Tree skirts are playing a more prominent role in holiday décor. Today’s tree skirts still perform their original task — concealing tree-stand hardware — but they have also become a focus of design interest. Consumers are looking for skirts that contribute to their tree presentation, complement their home décor and provide an heirloom to be passed down to their children and grandchildren.

Suppliers say shoppers are choosing tree skirts more carefully, and they are trading up to more expensive materials such as velvet and silk, which have become popular options for top-of-the line skirts. Consumers are also choosing larger skirts — they don’t want their dramatic and pricey new tree skirts to be hidden under a mountain of wrapped packages. The popularity of taller trees has also contributed to this trend; larger trees require larger-scale items in all tree-décor categories to achieve an attractive visual balance.

Elizabeth Closs, designer, The Sandor Collection, reports that while 48 inches is considered the standard diameter size for tree skirts, her company is seeing increased sales of 60-inch skirts. Kay Hughes, marketing director, Gallerie II/C & F Enterprises, Inc., also reports strong interest in larger sizes — up to 72 inches. Twenty-four-inch styles, which are geared to table trees, are also popular currently, says Hughes.

Although shoppers have become more adventurous in terms of tree-skirt colors in recent years, classic hues seem to be in favor for 2008. Red and burgundy styles led sales for Arcadia Home at the Atlanta show, says company president Dawn Kikel, and red and green styles are sales leaders at Gallerie II/C & F Enterprises, Inc. Closs of The Sandor Collection notes that white-on-white skirts are also popular. In the past, says Closs, shoppers stayed away from white because they were afraid of dirt and stains. Now, she notes, they seem willing to accept the possibility of dry-cleaning bills in exchange for the understated elegance of white-on-white design styles.