Monday 9 July 2012


Long Skirts 2.0. 


I love a long skirt as they hide a multitude of sins and can tell you the state of the economy; also the council gets their roads cleaned for free if the wearer is not careful. The heady days of Boho are still foremost in your mind when it comes to long skirts, accessorised with ethnic belts belts and peasant style tops which made Sienna Miller a style icon. Much fun as it was, we have to forget that style and go further back into the past. The 70’s, era of Stevie Nicks, the legendary Timotei and Flake ads or even the ladies of the movie The Virgin Suicides (not sure if it was set in the 70’s, I fell asleep watching it but the actresses looked pretty stylish in the trailers!) are your guides. But I’m only 5 ft 1 or less I hear you cry. Hush, you can still rock a long skirt you have to follow these handy guidelines I’m going to set down.

Fabric.


The more there is of the skirt the sleeker your top half should be. If you are going for the pleated chiffon styles that are in Topshop right now get your top half from Uniqlo men’s as they have the best quality t-shirts and vest at stupidly cheap prices. If you have been smart you will have found / kept all of your gothic velvet skirts from a few seasons ago. If you haven't, quick smart to your local charity shop to snap up velvet things now as this will be huge again for  A / W 2012 /13. Also spotted have been the wiggle skirt, a midi length pencil skirt (Posh and Eva Longoria have been seen in these) in woolen fabrics which are great and offiec smart and wormer for the colder months.

Pattern and colour.

Generally follow the rules of body type. If you’re top heavy you want all the bright colour and pattern on your lower half; if you are bigger below, you want a plainer sleeker darker base. This is only a general rule and not absolute and can be tweaked to suit personal style.

Accessories.

The dressier the skirt, the simpler you dress. The issue of heels and flats is a tricky one, which right now has been solved by the return of “le petite stilleto” or kitten heels to you and me. The queen of this shoe has been LK Bennet, which for many years did nothing else. Happily you can get some awesome kitten heels in New Look, KG, Office and Clarkes, (which had some amazing leopard print sling backs which sold out in a fortnight!) Prada, Louis Vuitton and Jimmy Choo. Generally if you are wearing a midi skirt that floats mid calf you need any kind of heel to stop it looking frumpy. Ankle and maxi skirts if you want to avoid accidents wear flats but if you need heels opt for a wedge and or platforms. The slim tan belt is still ruling but coming in for the summer is the tie belt or ribbon to emphasise more voluminous styles.

Right now the shops are loving this catwalk look but guaranteed it will be huge, as where Topshop leads other stores will follow but for now check out the pricier end of the high street such as Whistles, Jigsaw, Monsoon and Ghost. You can find sleek stretch jersey long skirts in muted tones at American Apparel. The floaty gossamer ballet styles will feel right when there are blossoms on trees and Pimms in your glass, so if you’re lucky to spot something in the sales long, chiffon, or a 70’s Halston style dress in the sale or something gothic, full of drama and medieval; snap it up now. Go with Glamour.

No comments:

Post a Comment