When was the last time you popped on a skirt?
Inexplicably, they died somewhere between 2014 to 2016. Well, perhaps not inexplicably. I can still picture Theresa May wearing a slit-to-the-thigh navy skirt suit to meet Donald Tusk in 2016. Possibly a smart idea in theory, but when she sat down, that slit skirt exemplified the problem with (some) skirts. The customs union tangle had nothing on this situation.
Dresses are usually far simpler – a one-stop, no-brainer. Trousers are cosier in winter. I’m constantly totting up the number of skirts I see on the Tube, in the office, the supermarket – anywhere that isn’t a fashion show. Clue? Not many.
But skirts are creeping back, and not just as an afterthought but as infrastructure. Come autumn/winter, there may be even more, given how many skirts and skirt suits there were on the catwalks, particularly at Chanel, for which so many women have gone mad.
I felt duty-bound to try out a few skirts on your behalf.
What I discovered is that the right skirt is less a headache, and more a silhouette overhaul. There are only so many places to take trousers: skinny, wide, bootcut, flared. Once you’ve found what suits you, it’s all too easy to find yourself in a deep, seemingly inescapable rut.
But with a skirt, suddenly a new world of options opens up. With forethought, you can wear volume or pencil shapes, whatever your height or shape. You can make a virtue of your waist or, depending on the length of your top, your hips – it’s fashion geometry.
The right tops are key. Decide what part of your body you want to accentuate, and choose yours accordingly. If it’s your waist, or you want to make your legs look longer, then you’ll want to keep your waistband around your navel, or slightly higher, tucking your shirt into your waistband or selecting a fitted ribbed T-shirt or jumper that shows off your slim torso.
At Chanel, artistic director Matthieu Blazy styled many of the skirt suits with loose, untucked shirts: that makes the suits look youthful and cool, but it’s trickier to pull off if you’re not especially tall. Better to get your cool fix through texture. PVC, technical fabrics that have a satin sheen but can go in the washing machine, interesting prints that veer to the graphic rather than the twee… all are worth exploring.
Counterintuitively, a sensible plain navy or black skirt can be more challenging. Whatever you put it with, it can end up looking like a half-finished picture. Go for a statement instead – and something slightly contradictory on top: a crisp shirt or tailored jacket with a ruffled skirt; a soft knit with a patent or shiny skirt; a sweatshirt with tweed. Legs-wise, until it’s warm enough to go bare-legged, how about some stretchy knee boots that feel sufficiently lightweight to wear during spring, like these from The Fold?
And if you’re tempted to try out a skirt suit – so chic for Ascot etc – The Fold has the Ellingham skirt (and matching jacket, which can be bought separately), which is comfortable, weighty, slightly stretchy and washable. Its structure miraculously bounces back and gives Sarah Burton for Givenchy attitude, for a smidgeon of the Givenchy price.
Scroll for seven standout skirts to refresh your wardrobe
Lisa wears...
Wool cotton blend knitted t-shirt, £67, & Other Stories; Faux leather skirt, £260 and leather shoes, £260, Essentiel Antwerp; Gold plated and leather earrings, £45, L’Atelier 73; Acetate sunglasses, £160, Finlay.
Photography: Sarah Brick; Hair and makeup: Oonagh Connor at Joy Goodman; Styling: Sophie Tobin; Stylist assistant: Chelsea Clay.