Assessing the Fit of Skirts - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Shopping

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Assessing the Fit of Skirts

Anonymous

I have been trying on skirts this past week at WHBM and Ann Taylor. I have yet to buy any and this try-on is purely experimental.

I don't wear a lot of skirts, but I do need to have at least one skirt in my wardrobe for meetings. I was experimenting with pencil skirts.

They looked great standing but when I sat down something happened. There was a tightening up and scrunchiness that appeared along the lower abdomen. The pockets that had laid perfectly flat when standing puckered, opened, and looked stretched. When I tried one size larger, the skirt slide off my body.

Pencil skirts can really bring the visual focus to the lower abdomen. Buy one size up and have it tailored? Assume I haven't tried on enough and keep looking?

Shopping

21 replies

Latest reply was from Joy

anne

Veteran

I think avoiding pockets might be part of the answer!
Also, did the scrunching go away when you stood up again?

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I think that is the nature of pencil skirts with pockets. I'd personally avoid pockets on that style, but I do that anyway because they emphasize my hips.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Yup, avoid pockets. My favourite pencil skirts are stretch ponte ones.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Pockets and pencils do not go together and you wouldn’t put anything in the pockets any way as it would spoil the line of the skirt.

Anonymous

Anne - The scrunching disappeared when I stood up again.

Lesson One: Avoid pockets for this style of skirt.
Lesson Two: Look for nice stretch ponte fabric.

I am actually wearing a black stretch ponte skirt that I bought at Nordstrom years ago. Wears like iron. Washes GREAT. Always looks fabulous. I'll see if I can find this same skirt and size down. I may buy two in different colors. That sounds like a duplication ... but I have always had two pencil skirts in my wardrobe for work purposes.

See how I immediately and seamlessly rationalized the duplication of an item. It happens in a flash. Almost like breathing.

Liz

Veteran

When sitting, "there was a tightening up and scrunchiness that appeared along the lower abdomen."

This sounds normal to me. I can't think of any garment that is fitted through the abdomen and hips that wouldn't do this when you sat down in it.

As for the pockets, I'd sew them shut or look for. a style without them.

Becky

Veteran

I also avoid pockets and only wear pencil skirts with stretch.

I love how you are catching yourself in the act of rationalization! I also sometimes rationalize duplication, but what keeps me from actually doing it is realizing that one color will almost invariably be more versatile for me in my wardrobe that another, so usually I pass on the second color. Will that exercise work for you?

Anonymous

Yes Becky. I learned the hard way that I always favor one color over the other. Thank you for reminding me though.

delurked

Veteran

Pencil skirts are so tough for me, as they are very unforgiving of weight fluctuations. I have one in my closet I’ve had for several years and never worn. That’s why I was happy to find one from BR earlier this year that looks close to a pencil style, but has more ease with the fabric like a tube skirt. Sorry I can’t advise. I do know you are feeling called to find one for work situations.

Banana Republic

Gingham Knit Pencil Skirt

View Info

Top Pick

5

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Wool or cotton with a bit of stretch might also work. But definitely avoid pockets.

The Halogen seamed pencil skirt was a forum favourite for years. They used to make it in dozens of colours. But I'm not sure if it is still available. Lovely, hard-wearing skirt.

JAileen

Veteran

If it looks nice when you’re standing, but scrunches when you sit, who cares? Aren’t you at a table or desk anyway? I’d rather have pockets, personally.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What Janet said.

unfrumped

Veteran

I find this both size and just the luck of the cut of pencil skirt. Of course mine wil scrunch some when I sit as I am bending that part of body. I don’t try to avoid that because I don’t want tight stretchy fits, but skimming fits.
The thing I have to test for is the skirt shimmying up when I walk. That’s a deal- breaker and may be fixed by sizing up or need a better “ curve” to the skirt.
I find many photos of pencil skirts on people or models, say Pinterest, or “ celebrities “, are fitted way more tightly and wrinkly across the tummy or crotch than I think looks good.

LaPed

Veteran

If it straightens back out when you stand up, I don't think bunching when you sit down is a big deal. Lumpy pockets do bother me -- I tend to reject anything with pockets that don't behave well.

Joy

Veteran

You have much good advice. I like pencil skirts above all others, but would avoid pockets or sewing them shut. Pencil or tube skirts are best for skinny legs like mine. If you can wear a wider skirt! That may be a solution. A knife pleat skirt is a good compromise and looks good on a variety of figures.

Brooklyn

Veteran

Hi Sterling! I would also avoid pockets in a pencil skirt. Pockets are nice but I think they work better with an A-line skirt, flared skirt or tulip skirt. I think you need to accept a bit of wrinkling when you sit down, as long as it falls out again when you stand up. I hate it when the creases stay!

Anonymous

If the skirt is still there, this evening after work, I am going to buy it. I really liked the fit standing up. If the pockets bother me, I'll sew them up. The problem is that it was a GREAT skirt and they only had one in my size.

Staysfit

Veteran

I have a stretchy pencil skirt from James Perse. It’s possibly more costly than the Halogen version, but it is thicker, machine washable, almost a tweed like stretch material, and very forgiving of all lumps and bumps underneath. I don’t know you can find anything like that? It’s a great wardrobe staple. Mine is a sort of blah mixed tones taupe color, and it probably also came in black.

Liz

Veteran

Sterling, when you go back and and look, also try on a size DOWN. Your recent weight loss may have you fooled on what good size is. Pencil skirts should fit well in order not to swivel around your body as you wear them.

3style

Veteran

Sterling,
You and I are tuning in on exactly the same brain channel when it comes to all things wardrobe lately.

In a previous post about preferences for online or in store (where the discussion turned to sales pressure in stores , and many related topics) I mentioned that I was steered by an SA towards something with the wrong cut, and BIngo! It was a pencil skirt that looks great standing but when I got home I realized that it looked terrible sitting down. I did decided not to keep it. Instead I am going to keep a skirt which is called an a-line by AT but it is not very long or very flared and I’d in a structured fabric that dresses up or down well. Effectively functioning like a pencil skirt without the annoying bunching.
You might like it:
https://www.anntaylor.com/lace.....irt/462938
[I’m still unclear about mobile finds. I put up some related questions for technical support topic.]

Joy

Veteran

Give tube skirts a try. I found that I need to size down in tube skirts. Like jeans, they will loosen some when worn.