A-line skirts - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

A-line skirts

Patience

Veteran

I am liking the BR a-line skirts right now because they fit to perfection. However, I feel like I would lose the benefit of the fit unless I tucked my top or found a really short top (I don't know where I'd find such a thing). The skirt hits at my natural waist and it seems that if this is covered, the skirt just looks wide and boring. What are the rules for wearing a skirt like this? Also, Angie always says a-line is better than pencil but I can't help feeling that if the skirt were straighter, I wouldn't have such a problem.

Dressing

27 replies

Latest reply was from Angie

Maya

Veteran

Are your shirts the right length? I have to wear my shirts slightly shorter with skirts than I would with pants. This helps show more of the skirt and keep it from looking like a weird trapezoid.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

A-line skirts are better for pretty pear shapes, Patience. If you are not pear shaped, feel free to wear a pencil skirt. It’s a little more restricting when you stride like an urbanite, but they look SO good.

Tops for skirts need to be shorter in length. Tops for pants look better longer (just above crotch point). I get away with wearing my longer tops with skirts by belting them with a waist cinching belt, or tucking them in. This does not always work though. Does that make sense?

Patience

Veteran

Maya, my current shirts are too long. This skirt sits high enough that I definitely wouldn't want anything hitting below the top of my hip bone, preferably shorter. Unfortunately, I'm short enough that this is still shorter than anything I've seen in stores recently. I haven't tried petites, but the problem there is that my shoulders are not petite.

Angie, I do feel like I would prefer a pencil skirt with a fairly high waist (I have a grey pinstripe one that's fantastic) for spring and summer. All of BRs skirts seem to be a-line this year. Any other suggestions of where to look?

Tanya

Veteran

Hi Patience,

The quality is not that great at this places, but I've seen a lot oh high waisted pencil skirts this season at Express ( bottom of http://expressfashion.com/prod.....038;ppp=17) and VS ( please check out the links for them I've posted in the other thread 'high waisted pencil skirt').

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Are you looking for a colurful pencil skirt, Patience? There are great suit-like pencil skirts at BR at the moment. Very pretty back vent detailing.

Tanya is right, The Express high-wasited pencils skirts fit well (if you're not a pretty pear ), and will do the trick for a season before they look shoddy.

Antje

Veteran

Express is a great recommendation. I love my pencil skirt that I bought at Express in fall, and I saw lots of fun styles there recently. The quality is fine for the price, I think, and they have a nice stretch to them. Express has a LOT of sales, so if you find something, you might want to look for coupons or chat with the sales reps.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Definitely check out the sale rack at Express.

I wasn't sure about the style on me, since I've never really worn pencil skirts before, so I just bought a darker denim pencil skirt there (not the ultra high waist, just natural waist) on sale for $23.99! I figure if it only lasts this season, or the style turns out to be wrong for me, it's not such a tragedy.

Becky

Veteran

Just to clarify in my mind ... a pencil skirt is tapered at the hem, right? So there is a "straight skirt" middle ground between a pencil skirt and an A-line skirt?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Straight and pencil are both the same, Becky. Some taper in and some don't. A-lines are styles that flare out further than straight. Hope that makes sense.

And you look fab in that Express animal print pencil skirt, Antje. Would look nice with yellow too. Yum!

Antje

Veteran

THanks Angie It's one of my all-time favorite pieces, and I'm glad you encouraged me to buy it! I thought of yellow, too...
Becky, the tapered kind could be more restrictive when buzzing around, except when it's stretchy. The Express skirts are pretty much straight, and with the stretch they're really super comfortable. I tend to walk fast in big strides and have never felt "held back" or restricted in the skirt.

Patience

Veteran

No luck at Express for me for skirts. I may try the BR suiting skirts. I was kind of hoping for white or navy or denim, but if it fits well, I'm not too picky about color.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

BR has an A Line denim skirt. I have it and I really like it. It's no longer on the website, but I think I saw the BR at the Domain still had some a few days ago when I was there.

Also, Ann Taylor has a nice denim skirt. The buttons and vertical seaming might make it more interesting than a plain skirt:

http://www.anntaylor.com/catal.....ory=Misses

Here's more of a straighter pencil skirt from J. Jill:

http://www.jjill.com/jjillonli.....&sk=M

Becky

Veteran

I'm surprised to find I am wearing pencil skirts! I have several straight skirts, but I didn't realize they were considered pencil. Even though I am a pear, I think they look good on me (at the right length, of course!).

