Four Ways to Wear a Denim Skirt

Denim skirts are one way to wear a casual outfit without wearing jeans, which is especially fab when you’re a skirt gal. The four combinations here piqued my interest because they’re different and quite interesting, yet wearable and within our reach. 

With a ‘70s Touch 

The A-line denim midi is as ‘70s as it gets. It’s an excellent skirt shape on a curvy hourglass or pear shaped body type. For a retro flavour, combine it with a cropped pullover or fitted top. Tuck the top in if you’re long or regular waisted, and wear it out when you’re short waisted. Add chunky platforms, wedge espadrilles, or fitted knee-high heeled boots. You can achieve a similar vibe with denim culottes.

FRAME DENIM Le Panel denim skirt

Denim on Denim & Pumps

This combination looks a little dressier because of the choice of footwear and bag. I really like the chic effect of this outfit. The length and fit of the skirt is elegant. The relaxed vibe of the shirt creates a fab juxtaposition with the severity of the pumps and the strictness of the angular clutch. The visual effect is very modern to my eye.

TOM FORD Frayed stretch-denim skirt

Tweed Jacket, Sneakers & Clutch

Try combining a denim skirt with a dressy jacket, layering tee and sneakers. Finish off the look with a graphic bag like a clutch. A mini crossbody bag is another fun option. The sporty luxe outfit is practical, spunky, creative and unique. I like the juxtaposition of the pretty and  sporty.

STEVE J & YONI P Ruffled denim midi skirt

Chunky Knit & Heeled High-Shaft Booties

This combination is the easiest to pull together and wear. Combine a short denim skirt with a  chunky pullover that’s short or semi-tuck the front to create a shorter length. Add higher shaft booties or mid-calf boots, a scarf and bag, and you’re good to go. Tonal tights are a good addition in cold weather, or stick with sheer hose in nude. 

CURRENT/ELLIOTT The Short Sally denim skirt

Here’s a collection of denim skirts just in case you were looking for one. A fun new denim skirt has been on my radar for a while just because it’s a casual alternative to jeans. Perhaps this will be the year I add one to my wardrobe.

Shopbop
Beach Skirt
$125.00 $37.50
Sale
View Info
Top Pick
12
Shopbop
Marino Skirt
$228.00
View Info
Top Pick
4
Shopbop
Easy A Skirt
$190.00
View Info
Top Pick
4
Mango
Denim Skirt
View Info
Top Pick
2
Gap
1969 denim pocket skirt
View Info
Top Pick
4

Rust, Mustard & Poppy for Spring 2016

I’m working through the Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear fashion shows and pinning directional outfits along the way. I’m a quarter of the way through the process — there are hundreds of shows — and so far colours like rust, mustard and poppy are very popular. They are as popular as pastels, which caught me by surprise. 

“Poppy” as the industry calls the shade of red (or tomato red as I call it), is a vibrant orange-red. The shades of mustard and rust are rich, yet soft. It’s interesting to see what are traditional Fall colours, featured for Spring. If we can wear Spring colours in the Fall and Winter, we can absolutely wear Fall colours for Spring and Summer. Why not! There are no rules governing when to wear certain colours. It’s the fabrication, texture and silhouette of the item that makes it seasonally appropriate — not the colour. 

Some looks that came down the runway:

Along with poppy, rust and mustard, there are shades of pale pink and blue, sea foam and lavender, shocking pink, a bit of emerald, citron and purple, and lots of black, tan and white. I’m seeing less blue then I did last year, which is another surprise. 

Rust, Mustard and Poppy

Of course, retailers will interpret the colour trends in ways that work best for their market. If they have a better chance of selling a dress in purple or blue, they’ll offer those options with rust and mustard, or not offer the new trending colours at all. As someone who enjoys wearing colours and tracking trends, I like to see retailers change their palettes from season to season to keep fashion and their shop floors looking fresh. 

And speaking of fresh, the way to wear earth tones in the Spring and Summer, is with small or large doses of white, bone or cream. Nothing screams warm weather quite as loudly as crisp light neutrals to my eye. As for poppy, it’s a versatile colour that works with most other colours, especially when you add white as the neutral to ground the combination. Failing that, wearing earth tones with brights and jewel tones works well too. Or wear poppy, rust and mustard as accent colours if you like the idea of them, but want to reduce their surface area.

Nine Fab Finds on Sale

Fall and Winter merchandise is on deep discount as fresh Spring merchandise hits the shop floor. Stock at this stage is quite picked over, but it’s ALWAYS worth looking at the sales racks. A fabulous bargain might be around every corner. These items caught my interest this week. 

Visit the collection page to see the items alongside my descriptions.

