I love bouncy full skirts that are on or just over the knee because they make a great change to a sleek pencil skirt. The way full skirts move and swoosh as you stride is a comforting as well as comfortable feeling. I also think they look elegant, dressed either up and down. 

Although I am all for happy full skirts, they have their drawbacks:

• It’s a LOT of skirt and there is no way of getting around that no matter how well it drapes. There is drama and volume all at once, especially when it’s in a loud happy pattern.
• The voluminous aspect can make you feel larger than your true size. In other words, it’s “too pouffy”. There are ways of adding sleekness to the silhouette if you are mindful of the design details. Choose a style that has a fitted bask (examples #2, #3 and my own bright skirt), as opposed to a style where the gathering or flare starts directly from the waistband (examples #1 and #4).
• Full skirts can be twee and overly feminine. This style screams “lady-like” and although that’s one of the reasons I like them so much, the effect is sickeningly sweet to others. The good news is that you can add a tougher edge to the look, which is another way I like to wear my full skirts. Think of mixing it up with denim, leather and distressed footwear. 
• This type of skirt looks best with a tucked in top, which is a drawback to those who dislike tucking. There are ways of wearing un-tucked tops with full skirts, so don’t let that put you off the style (a topic for another day). 

You’re in luck if you like full skirts, because they are making a fashion statement this season. That being said, the retro integrity of this type of skirt is always in style and stands the test of time. Full skirts are trendy right now, but to my eye are classics at heart.

I’m talking about buttoning up soft drapey blouses and more rigid button down shirts all the way to the top of the neckline as seen in these photos. I LOVE this look and vote with a big fat yay. To my eye the effect is modern and cool. 

I’ve been wearing this look with both blouses and shirts since the ’80s and often pop the collar as well as buttoning right up to the top. Recently, I like to wear my shirts and blouses buttoned up more frequently because I can skip accessories like scarves and necklaces, and still look interesting. And although I wear my scarves and pearl necklaces, wearing very few or no accessories is one of my current style goals.     

My regular sized bust, long neck and very short hair work with a buttoned up look. I am also a huge shirt-and-blouse-gal, so it’s no wonder that the aesthetic appeals to me. But I get that its not everyone’s cup of tea. Understandably, some will find a buttoned up look restrictive, uncomfortable, overly strict, unfeminine, conservative, unflattering and frumpy.

Would you wear a buttoned up shirt or blouse? If it’s not for you, can you appreciate this look on others. Or does it look awful no matter what.

Cropped jackets like this style by Jolt look particularly good with dresses and skirts of any length because the proportion lengthens the leg line. They add a cheeky edge that is both relaxed and interesting. I was impressed with the quality of the $58 jacket. It’s fably cropped, which is a tall order these days. It’s length will work exceptionally well on petites. It runs quite small because it’s junior sizing, so you might need to size up.

I can identify a frumpy look when I see it, but I find it hard to articulate what frumpy means. So I thought I would take a bash at isolating the aspects of a person’s style that are particularly susceptible to frump. 

• Fit: Clothes that are too large can look frumpy. Unstructured clothing can look frumpy.
• Length: Skirts and dresses that are too long, regular length trousers that are too short, and leg shortening capris can look frumpy.
• Hair: I find this element the hardest to explain, yet it probably is the strongest contributor to an overall frump factor. An outdated hairstyle can look frumpy, but it’s not just that alone.The colour, the length, the way it curls, the way it lies flat, the way it’s layered, or the way it’s tied back can make hair look frumpy too.
• Footwear: There is something about the silhouette of a shoe that can increase it’s frump-factor. Sometimes it’s the colour, the fabrication, the height of the vamp, or the shape of the heel. Sometimes a shoe does not look frumpy on the shelf, but it does look frumpy on our feet.
• Accessories: Dated eyewear and watches can look frumpy. Often it is not so much the accessory itself, but how it has been styled and what it has been paired with in an outfit that increases it’s frump-factor. When worn in a certain way, scarves and necklaces can look particularly frumpy. Yet style those same accessories differently and they look fab. 

My list describes where frump often comes in, but it still isn’t definitive about what exactly makes something frumpy. Why is this so hard?

Well, first of all, frump often depends on the wearer. There are people who can look very stylish in something that might look frumpy on the rest of us. For example, we just recently discussed how bad fit can look cool. And wearing vintage and retro items, although dated, has it’s stylish appeal. Clearly what looks frumpy on some does not look frumpy on others. 

And second, frumpy today can be trendy tomorrow. As I have said before, things can look frumpy right up until the point that they look fabulous. When midis first started trending, midi apprehension was rife because of the frump factor people associated with the length. Today, midis are more on trend than ever. Wearing socks with sandals and flat oxfords used to be very frumpy, but not anymore.

That’s why I find it impossible to create the “how not to look frumpy” guidelines. I’m afraid I’m going to have to stick to the I know it when I see it approach for now.

Over to you. You know frumpy when you see it, so what is it about a look that makes it frumpy? How do you decrease the frump-factor? Do you ever feel frumpy, and if so, how do you take the frump out of what you are wearing?