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Perhaps you're not pear shaped then, Becky?

Tanya

Veteran

I have bought an A-line dark denim skirt from NY&CO (first and only item I have from them ) and it's surprisingly nice on. I think I posted it on some thread discussing denim A-line skirts a while ago, but it's not on the website anymore. It is still in stores and it's on sale for $30, so if anyone is looking for a such a skirt give it try.

Hmm, I also like the way pencil skirts look on me and I believe we concluded here I tend towards a pear too. At some point soon ( when I catch my BF in good enough mood to be willing to take tons of pictures)
I plan to post a lot of pics of me in various skirts so that you guys can help me pick my "knee length" since I do not seem to be capable to do that on my own

Chickey

(website)

I am very pear-shaped and I know that pencil skirts don't do it for me! (But to the pear shapes who can rock the pencil, more power to you!) I loooove A-lines, and have several in my closet, ranging from dressy to casual.

I haven't experienced the problem of looking like a trapezoid, but I usually wear my skirts with tees that hit a few inches below the waistband. I like it when the skirt sits a little lower than my natural waist as well...that might help too.

Target has some awesome A-lines right now, they're by Merona and look and feel very classy. They come in white, khaki and black, and are $20 online and in-store.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

No, Tanya, you're not pear shaped. I just had a look at your picture again. You are an hourglass which means that pencil skirts are fab.

Super that you are rocking your A-lines Chickey!

Becky

Veteran

Angie, if one goes by shoulder/hip measurements, I'd be an hourglass, but because my bust is non-existent, I guess that makes me a pear?? I don't think I fit neatly into either category.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Becky, do you wear the same size on top as you do on the bottom?

Becky

Veteran

That's a hard one. When going by general sizes (e.g., S, M, L) rather than numbered sizes, I usually do wear the same size on both top and bottom. With numbered sizes, sometimes I wear a smaller size on top. I recently picked up a size 0 top, but there's no way I'd fit into size 0 pants! I usually wear a S on top and a size 4-6 on bottom.

Becky

Veteran

Also, it just occurred to me to mention that the size 0 top was sleeveless, so fitting my shoulders was not an issue. If it had had sleeves, I'm sure the 0 would not have fit.

shiny

Veteran

I'm an hourglass and I prefer A-line skirts, provided they aren't too full, and hit at the knee. I think they balance me out better. I'm always thinking my hips are too narrow, so I like having the illusion of wider hips. Or it's simply that I grew up with a mother and older sister who were perfect pears, so the pear silouhette is stuck in my head as the "ideal" female shape!!

Pencil skirts ... I find really difficult to fit. If they are regular, then the vertical proportion is off. If they are petite, I still struggle, because my waist/hip proportion isn't under 0.7 ratio, and these skirts seem to demand that. I have a bit better luck, but often I think my body looks like a snake that swallowed a mouse in them!!

With that said, I did score a bright red, high-waisted cotton pencil skirt recently from H&M! It fits just right. It looks fab with my b&w striped shirt and a pair of pointy toe black pumps. I just wish I could find something just like it, in a better quality material, because this one is chintzy and it'll probably only last one season.

Eh... I should get my sewing machine out. I know how to sew, and skirts are the easiest thing in the world to sew. I just hate sewing.

Patience

Veteran

I actually bought a denim a-line skirt from boden with buttons down the front. It's really cute but it's more casual. I think I'll keep looking for a smarter pencil skirt. It sounds like we'd all love to see Angie discuss how to wear skirts on the blog. Is it just me or is there more tucking going on with skirts these days?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'll blog about this ladies.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Oh great! I have been wondering about some of the particulars of skirt wearing myself.

Julia

I bough a black pencil skirt a few years ago, it has the right length and fits well at my waist and hip, however it looked really bad on me so I thought that I wouldn't be able to wear a pencil skirt.

Since finding out that I'm an hourglass and a pencil skirt is supposed to fit well on an hourglass, I took it out and tried on again. I found the problem: the skirt is straight so the bottom looks flared out a little. I had it altered so the bottom is an inch narrower than the widest part and it hugs my hip and thighs nicely, alas, it fits like a dream! Now I have a new favorite skirt thanks to this thread.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

You've got your thinking cap on, Julia. Well done! You've discovered that a tapered pencil skirt works better for your body type. It happens to work better for mine too.