Skirted footings are emerging as a promising shallow foundation solution for modern construction, as they provide substantial improvements in bearing capacity and deformation control without resorting to deep foundations. This makes them a practical and potentially cost-effective option for sites characterized by weak or variable ground conditions. The study highlights how vertical and inclined skirts enhance bearing capacity, reduce settlement and improve stability by confining the underlying soil and modifying the load transfer mechanism. Key design parameters affecting the performance of skirted footing are embedment depth, skirt stiffness, and skirt inclination. The load-carrying capacity is found to be increasing with the increase in skirt length, embedment depth and skirt stiffness. A major focus of this review is the emerging concept of inclined skirted foundations, which demonstrate enhanced performance compared to conventional vertical skirted footings. Their improved mechanical efficiency positions inclined skirted footings as a viable alternative to both traditional skirted foundations and deep foundations. Recent studies demonstrated the high efficiency of inclined skirted footings in loose soil conditions, with reported bearing capacity improvements of up to 300% as compared to the traditional vertical skirted footings.