It’s a style goal of mine to wear skirts, dresses, casual pants, and dressy pants more frequently, and blue jeans less frequently. I find the goal easy to achieve in mild, warm and hot weather because I wear dresses, skirts and cropped white jeans most of the time, and throw utility pants, printed jeans, red jeans, and micro check wide crops into the mix too. My style has a lot of variety, which is the point, and I barely wear blue jeans for six months of the year.

Things get harder when Fall and Winter set in. I reach for my blue jeans far too often, because they’re warm, practical and versatile. I’m not into wearing grey, olive, burgundy and black jeans, or corduroy bottoms, so that’s no solution. Thank goodness for white jeans, because I do wear those throughout the year. I have a few Fall and Winter dresses, and one skirt, but these items will only take me so far and then it’s too cold to wear them. I had a few pairs of Winter pants, but some creased too easily, some pilled, and others looked dated with a rise that’s too low.

So deliberately and patiently over the last few years, I prioritized filling this cold-weather bottoms wardrobe hole. I’ve been adding Fall and Winter bottoms to my wardrobe that are warm, practical, comfortable, crease-resistant, and NOT blue jeans.

The collection below shows the items I’ve accumulated over the last three years. I have a thing for micro checks so there are three pairs of those. You can’t see the colours clearly in the stock photos, but the neutrals are different. I have mustard velvet pants, red carpenter jeans, red cropped jeans, black and cream tuxedo stripe pants, white wide crops, cinnamon utility pants and pinstriped burgundy pants.

It took a while, but I finally feel that I’ve filled this wardrobe hole to my satisfaction. I’m very much enjoying the refresh. I don’t have to wear blue jeans almost exclusively for the cold-weather season. I wear dressy pants when I work with clients, but also as “everyday” pants because I can dress them down with sneakers, duck boots, and flat boots. Their versatility is sublime. I’ve been wearing many of these bottoms over the last fortnight, and still haven’t pulled out my blue jeans even once.

Some commenters on the Team Midi or Team Maxi poll mentioned how unflattering and unfab they felt in a midi dress or skirt. To recap, midi hemlines finish anywhere between the bottom of the kneecap to below the calf muscle. I dress women for a living across a range of heights, ages, and body types. Trust me when I say that you do NOT need to be tall and thin to look amazing in a midi. My 4ft 10 clients wear midis as well as my 6ft clients, and their sizes run from 00P to US18.

That said, we manipulate the variables of the midi silhouette and style it in ways that create a more conventionally flattering visual effect. Here are five variables to consider when you’re wearing midis. Manipulating one or a few of the variables at a time can take you from feeling drab to fab.

1. Choose a Dress

It’s sometimes easier to feel fab in a midi dress than a midi skirt, because the single piece creates a vertical line. You don’t need to worry about finding the right top or the right level of contrast between the top and bottom. The long, lean line is there by default.

2. Choose a Tapered Silhouette

Midi dresses and skirts that are straight or tapered at the side seams are one of the easiest ways to wear a midi, especially when they’re just below the knee. Knitted tube skirts and their instantly conventionally flattering effect come to mind right away. My clients with apple and inverted triangle body types are particularly partial to wearing these types of midis.

2. Choose the Right Length

Sometimes, all you need to do is manipulate the length of a midi and Bob’s Your uncle. When you’re petite or regular height, you’ll find that wearing midis a little shorter does the visual trick. Try a length that’s just over the knee, or just above the calf muscle instead of a length that covers the calves.

3. Sport an Asymmetrical Hem

The magical effect of a diagonal line is not to be underestimated. Sporting a hi-low midi hemline gives it structure and elongates the leg line. Sporting a diagonal hemline that’s longer on the one side and shorter on the other is another way to add structure to the silhouette. This type of front diagonal hemline is particularly flattering on wider calves because it offsets the curve of the calf, whereas a straight hem across the widest part of the calf might accentuate it.

4. Add Waist Definition

Wearing a midi skirt or dress with waist definition gives it structure, which streamlines the silhouette and lengthens the leg line from the hips upward. The dress can have built-in waist definition, or you can create it with a waist-cinching wide belt. Tucking or partially tucking tops into midi skirts, or wearing a form-fitting untucked short top can add structure to a midi skirt. That’s especially effective with A-line or flared midi skirts.

5. Add Elongating Heels

And last, perhaps you’re a heels wearer and feel best in a midi when you add a low, mid or high heel to the outfit. That will lengthen the leg line, give you height, and perhaps elevate the dressy factor. But heels are not essential at all. I’m 5ft 6, only wear midi-length dresses and skirts, and never wear heels. I wear my midis with ballet flats, loafers and sneakers most of the time, and occasionally with a bootie, ankle strap pump, or shootie with a one and a quarter inch heel.

