Pencil Skirts Are Having a Moment

...the unexpected staple of the season.

As we slowly transition into a new season, I like to evaluate my closet to see what I gravitate towards as staple pieces for that season. It’s likely I spend a good bit of time on Pinterest leading up to doing so to get inspiration and spark ideas. Sourcing inspiration makes it easier to go through what I have and decide if there’s anything worth purging from my closet from the previous year that I haven’t worn or won’t wear. Almost always there are items that I don’t love anymore, the fit isn’t quite right, or it’s time to pass along to someone who finds newness in what’s old to me. The seasonal closet evaluation gives way to new silhouettes from seasons past.

As someone who collects vintage clothes, it’s inevitable that not every single piece of clothing in my wardrobe will get a lot of wear. Certain pieces are so precious to me, I’ll only wear them for special occasions. Others I’ll try on for a not so special occasion and end up taking off for fear that something might happen to it. Yes, I’m a little crazy.

It’s also inevitable that eventually it becomes hard to keep my closet organized when I’m trying to find things. No matter how disorganized my closet gets, one item that I never waiver from are oversized button down shirts. I gravitate towards them when I don’t love any other tops with the bottoms I have on and I’m always playing around with ways I can style them. Over the last year or so, I’ve collected a few perfect pencil skirts and it’s no mystery why they’re a classic. They hug the body just enough to flatter the figure but not too much to the point of seeing every curve and crevice. I also like how they accentuate the waist when your top is tucked in and how classy and chic it feels to wear one. Enter: the staple of the season.

I set out to curate ways to easily have them on rotation. I made an espresso, put on a record on my record player, and took out my, A Dictionary of Color Combinations. Parsing through the hundreds of color combinations to decide what pencil skirt outfits I could create, ideas simmered. They then came to life…

The next time you’re walking around your neighborhood or spending time in nature as the leaves are changing this fall, challenge yourself to pay attention to the color combinations you see. Then try styling your staple(s) of the season, if it’s not pencil skirts, and notice the color combinations you gravitate towards. Sometimes all it takes is using external sources for inspiration to give you a fresh perspective.

P.S. For secondhand or vintage pencil skirts search Etsy, The RealReal, Poshmark, and Vestiaire Collective. You can also look at your local thrift and vintage stores.

Until next time…

With Love,