If you're looking to add a ladylike note to your look this season, try out a midi skirt for instant feminine appeal. The mid-length hemline might be tricky to wear at first glance, but the latest arrivals feature a range of colors and cuts — one of which is sure to complement your shape. Shop our picks below.
Source: Zara
With it being Friday, we've naturally got the weekend on our brains, and today we're looking to Jessica Biel on how to walk our pups in style. The actress ditched the usual dog-walking gear (we're looking at you, sweats) and instead was chic and sporty in an AllSaints striped sweatshirt ($110) over a AllSaints striped tank dress ($68). For comfort, she added a pair of Nike Dunk Sky Hi sneakers, and for extra edge, a black leather jacket. Although skirts and sneakers aren't the most obvious pairing, that's precisely what we love so much about Jessica's latest outfit — she tried the unexpected and it worked. So follow her lead by shopping similar pieces below.
Mark the seasonal shift in one of Summer's effortless must haves: the maxi skirt. The latest offerings from brands like BCBG Max Azria and Anthropologie featuring crisp white hues, bold prints, and beautiful botanical motifs are sure to give your warm-weather wardrobe an elegant, effortless touch.
We suspect after Kate Bosworth's appearance at last night's LA screening of Black Rock that we're not the only ones looking to shop a skirt like hers. That's just par for the course for the style star, who sets trends with nearly every outing (whether she's on the red carpet or buying groceries). With this one, she's inspired the search for a flared miniskirt. While we love the embellished top and metallic heels, the trick to achieving Kate's polished-meets-flirty Miu Miu ensemble is all in the skirt. The playful silhouette is an easy way to liven up your work, weekend, or event wear — but it's not just the girlie vibe that we love. The cut also helps to balance out curves with its flared hemline and can help create the illusion of an hourglass shape. Translation: it works for a variety of body types. We've narrowed it down to a few of the market's best: be it printed, finished in soft pastels, or of course, rendered in your classic black. All you have to do is shop to get one step closer to working Kate's copycat-worthy event style into your own day-to-day routine.
It's about that time — time to start showing off your stems in a flirty Spring skirt. This season, we're leaning toward the ones with a little swing, flounce, and flare for a look that's equal parts sweet and sexy. The latest arrivals highlight a range of styles, from short minis — hey, if you got it, flaunt it — to more modest fit-and-flare silhouettes. Try styling a printed flounce version with a slouched tee and moto boots for a fun weekend look, or, for something geared to the polished 9 to 5, try pairing a fitted-through-the-thighs flared skirt with a crisp blouse and pumps. With style tips in hand, click on to shop our favorite picks right now.
We not-so-subtly hinted at the fact that pencil skirts are having a serious moment, and yes, we're still singing the praises of their sexy-meets-modest appeal. This time around, though, we're looking to our favorite starlets for test-driven (and approved) ways to wear this silhouette right now — and all week long. For this seven-day stretch, Olivia Wilde offers up a tweedy iteration for a more polished workwear option, Sophia Bush punches up a classic shape with edgy leather, and Olivia Palermo puts the most feminine spin on a sophisticated Tibi lace skirt. If you're in need of something a little more leg-baring, Kate Bosworth's asymmetrical-cut Preen version is perfect for, well, a leg up. There's even more day-to-night styling inspiration inside, so keep clicking. And don't forget to shop our favorite pencil skirt picks at the end of the slideshow.
The holidays are the perfect excuse to show off a little shine and shimmer in every outfit. Yes, it's possible. To prove our point, we broke down the essential skirt categories (mini, midi, and maxi) for every situation — and at every price point. Tip: show off your festive flair at the office by pairing a modest, sequined midi skirt with a neutral-hued blouse and pumps for a fun, yet still appropriate, look. Meanwhile, we suggest you save those minis for after-hours festivities. Ready to dive into the fun? Shop our 17 irresistible skirts for the holiday season now!
By now we know: ladylike pleats aren't going anywhere. After seasons of pleated skirts, it's clear that they're here for the long haul — only this time around, they're getting a few seasonal updates like slick leather, preppy-cum-punky plaid, and rich shades of burgundy that speak perfectly to Fall's biggest trends. We're envisioning a lineup of pretty pleats to shake up our wardrobe — like a sheer pleated black maxi to update our date-night look and a colorblocked leather mini to pep up our weekend routine. We promise, this set of pleated skirts isn't just for the girlie girls — click on to shop our favorites.
Source: Greg Kessler
We see London, we see France . . . Yes, there are most definitely visible underpants on the latest Paris runways, thanks to the sheer skirts cropping up in quite a few Spring '13 collections. While sheer bottoms aren't exactly groundbreaking — Spring 2012 gave us sheer pants after all — these sheer pencil skirts and minis are a sexier twist, some sexier than others. Stella McCartney took a more modest approach to going sheer with a streamlined pencil skirt and a see-through hemline that begins at the thigh and travels down. Offering a little more, shall we say, visibility, Giambattista Valli introduced a light-as-air sheer pencil that left little to the imagination. Chloé's iteration is more of a compromise, with frilly, see-through layers that help to distract from any overt peek-a-boo effect. Obviously, there's a time and place to slip into something this revealing — as we've already learned with sheer blouses and semisheer dresses — but we want to know if will you be slipping into these skirts? Word to the wise: if you do, pay extra attention to your undergarments! Now tell us: will you be taking this trend for a test drive come Spring?
From left: Stella McCartney, Giambattista Valli, Chloe
You can credit Christian Dior with the modern pencil skirt: he designed the "H" skirt in the 1940s, and it came to represent prim and proper office wear for women. By what we've seen in street style and on the Spring 2013 runways, the pencil skirt has evolved in the coolest way, and the new way to wear it is a far cry from the elegant but buttoned-up look we always imagine. It's much sportier, and you could play with proportions with a slouchy sweatshirt or make it sexy with a fitted tank. We're huge fans of Derek Lam's pencil-and-pullover look, because the slouchiness downplays the sexiness of a pencil (and we really love not having to suck in, you know?). However, for an evening look, and if you have an embellished skirt that has a bit more volume, a sexy tank à la Altuzarra looks pretty incredible. Just keep everything else ultrasimple — hair in a ponytail, minimal makeup. It's also best to keep the tank in a neutral tone, and go for a classic ribbed style if you really want to emulate the feel of the Altuzarra look. We did some searching for pencil skirt looks to try out now, so get clicking.
