Trends, searches for the brand are up 300% since the beginning of May.

All in all, this summer is shaping up to have a decidedly sporty – or skorty – vibe.