Challenge: Styling a skirt multiple ways (NEW pics added) - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Inspiration

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

Challenge: Styling a skirt multiple ways (NEW pics added)

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Dear all,

I've been reading Already Pretty lately, and although I don't agree on everything I read there, Sally McGraw has some pretty inspiring posts, too. I found this one about styling a black skirt in the archive: http://www.alreadypretty.com/2.....piece.html

It is an interesting starting point for another exercise in SYC. Anyone interested in playing a little? If you are, please respond to one or both of the following:

1. What do you think of Sally's suggestions from 2010? Which ones are still trendy or classic, and which ones seem dated? How would you change it?

2. Pull out your favorite basic skirt (in any color, shape and material of your choice), and style it at least three to five different ways! Post your suggestions here, please.

I've played some with my skirt already, but I'd rather see how you fab ladies do it too before I post my photos - there might easily be a good idea or three to steal;)

ETA: There are now quite a few pictures added here from various respondents, and I hope there will be more to come.

29 replies

Latest reply was from Astrid

Anonymous

Ingunn this is a good idea! I read the article, and I agree that skirts can be much more comfortable than jeans. I can't really comment on which of Sally's looks are dated, since I live in a warm climate and I have no idea what kind of black boots are in style (she seems to have a LOT of them). One thing I noticed is that in outfits that are solid black from the waist down (skirt, opaque tights, boots), I like the top half to at least reference a little black or dark color somewhere. Some of her outfits look like the top and bottom halves are not related.

For your challenge, did you mean that the skirt does not *have* to be black (but it can be black)?

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Ok, I'll go first then:)

I like several of the suggestions in Sally's post, but I also think some of them don't look that fresh anymore. What I did was to pick an A-line skirt I bought this Summer. I looked at Sally's suggestions and recreated them, more or less as is, not adding very much new to the mix. I'll tell you what I think about these outfits if anyone responds.

What do you think? Does this work? All comments are welcome, and honesty appreciated.

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

ramya

Veteran

Love the looks Ingunn...

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Claire, we double posted! How fun:) I meant that you can use any skirt of your choice, as I realize a black skirt isn't what everybody prefer. A denim skirt would be fun, for example.

I agree with you that outfits should be tied together to work. I think her second suggestion (with gray cowl neck), lacks a little something. How one styles a skirt should also depend on one's body shape - where would you like the attention? Hips, waist, shoulders? That's also important to consider.

Anonymous

Ingunn, I love all the ways you styled your skirt. I also agree that the ways in which a skirt can be styled depends, in large part, to one's body shape.

Carole

Veteran

Ingunn, you should be a SYC model and stylist, good heavens. I love all your skirt outfits and see how switching up the shoes/boots changes the whole vibe of the outfit. I especially like the last one with your vest and light boots!

You are giving us amateurs some great exercises to help us think about our wardrobe in new and different ways. I just LOVE this type of thing. I have a couple of skirts that are just hanging in my closet, one I bought just last year thinking I would turn over a new fashion leaf and wear more skirts, but it hasn't seen the Light of day, poor thing. I'm going to participate enthusiastically but won't have time until tomorrow.

Anonymous

These are awesome Ingunn! I love them and they seem very current. I love the way the scarf in the last picture seems to have some black or darkness to it, to bookend the black on the bottom. The brown boots and tights work so well in the third shot (I'm working backwards, I guess). The second outfit is simple perfection. Love that scarf! The first one seems nice, but I'm craving a little texture or something (now I'm being really picky here, sorry). Do you have a belt or something that you could add? Or would it fight with the necklace?

I would love to join, but I'm still in my fluffy bathrobe and nightgown, hair sticking up every which way, and frowning into a (now empty) teacup. I hate when my tea runs out like that....I hardly remember drinking it!

JuneBug

Veteran

Ingunn even though you've worn similar outfit combinations to the ones in the article, those appear dated and you appear very now and stylish! The most obvious comparison is between the floral blazer that try as I might, I can't get a hang of, without transporting myself back a few decades! I also really prefer your vest combination to hers!

Personally other than the obvious cardigans and tucked in blouses that are a no brainer for me in my skirt outfits, in the colder months I like to wear my close fitting (not clingy) dresses under a midi or regular pencil skirt. As long as it's not empire waisted this usually isn't an issue, but if it is, then I add a belt to bring the attention down. Believe it or not, I have also worn a skirt as a strapless top! It has an elastic waist without an gathers or pleats (which are a dead give away that it's a skirt), and I belt it and wear it over jeans and a cardi or jacket. I'll post a photograph of that soon and mention you, so you know the relevance.

