Help me choose my knee length for skirts! - YouLookFab Forum

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Help me choose my knee length for skirts!

Tanya

Veteran

First I'd like to warn you all that this is a very long post with a tons a pictures.

Inspired by Angie and the rest of you, I'm trying to figure out my best knee length for skirts, since the warm season is coming. I have taken a bunch of photos and grouped them by skirt shape: pencil, A-line and full, since a lot of you mentioned that the length could be skirt shape dependent. Within each group I'll try to order them from shortest to longest. In each pic I'm wearing the same white tank and my favorite nude peep-toe wedges. Please excuse the wrinkles in lot of skirts and my pasty skin, it's probably time for me to start using my Dove Energy Glow gradual tanning lotion. As you'll see, I have skinny and shapeless calves and ankles, and significantly bigger knees.

Pencil skirts:
1. super-tight ( going out only) black cotton sateen http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2726.jpg
2. brown cotton twill
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2727.jpg
3. dark denim
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2728.jpg
4. high waisted black cotton twill
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2729.jpg
5. tan stretch cotton
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2729.jpg

A-line skirts:
1. flower-print cotton sateen
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2731.jpg
2. watercolor flower print cotton pique
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2732.jpg
3. hot pink rayon jersey
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2733.jpg
4. dark denim
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2734.jpg

Full-skirts:
1. light brown cotton
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2735.jpg
2. blue ombree cotton sateen
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2736.jpg
3. high-waisted military green shiny thin cotton
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2737.jpg
4. zebra-print (charcoal/beige) cotton
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2738.jpg
5. flower print (cobalt/white and a bit of black) thin cotton
http://i300.photobucket.com/al.....CN2739.jpg

I am pretty certain the the last two full ones are too long. Please feel free to add any additional comments other than length, such which skirts are unflattering etc.
Thanks a lot!!!

Dressing

27 replies

Latest reply was from Tanya

Tanya

Veteran

Btw, I've erroneously switched descriptions for pencil skirts 2&3 and 4&5.

Greg, thank you very much for fixing the posting problem and letting me know the cause. I am sorry I caused problems.
For future reference, what's the max number of links I should not exceed in order to not trigger the system?

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Tanya, as far as pencil skirts, I find myself drawn to the lengths that are right below your knees, like the brown twill and dark denim pencil skirts. I feel like this is a universally flattering length for pencil skirts, because of their shape. While I definitely think you have the body to pull off the one that comes to above the knee, it's very va-va-voom.

I also like the right below the knee lengths in your other photos, like the blue ombre skirt. You seem like you have very long legs or are tall, is this true? I agree with you on the length of the full skirts--the high waisted miltary skirt, zebra print, and flower print full skirts all seem too long. You may want to get those hemmed to (in my opinion) right below your knees.

Hope this helps. Maybe some others will have different opinions.

Maya

Veteran

Tanya, you have a very enviable body shape! Out of the pencil skirt group, I'm in agreement with Ana. The first one is making your hips look fuller to me and is too short. I think the ones just below are the most flattering. They seem to fall from your hips without tapering too much.

I think the A-lines are pretty successful, esp. the denim one.

The first full one seems a bit short to me. Full short skirts look like children's wear on an adult body to me. I agree with Ana about the ones she mentioned in that category.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I like to pair fuller skirts with a more structured piece, like a jacket or a tailored shirt to balance out the full, flirtiness of the skirt.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Wow. You have been busy Tanya. Super pictures. Below is my 2 cents worth:

1. Pencils skirts: just below the knee. Makes your legs look super long and balances out your longer torso. Don’t go above the knee. This shortens your leg line.
2. A-line skirts: on the knee or just below the knee. Both look great. LOVE the tulip denim skirt.
3. Full skirts: below the knee. Definitely. Love the military green skirt. It’s fun but not juvenile.

You have a rocking hot bod! Now the question is whether you have the right tops to go with these skirts.

Antje

Veteran

Hey Tanya, this is so cool that you're posting all these photos. I bet it's helpful to you, but it's also helpful to the rest of us!
Agree with what's been said before. I find the first pencil skirt and the first A line skirt too short. Love the lenght of the 3rd A line skirt. You can wear all of these skirt styles VERY well. Enjoy!

