WIW: Dotty Skirt and Ruched Knit Top

It's warming up again and I went super-simple today. No accessories, no layers. Just a skirt and a top.

This skirt is wonderfully swishy and a great weight, but it's been sort of a wardrobe orphan. It's... fine, I guess. I do love the top. I don't know how much detail you can see in the photo, but it's a drape neck with ruching on both sides.

This is one of those outfits where I suspect there's nothing at all wrong with the skirt or the top--I just haven't figured out a way to make it feel truly me.

Thoughts/opinions/suggestions?

ETA: I wore this top as shown in pic #3 for a conference last fall and felt fab in it. If only I could wear a wool skirt and 4" heels all the time.

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Custom Find

by Jenn

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Target

Women's Merona Emma Genuine Leather Flat - Assorted Colors

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Top Pick

8 years ago

Word Lily

Veteran

That's a cute top, good details! And it works with the skirt. Maybe changing up the shoes, or adding a belt/necklace would make it feel more you? Accessorizing is hard when it's hot, imo.

kellygirl

This is simple and stylish. I really like this on you! Hope you can make it feel more "you" because it looks great!

Jenn

(website)

Thank you both, kellygirl and WordLily. I added a photo of how I wore this top last fall, when I felt amazing (even while weighing ten pounds more). I'm really struggling to feel fab in functional, summer clothing.

kkards

jenn, I like this skirt and top, but if it was me, i'd wear different shoes--for work a black flat or sandal. i peaked back at your July baseline post, what about trying this with the gladiators or the chuck's.

kkards, thanks. I did put black flats on at first this morning, but they were really stumpifying. Same with the Chucks. I've been looking for a comfortable summer ankle-strap, but no luck yet. I had high hopes for the FS Holts, but the fit didn't work for me.

Maneera

Love the skirt. I have a special love for polka dots....and your skirt is ahmazing!!!! I love it! To me this outfit is perfect for a summer wear. The top is perfect here....I love tops and dresses with ruching

Your wool skirt is more fitted and structured. Is that a silhouette you prefer? Or was it the colors in the last outfit that made you feel fab?

To tell you honestly, I find skirts and dresses with flat shoes very stumpifying too. I like a small heel - like a 1 to 1.5 inch. Or I need my skirts to be shorter and hit above the knee. When more of my leg shows, I can make peace with flats. Could that be true for you too?

In any case, I think your outfit looks pretty great. And I really hope you find a way to make it more 'you' because this lovely outfit is worth repeating

Thanks, Maneera. It might not look it in the photo, but the wool skirt is almost the exact same shape as this skirt. They're both gored, A-line, below-the-knee skirts. Perhaps it's the material that makes the wool skirt feel more structured, as it's a tightly woven fabric. The Lands' End skirt is a knit jersey, so the same shape appears more fluid, even though the fabric has a nice weight to it.

You're probably right, though, the fabrication makes a difference, and I do prefer more structure, so that's something I can keep in mind. Maybe I can look for similar shapes in a nice, crisp cotton for summer? More ironing, but it's probably worth it.

Above the knee doesn't work for me. I'm a true pear and I will seriously look twenty pounds heavier if you raise my hemlines two inches. Low heels are probably the solution. They just have to be comfortable enough to handle lots of walking. I do work from home, but I'm a maker, so I'm on my feet most of the day and l live in a small town, so I like to walk rather than drive to the post office/grocery store/out to lunch most days.

Anonymous

I really like the skirt and top too. I just think it needs either a necklace or a cuff bracelet for you to feel that it is more finished.

I also feel a little like Maneera, in that I never wear a totally flat shoe with a skirt below knee level. Maybe you would find a shoe with a 1" heel that is comfy? I have some that I can walk ages in.

Aida

Jenn, I think perhaps you need to find ways to add some crispness and structure to your summer outfits. The ones you've shown and expressed the least love for have been very soft, and often full of knits. Knits are great, especially for working from home, but there are wovens out there with stretch that might function similarly for you. It might come down to a matter of sorting out where you feel like you need structure (top vs bottom). From there you can try various combinations of knit/woven to see what feels best. For example, you might be happy wearing a soft knit top, but feel better with the more rigid structure woven bottoms provide; or you might want that crispness and structure near your face in a woven tunic, and then softness below with knit ponte pants.

As for the outfit, I think it's very nice (and very soft). I quite like the flats with it; I wear flats almost exclusively with skirts, even longer ones. In this particular case, where does the skirt waistband fall? It might feel better, with the flats, to wear with a tucked top so that you add a little leg lengthening (which the heels do for you in the fall version with the top untucked). Do you ever wear your hair up? With such a dark outfit I think pulling your hair up or back would brighten it up just a tad

And one last thought: it could also the be polka dots that's throwing you (a little sweet, a little retro). From your Pinterest board, the outfits with dots in them tend to be paired either with something rugged or something more menswear tailored.

Aida, you give the best advice. Seriously, I can not thank you enough. I really, really appreciate your insights and your observations are spot-on. You're giving me a lot to think about and I love it.

ETA: I don't even think to wear my hair up, because I usually have it bobbed up above the chin. Something went awry in my last cut and the stylist left it longer than usual, so I guess I actually could do that right now!

I like it as-is, maybe with a neat pendant necklace added, but it does look much more 'traditionally feminine' than the other outfits I've seen you wear. Now I happily wear both ultra girly & tomboy-ish looks, so I obviously don't think you have to pick one or the other, but that might have something to do with your lack of enthusiasm. Just throwing it out there in case it helps!

My pleasure! Happy to hear that it's helpful ^^

Thank you, E. I think both you and Aida have hit on something with the "traditionally feminine" analysis. I'm excited to try some new things now.

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