Anonymous

I love your looks with the booties. They are so great.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Thank you, Ramya and Ruth:)

Carole, you are too sweet! I'm an amateur by every meaning of the word in these matters, but I've been dabbling in textiles for my entire life, and am used to combining textures, patterns and colors. That is really the fun part for me. I am thrilled if you go ahead and try some SYC, too, you will be surprised! I find that copying someone's ideas and build on them is easier in the beginning. Of course we have Angie's brilliant formulas as other starting points - I'm pondering on those, but she's so fashion forward that I probably have to do some shopping first:) I can't wait to see your skirt styled!

Claire, you brought a fun image of you to my mind:) I agree about disappearing tea and coffee, how does it happen? Outfit #4: The tights are deep purple and black, and the scarf has pink, deep purple and navy in it. That did the trick. I'm glad you liked the outfits, and I agree that the first one is a tad boring. I think that swapping the boots in #1 and #2 will improve them both, making #1 more casual, and #2 less so.

Thank you, JuneBug, for giving so thorough feedback. I feel that deciding on wether a look is dated is quite difficult. I actually did a version on the patterned cardigan, too, but I haven't shown it here yet. Pattern mixing is very on trend now, but I don't own very many patterned garments, so I have to work around it with accessories. I love your ideas about layering with dresses - and the skirt as top-suggestion is great! I'm looking forward to seeing that.

Thank you, Ceit, they are my favorite footwear at the moment!

Astrid

Veteran

Am I allowed to cheat and post old pictures? Because my wardrobe workhorse #1 is my black skirt. I think I've really worn this skirt with everything in my wardrobe already.

I guess I could try recreating Sally's outfits later, that should be fun.

I love your skirt outfits, they all look great!

This post has 7 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

rachylou

Veteran

Great looks, great skirt. I'm very interested in the way you make the waistcoat look so feminine. I've a couple of vests I've been debating because I can't make them girly enough for me.

Anonymous

Ingunn, this is a great idea to SYC and have fun. All your outfits look modern and polished to my eye. So inspiring! I'm off to check out Sally's outfits. I will play with this with at least one outfit featuring the orange blazer

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Astrid, of course you can cheat! I'm so glad you did. Your outfits are so cute, pretty, stylish and fun, I can hardly choose between them! Well, I can: My favorites are #1 with the bag and shoes that bookends your hair and the blue pop, #4 for beautiful colors and pattern mixing, and #7 for that wonderful red hat and the patterned scarf. Perfect! I'd love to see your interpretations of Sally's outfits.

Rachylou, the waistcoat has a tie in the back that shapes it, and I prefer it closed with this skirt, because it defines the waist more.

Joy, please do recreate an outfit from Sally's suggestions with your gorgeous blazer. I'd really love to see that! Thank you for responding to this.

Astrid

Veteran

Thanks Ingunn.

I did five new outfits just now, but I didn't try to recreate Sally's outfits exactly - I just don't have pieces that are similar enough. But I went from casual to dressy and tried to find combinations I hadn't worn before. I don't like all of them the same, can you guess wich one(s) I like the least?

Anyway, thanks for posting this challenge! Playing around with it was fun.

This post has 5 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

These are really good, too! I'm not too sure about which one you like the least, but maybe #4? It lacks something, maybe, and the other ones are very successful, I think. #2 is my favorite in this round.

I did four more outfits today, and they are from pretty casual to dressy as well. What do you think? I'm not sure if I will actually be wearing all of these. (I should have worn a camisole in #4, sorry about that! Visible underwear will never happen again:)

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Ariadne

Veteran

Ingunn, you're killing me with these great SYC exercises! I wish I had time to take and post photos right now because these are wonderful things to try with what I already own. I want you shop YOUR closet. You seem to have a really excellent and cohesive collection of clothes that are very versatile and re-mixable, and very flattering to boot. My favourite outfit and 2 and 4 but I love all of them.

Astrid

Veteran

I like #4 and #5 the least. My style just isn't that dressy and creating fabulous dressy outfits isn't a priority, you could say. I just don't have the items for that, so the looks are both a bit boring. I think I'd wear #4 out the door without the vest and with the shirt knotted in the waist. I wouldn't wear #5, much too businesslike for me.

Love your new outfits, I like them all (again!). With your outfits you can really see the change from casual to dressy too, you did great! I love the colors in #1 and of course the polka dot scarf is awesome! #3 and #4 are very ladylike - you look so pretty!