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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The Most Important Style Tip of All

The only rule you shouldn’t break is to have fun with fashion at any age, and the most important style tip of all is to to be patient with your styleIt takes time, energy, resources, a good sense of yourself, a positive attitude, and several retail seasons that are in line with your style preferences to build a wardrobe that you’re happy with. And once you think you have it all figured out, there are changes to the factors that affect your style. You have to rethink your style and the process starts all over again. PATIENCE is the key. It’s perhaps the most underestimated of my top 10 style tips. And it is especially important when you renew or refresh your style.

Patience means that you stay in tune with your preferences, needs and emotions, making it easier to sport a style that is effortless, authentic and makes you feel fabulous. 

Patience means that you make the time to regularly edit and review your closet. Knowing exactly what’s in your wardrobe allows you to make informed purchasing decisions and create outfits effectively. 

Patience means that you’ll hold out for the right wardrobe items, and not get frustrated when you can’t find them or miss them on sale. Sometimes it takes years to get exactly the item you want, but this makes its acquisition and use all the more sweet. 

Patience means accepting that it takes time to build a wardrobe within your budget. Don’t lose sight of your ideal style just because you can’t afford all the components at once. Prioritize your purchases and remember that there’s always next season. 

Patience means that you’ll take the time to do a mini outfit creation process in your dressing room at home each time you add new items to your closet. This is especially true of new-to-you trends and colours that might become wardrobe orphans if you don’t take the time to style them. 

Patience means that you’ll be kind to yourself when you’re on a new weight loss programme, or trying a new skincare and beauty regime, or growing out your hair. You might not see the desired results right away, but making the effort counts for a lot. Pat yourself on the back each time you get a little closer to your goals. 

Patience means acknowledging that practice makes perfect. Like most things in life, the more you practice doing something — whether it’s adopting a positive body image or creating trendy outfits with cropped jeans — the easier it becomes.

Patience and a sense of humour make it much easier to have fun with fashion. I am not a patient person by nature, but I am patient with my style journey — and it has taken years of practice to get to that point. I can’t stress this point enough. Relax into your style journey. YOU are the master of your style.

Ensemble: Cropped Jeans, Asymmetrical Top & Booties

This ensemble was inspired by my own smart casual uniform that I’ve been wearing throughout the Fall and Winter as long as temperatures stay above freezing. Trendy jeans are one of my wardrobe essentials, and for this leg of my style journey I’m going with cropped versions as my go-to style. As long as I can close the gap on my ankle to lengthen the leg line with high-shaft booties in cold weather and ankle strap footwear in warm weather, I’m in line with my figure flattering priorities

The outfit formula can be interpreted both in smart casual and casual ways. Smart casual includes a dressier support act which is especially true of the shoes and bag. A casual version incorporates a casual support act. 

I’m using my own outfits to represent the formula. You might recognize the neutral outfit on the left from last year. I’ve worn the colourful outfit on the right four times since Christmas day. I got the Topshop check bomber for Christmas and love its ‘60s integrity. Here are the exact pieces of the outfits from my wardrobe. 

Outfit 1

Outfit 2

Here are the components of the outfit formula: 

Cropped Jeans: You’ll need a pair of cropped jeans in any wash. The width of the hems can be flared, straight or skinny. I’ve used cropped straight legs that flare out a little in both my outfits.  

You’ll probably find it easier to create a longer leg line with skinny and straight hems. Consider chopping a good few inches off an old pair of jeans to get this look right away. 

Asymmetrical Top: The asymmetrical hem of a top or pullover adds lots of visual interest. The diagonal line that is created across the hip magically smoothes out a curvy hip, AND adds curves to a straight hip (outfit #1).You can also create a diagonal line on the hip with a regular hem pullover by semi-tucking the front-side of it. In that case you might want to add a belt, which further lengthens the leg line from the hips upward (outfit #2). 

I’ve created a high contrast between the top and the jeans, but feel free to create a low contrast to further elongate the outfit. 

Booties: I like to wear higher shaft booties that close the gap, and nude knee-highs for warmth. Low-shaft booties can also work, but won’t be as vertically lengthening. Again, I’ve used high-contrast booties because they looked more punchy with the outfits, and I like a little pattern mixing. Their low heels offset the leg shortening effect. But feel free to use low-contrast booties for a sleeker look. 

Topper: I wore my long ink millitary coat for the neutral outfit, and a short checked bomber with the other. The long coat was elongating because it created a low contrast and “twinset” effect with the pullover. The high-contrast check bomber’s horizontally cutting effect is offset by its short length. I also wear it unzipped, which creates a vertical line down the centre front of the body.  

Accessories: I chose a rust satchel to match the booties, which pulled together the look. And a gold clutch to add a bit of dressy glam to the casual vibe of the other outfit. Finish off the look with jewellery, watch, eyewear, scarf and headgear as desired.

Ensemble: Cropped Jeans, Asymmetrical Top & Booties