Tanya

Veteran

First, I'd like to thank you all for the compliments, I truly appreciate them, especially since I'm very insecure about my hips.
I also do not like the first pencil much, but my BF likes it a lot so I wear it for him on some date nights. As for the first full skirt, it is a bit short, but since it has elastic waist I pull it down the hips a bit. And I'll certainly bring those too long full ones to the tailor.
Ana, I am actually average height, 5'6" and have long torso and pretty short legs (30.5'' inseam for flats). So it must be those nude 2'' wedges that help with the leg length! So just below the knee it is for me in the future!

Now to the tops, that was to be my next question, but I did not want to overwhelm you with to many of them in the beginning. I am generally OK figuring out the right shapes of the tops and the colors with solid skirts. But I would appreciate your input on colors to wear with printed skirts, particularly full ones 2,3,5 ( other than white/cream). Thanks a bunch!

Antje

Veteran

The 5th full one would look great with yellow. I'd also try fuchsia (I'm quite partial to fuchsia, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea), red, and maybe some aqua (but then you definitely need accessories in some red or yellow or a green, so it's not too blue overall). I bet some shade of green will work, too.

The military green one might look good with some lighter reds (coral maybe?).

The blue in the 2nd full one is hard for me to figure out from the photo...

One way to find out what works well is to take the skirt shopping with you, and go to a place that has items in tons of colors, e.g. camis and tees at Express right now. Not that I'm suggesting you wear a plain cami with the skirt, but it gives you a great chance to just try a whole bunch of different colors. Once you identify the colors you like/dislike, you can do more targeted shopping for your tops.

Maya

Veteran

Wow I'm starting to feel like a freak with my ridiculously long "petite" inseam.

Tanya, for reasons I won't get into, I will rarely base what I wear on a man's opinion, even if he's my boyfriend, unless he himself has an impeccable sense of style...and even then that doesn't always translate into him knowing what styles work best for me. Don't know what your bf is like but I would not wear something that I know is not flattering on me just to please him (I'm not making him out to be a monster if it's coming off that way). I'm sure he thinks you look great in all of those skirts, and there's probably something in there you both like and that you feel comfortable in.

You do not have any problems with your hips as far as I'm concerned. I think you look great. Wear what looks good on you! Otherwise you should convince him to wear something he doesn't like that you do and you'll be even

Tanya

Veteran

Hi Maya, I think I could guess what you're talking about, but this is not the case here. My BF is one of the nicest people ever and he just happens to like the hip-emphasizing stuff while I feel a bit self-conscious in it. So yep, 99.99 % of the time I wear what I want/feel good in. For some occasions tough, I'll put on things like that that I know he'll like a lot, even tough it's a bit va-va-voom , to quote Ana, for my own taste. But I chose to wear them on my own with that purpose He would never actually ask/make me do so. If anything, I'm the one here forcing him to take tons of pictures
I think you're very sweet tough and totally appreciate your opinion. It feels very protective, thank you a lot!

Maya

Veteran

Ha, I didn't mean to make it sound like your boyfriend is a domineering oaf of a man who makes you prance around in short skirts for his pleasure! He must be a nice guy to take all those pictures of you. I just resort to silly in-the-mirror shots.

I think most men like hip-emphasizing stuff. I have read a dozen studies showing that men like curvier hips. But I also read about lots of other things men like, and I have concluded that I just can't trust their opinions!

Tanya

Veteran

Maya don't worry I know you did not mean anything like that.
I generally do not trust their opinions either, I just let him have his way on this particular thing twice a year and the rest of time on all sorts of other things I can have it my way Now I sound a bit mean and calculated And we're quite off the topic too...

Well, I hope I'll get some more input on colors of tops to wear with those print skirts.

shiny

Veteran

Men like hip-emphasizing stuff because it makes the waist look tiny in proportion. I saw this PBS special once, where they did research about this - and universally, men were most attracted to women with proportionately slim waists. So if you have hips, your waist appears proportionately smaller.

(Meanwhile women were universally attracted to men who were over 6 feet tall and dressed in snappy professional clothing... but I digress!!)

I think you look best in skirts that are at the knee or just below. But, I also suspect the shorter skirts might work just fine if you wore flats instead of heels. For me, it's not about your hip size (which are tiny!) so much as it is about the proportion between your hip to knee, and knee to floor ... and also compared to your torso length.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Tanya, my husband sometimes likes me to wear skimpy stuff as well. I'll throw him a bone every once in a while, too, so I totally understand where you're coming from. It's fair since he puts up with all my stuff (and spending money on clothes!).

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

This thread is becoming more and more interesting.