Makrame

Veteran

Oh boy, Ingunn, every time I see you do one of these challenges I feel like bookmarking the post and trying every one of your combinations. You have such perfect match between footwear, hosiery, and every other detail of each outfit!

Astrid, love your versions, too!

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Thank you, Astrid! I understand what you mean. When I was younger, I rarely had any opportunities for smart dressing. Now, I try to create such opportunities without going overboard. I like your #5, though.

Makrame, I'm happy to hear that! Do post an example if you find time for it, I would love to see it.

ramya

Veteran

Ok Ingunn when I come to Oslo you have to take me shopping. I seem to love each and every piece you own

Suz

(website)

Veteran

This is fabulous! I absolutely love these exercises of yours! I love your first set of outfits, too. Interestingly, I prefer the skirt with booties or boots to pumps. I don't know if that is because it feels more balanced to my eye or because it feels more current. I do love the colour of the first sweater in the second set on you, though. And you have an enviable collection of scarves!

I am coming back to visit this page when I return from my trip. It is difficult for me to view photos now so Astrid's would not load. But I will visit and I hope participate when I can.

Anonymous

I'm amazed at all of your possible combinations Ingunn. You are indeed very beautiful, and I'm noticing how well cut your simple black skirt is. That A-line fits you perfectly and hits your knee in just the right spot. That's the first step to a really great outfit. The other thing I noticed was that you have a lot of solids for the top half. Even though patterns and pattern mixing are very on-trend, I'm finding that having too many patterns in my closet can limit my choices. So don't change a thing, you're right on track here. I loved the second round.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Ramya, that will be a pleasure! Just let me know when.

Suz, I really agree. I think skirt and pumps are great per se, but a traditional A-line skirt with classic pumps styled like I did here doesen't look as modern as the boot/bootie combo does. That is part of teh reason why I asked you to evaluate if the original suggestions in Sally's post were dated or not. I think they look nice, but not very current. My examples are based on them, and thus not necessarily how I would do it on my own. I hope to see your interpretations here, too! I might give it annother try myself, this time with no regard to the originals. That could be interesting, too.

Claire, thank you! I agree that solids are more mixable than patterns. That makes variations easier I really like the pattern mixing trend, though, but I have very few prints to work with. My entire wardrobe seems a bit boring inthat respect. One of the things I've learned during this process is that I'm more than covered in versatile basics, and now I have to move on from essentials to signature pieces when I shop. I tend to be on the safe side.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

Can someone explain to me what it is about Sally's outfits that you find dated? Is it just the shoes? And how are they dated?

I think there's something that I'm missing.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Very good question, Mander, and not that easy to answer! My assessment of wether clothes and accessories are dated is based more on a gut feeling than articulate knowledge. Angie has stated several times that something might seem dated to us, but that doesn't mean that it is so (a thread about skinnies tucked into boot comes to mind). For what it's worth, I find Sally's outfits very well executed, and I like most of them a lot. But since this is from 2010 a few perspectives might have changed, and for me, skirts with booties feels like a more current look these days. I think skirt with booties are very classic, and with pumps as well. But this particular combination of pumps and this style of skirt *feels* dated, but it isn't necessarily so. I also think that since the trend is moving towards more dressy tops, some of her suggestions are if not dated, so very casual, and that might very well be what she was after at the time, too. Again, not very obviously outdated combinations, only a few subtle hints that fashion has moved on a bit since Sally did this post. Does this make any sense at all?

I really hope that someone else chimes in here, too, because I really don't feel that I'm up to explaining this properly.

Anonymous

I just looked more closely at Sally's outfits in planning to try some and see what you mean about their being a bit dated. I feel it's in the details.
The footwear doesn't seem to be the best fit (boots a bit wide) and don't look current. The scarf at the waist, the style of the vest, the thick tights. It may be that I just don't love her style. I don't know and can't put my finger on it. Your and Astrid's interpretations look much more modern with the booties and boots that fit your calves.
Maybe style has changed more than we realize since 2010.

rachylou

Veteran

Astrid, altho not your style, I'm really taken with #5. I like the idea of a blazer and full skirt a whole lot. I wonder if it would be more you with a blazer that didn't match the skirt in color?

Astrid

Veteran

I'm not sure? I could see myself in a tweed, velvet or cord blazer, but the classic suit type blazers aren't my thing. Although one of these more casual blazers with a full skirt would be lovely! I bought this one (cheap at H&M) because I had to for the funeral and I've only worn it a few times since, mostly with jeans to dress it down.