Why a winter skirt is the hardworking staple you need right now
It doesn’t take much in the way of detective work to discover that skirts are a finite resource. Search ‘skirt’ at Asos.com and around 2,500 options come up. Key in ‘dress’ and you get more than 17,000.
Why this should be is a mystery. Is a skirt not a multi-disciplinary entity, capable of looking good with shirts, jackets, knitwear and even, on rare occasions, bustiers? Is it not also feminine and multifaceted in all its A-line/pencil-skirted/pleated/bias-cut/ flippy/fishtailed/fan-tailed glory? Isn’t it also infinitely more versatile than a dress, which only ever seems to know how to do one thing (ie be a dress)?
Chevron-knit, £85, Uterqüe. Corduroy, £35, Marks & Spencer.
Maybe it’s versatility that holds it back. Sometimes a skirt seems too much like hard work. You have to find the right shirt/top/jumper – one that sits in harmony. Waistbands can be too high or too low, or they can just be too tight (how did that happen?). The same could be said of trousers, but we make allowances because they’re less demanding in other areas. They cover the legs, and that’s no small consideration in winter.
But once you sort out the leg issue (one word: boots) a skirt is the very thing to hoist you out of your trouser rut, especially this season’s batch of heavy-duty contenders in corduroy, tweed and textured wools.
Masscob velvet skirt, £235, MatchesFashion.com. Wool skirt, £245, Joseph. Gold-leaf midi, £450, Caramel.
What I love about Caramel’s gold-leaf- embellished midi is that it works with chunky jumpers and jackets, but can be dolled up with velvet kitten heels and a silky or metallic blouse. I also like the idea of a patterned tube like Uterqüe’s, which can be worn with a plain top, or an A-line cord that would look so good with a tweed jacket.
The dress may be in the ascendency, but the choice that comes with a skirt… The way it seamlessly slides up and down the register, depending what textures and patterns you pair it with, makes it very close to my heart. Especially now that most are long enough only to require ankle boots.
