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Dear Pencil Skirts: it's not me, it's you

Kimberley

Veteran

Confession: I am breaking up with pencil skirts, for good.

I love the look of them. I love the bombshell factor. I love the way they make me feel desirably curvy instead of somewhat heavy, but sweet jimminy cricket, I cannot find one that stays in place! They look/feel fine when I first put them on, but in no time at all, they are crawling up, up, up and I have to keep yanking them back down into place. It is supremely uncomfortable, and frankly, I'm over it. I deserve a better skirt!

Anyone else with this problem?

General

19 replies

Latest reply was from Von

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I have this problem too, and I always chalked it up to the fact that I have wide hips and thighs and a high waist -- it's like the waistband of the skirt wants to ride up and find my narrowest part, which is right under my bust, so not a good look.

This summer I've been much happier with tube skirts -- I can pull them down more so they sit lower on the hip rather than up at my waist, which makes semi-tucking work too.

Skirts are hard for me to work into my casual life anyway, so I have been turning away every time I see a tempting skirt lately. I'm not breaking up with them, but I am proceeding very cautiously.

Anonymous

I know how you feel - I have the same issues. There is nothing worse than that feeling of your skirt sitting right up under your bra line - ridiculous. I agree with Janet about the tube skirt - that works; and, I like heavy ponte knit ( I have a few from CM that are good here) pencil skirts with a narrow waistband that I can wear much lower down on my hips. They actually seem to stay in place. But I blame me and my body, not the skirt

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I've had skirts that do that, too, and ones that like to creep around my body as I walk so that the back ends up in the front :/

I've had decent luck with ones made out of ponte, like Nordstrom had a couple of years ago.

Kimberley

Veteran

Thanks for the advice, ladies. I do want to wear skirts, so it looks like time to try some tube skirts and pay more attention to the fabric.

kkards

Veteran

yup---its so fustrating. . back in the 80s i used to have pencil skirts with a higher waist, i think it might have been called a hollywood waist (kind of reminded me of skirts Joan Crawford would have worn back in the day). those seemed to work better for me.

Alassë

Veteran

The high waist pencils I often wear don't have that issue - maybe try them?

catgirl

Veteran

I wear tube skirts and don't have this problem, but I don't like structured pencil skirts - can't walk or sit and don't feel good.

It's them, not you!

cinnamon fern

Veteran

I second that high-waisted pencils stay in place WAY better.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Angie even has a blog post about this -- wearing a skirt at your natural waist will help it to stay in place better. But I think this might happen sometimes anyway. It's a real nuisance.

Suzanne

Would a slip help?

Gigi

Veteran

I would suggest a high-waist skirt too, maybe one in a curvy fit? I think Ann Taylor, Loft, and Eddie Bauer all carry pencil skirts in a curvy fit.

I have noticed that since I have gained some weight and now do better in a curvy fit, my pencil skirts ride up too! It is annoying.

Kristin L

Veteran

I've noticed that my higher waisted skirts in general stay in place better than skirts that sit on my hips. But if they just aren't working for you, then move to another silhouette. Life is too short for annoying and ill fitting clothes!

Style Fan

Veteran

I never had to break up with pencil skirts because I never went anywhere near them. They look like trouble to me. I do have other skirts that twist around me and ride up when I walk. Very annoying.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I've got a couple of jersey pencil skirts that are lined, and they ride up like crazy. But my cheap knit ones do not. Even though the lining is supposed to prevent this sort of thing it has the opposite effect for me. Could something like this be happening to you?

Staysfit

Veteran

I am not having this problem with ant of my pencil skirts so far. Not sure why? I do have the problem with some a line skirts though! I wore one today and it was just like you describe for the pencils. Could be a combination of bodyshape and material the skirts are made from.

Anonymous

Yup, been there. Am also high-waisted with generous hips, so that makes sense. Even the famous Halogen stretch ponte ones with the lining did this, because the lining completely canceled out the flexibility that the ponte would normally have. I have a few unlined stretch ponte pencils I really like, though. And tube skirts, too.

koob

I always wear skirts at my natural waist (more flattering for me), and they never ride up (no where to go). I have a hard time finding pencil skirts though. I rank them up there with jeans as hardest things to shop for.

DonnaF

Veteran

I just got a ponte pencil skirt, and it is fabulously comfy. I sized up, but it doesn't spin around or crawl up. Maybe because it's so loose? It also hangs pretty straight from my hips, as tapered pencil skirts do my chunky thighs/legs no favors. I also don't have much bomb to shell, so body type may be at work here. Even the back seaming over my pancake booty doesn't do much.

Von

Veteran

I had on a pencil skirt today, and the only one that fits me is the halogen seamed pencil skirt. Everything else shimmy and moves too much, the halogen skirt is obviously super long, because I can wear it up high (past my wiggle up point) and it stays and doesn't ride. I wasn't going to post for today, but I just might to show you exactly how high I'm actually wearing it! I had a shirt tucked today so it was obvious to me.

As for tube skirts, I'm very hourglass, and I have yet to find a tube skirt that doesn't stick to me like a second skin....does such an animal exist?? I have a black tube pencil type skirt with a 4 in wide elastic waist, but it's more pencil skirt than tube, even though the whole thing is stretchy, and it moves too. Things just like to creep up the curves, I think.