I prefer dresses and skirts with movement so I don’t wear straight or tapered hems. I also prefer dresses to skirts so I have many more midi dresses. I sport an assortment of midi lengths, some of which have asymmetrical hemlines. I define or surrender the waist of my midis, and am in flats most of the time.

Over to you. Do you wear midis, and how do you manipulate the variables to make them look flattering to your eye?

A new outfit from Daniella Robins of Style . Life . Soul by LellaVictoria, whom we introduced to YLF in July 2013.

This is a fab example of a midi skirt worn with an untucked top. Daniella is sporting a knitted mid-calf skirt with a fun swoosh factor. She’s paired it with an oversized white shirt with a subtle A-line silhouette for a fashion-forward take on the classic. The tailored fit on the shoulders provides structure as do the hip-hugging pleats on the skirt. The lowish vamp on the square-toed mules with architectural thin stack heel lengthens the leg line from the foot up. The dark rich cinnamon colour complements the dusty pink skirt brilliantly. Our blogger’s white bag bookends the shirt, while the oval resin handles make a style statement and pick up the colour of the mules. Dark toenail polish is all that’s needed to finish off this minimal look.

Fall has hit retail and Seattle in a big way, and so far so good. It’s going to be a great season with ample variety. Here are some items that have been winners on clients, or that earned a place in my own wardrobe. I’ve been extra vigilant about the quality and fabric of my wardrobe, and am pleased to report that the new items are stellar. Lots of fun colours, patterns, trendy items, and classics.

1. Boden Antonia Sweater

This lovely pullover has a romantic and trendy puff at the crown of the sleeve and blousons at the cuff. It’s gorgeous quality, non-itchy, crisp to the touch, and easy to wear UNTUCKED. It fits fluidly and looks dressier than the norm. The ribbed cuffs can be cuffed back if they’re a little long. Plenty of length for tall gals, and the fuchsia is mine.

2. J.Crew Leona Bootie

A dressy yet relatively flat bootie with a high shaft is hard to find, and these fit the bill. If your foot is remotely wide, do not try them. They fit my low-volume feet and narrow ankles perfectly with a cushioning insole to take up extra width. They are comfortable and very polished. The high shaft might cut into your ankle at first, but feels fine after a while.

3. BLANKNYC Renegade Snake-Printed Blazer

A forum member and a couple of my clients are rocking this subtle cocoon-shaped topper that’s streamlined and versatile. Soft, comfortable, lightweight, and a lot more flattering than you expect. It works particularly well on apple and inverted triangle body types.

4. Scotch & Soda Pants

Scotch & Soda makes some of the best quality and most fun bottoms at retail at the moment. The fabrics are dressy, but the silhouettes are casual. That way you can dress the items up or down, and remix them any way at all. The fits are neither straight nor curvy, but somewhere in between. The rises are mid to high rise, but not too high. Fabrics are luxe and the detailing is fun. I have two pairs that I altered at the hips, waist, thighs and bottom to create a perfect fit, and they’ve been fabulous.

5. Boden Tweed Pants

The Malden Tweed Pants might be my favourite pants of the season, which I’m wearing here. I got the navy with the citron stripe. The stripes are matched on the side seams and beautifully made. They are woolly but half lined, and feel extremely comfortable and luxurious. Dressy, but not too dressy, and fun with boots and sneakers. They will probably work on both a curvier and straighter figure because the cut is that good. Fabulously on-trend.

The British tweed pants are wonderfully dramatic and work well on a curvier figure. They are half lined, well made, luxe, and swoosh as you stride. They run big, so size down. Fabulously on-trend, and great with flatforms or sneakers.

6. VAGABOND Mya Pointy Toe Bootie

These darlings work best on a low and regular volume foot with a narrower ankle. Soft, and reasonably comfy. They are dressy, excellent with skirts and dresses, and all sorts of pants or jeans because of the streamlined fit. They’ll work for holiday parties and more formal occasions, and look festive in the trendy patent. The cream are mine for dressy wear.

7. Boden Modern Classic Shirt

I’m back to loving button-down shirts because I felt like a change from my blouses. These are my favourite for Fall because they’re crisp and FLUID. They are not supposed to be form-fitting. They look great tucked into bottoms, OR untucked and layered under a vest or pullover for the school uniform trend. Gorgeous quality, comfy, playful, and polished. I have the “fish ’n chips” shirt, and it’s a workhorse.