I’ve been into this type of ”research” for a long time. I’m a Psychology major first, remember! The point that comes through again and again is that men are a lot less critical of women’s bodies than women are. Men aren’t into skin and bone. Women are. This is a sweeping generalization, but I believe that there is an element of truth to it.

Throw those bones when you need to ladies!

Nicole

Veteran

I agree with almost everyone else's sentiment. Your perfect skirt length seems to be just at or just below the knee.

A few things I'd like to add:

1. You don't have big knees. I don't see that at all.
2. The full skirts that you are thinking about hemming--make sure you pin them first and see how they look before you spend the money to have them altered. I thought the zebra skirt was overwhelming on your slender figure. Shortening it might not be the cure.
3. I can see why those are your favorite shoes--they are beautiful!

HannahMichelle

Tanya, my body shape seems fairly similar to yours, so this is interesting. Everyone else had good comments on the length already. I just want to know where you found that dark wash denim tulip skirt? It's adorable!

In regard to the last two skirts, I think it's not really the length as it is the fullness. I've found that those kinds of skirts tend to look sorta stumpy and overwhelming on me because of the way they stick out, so I try to stay with slightly slimmer cuts or full skirts that are lightweight enough (bohemian style for example) that they drape well. The military green one looks good though.

Also interesting discussion about men's opinions...I don't have a guy in my life right now so I haven't dealt with that, but I know my dad likes almost anything my mom puts on. If she wants a really honest opinion about if something looks flattering or not she comes and asks me!

Tanya

Veteran

Hannah, the denim tulip skirt is a recent purchase ( 2-3 weeks ago) from NY&Co and it was on sale too.

Thank you all for your comments. I'd still appreciate ideas on colors of tops to wear with printed full skirts: blue ombre, zebra and blue floral. Thanks again!

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Hmm...I choose to wear a more structured top with a fuller skirt, for balance. The zebra shirt would look great with something like this:

http://www.bananarepublic.com/.....=575382022

You could tuck it in or maybe try removing the zebra belt and wearing it untucked, but with a more structured/patent belt over it. Hmm...either way, you may want to remove the zebra belt and replace it with something else. Red belt, maybe? The bright pink shirt might be interesting, but if you could find a red one, that would be nice too. I would look for similiarly tailored shirts for the blue ombre one and the blue floral...the only colors I can think of to go with that blue would be white, or possibly yellow. There's a lot going on in those skirt though, so something solid and add interesting accessories/jewelry. Again, try untucked or tucked, and with a different belt.

Those skirts remind of Audry Hepburn's outfit in "Roman Holiday." I would go more retro like that with it--might be fun!

http://www.alwaystravelling.co.....oliday.jpg

Here's a similar top to hers:

http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/p.....=cat301177

Hmm....now I'm getting ideas.....

Maya

Veteran

It's a bit hard to tell with the blue floral one because I have a feeling the colors are way off. I think both the blue ombre and the zebra would look nice with yellow (I'm a big fan of yellow/black/white lately). I think the zebra will look good with brights...red, orange, fuschia, cobalt. It's B&W so anything goes, but I would keep it saturated. The blue ombre is a bit trickier. I would do the opposite and keep the other colors more pastel or light so the blue pops. That one is tricky though, since it's a gradient and not a solid color.

Tanya

Veteran

Thanks a lot to both! I like all of your ideas!
Here's the web pic of the blue floral one:
http://www2.victoriassecret.co.....rfnbr=2259

And the zebra is actually dark charcoal (or faded black) and super light beige. It would be easier for me it was true black&white.

I agree that the ombre one is tricky. Other than white/cream, the only other color that may work would be yellow, but I might throw some white in there anyway

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

How do you feel about tucking sleek tops into those voluminous skirts?

Tanya

Veteran

I'm fine with both tucking and not tucking, depending on the tops.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I've written an entry about tops for skirts for tomorrow. That should help you with silhouette. Other than that, I’d stick to black and perhaps a blue red to cover a few more bases.

http://youlookfab.com/2007/11/.....ed-skirts/

You need a very sleek top if you’re going to tuck it into the voluminous skirts. There is no other way I think. Stay tuned.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Angie, this entry sounds great! I have 2 denim skirts and am currently struggling with tops to wear with them (except the bluefly drapey top--that seems to go with everything!). Thank you!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I hear you, Ana. Duplicate that top in the same colour!

Tanya

Veteran

Thanks a lot Angie! Can't wait for tomorrow's entry!