the case of the reappearing skirt
a literal example of circular fashion (and a bonus brat girl summer pick)
During a particularly rough stretch of late-summer heat last year, I started feeling a pull towards a breezy midi skirt. After much scrolling on Poshmark and Etsy, I settled on a navy one with a large scale floral pattern. When it arrived, I took a closer look at the pattern. Something seemed familiar. This was not the first time I had owned this skirt.
It all came back to me when I found this photo, a proto-iPhone selfie from sophomore year of college. Back then, I wore the skirt mostly in the winter—accompanied by tights, secondhand Justin boots from a store on Third Ave, a stretchy lace shirt from my hometown thrift store, and a Pendleton coat from a Goodwill in Boston, much heavier than it was warm. I don’t know what I did with it or where it ended up—there’s a non-zero chance that I bought this same exact skirt twice.
Most of the skirts I own are ones I’ve had for many years. The first photographic evidence of another floral skirt I wear today (photo on the right, July 2024) is a heavily filtered Instagram post from my last day of work at the bookstore (photo on the left, June 2013).
But there are many more that didn’t make the cut over the last few years than just the titular one in this post. Another favorite was a block-printed wrap skirt in a rough cotton from a vintage store in St. Pete. There was a ditsy floral print rayon skirt from Express with rouleau loops all the way down the front. In high school, I had a frilly lace skirt from the sale rack at Anthropologie, each tier a different shade of blush or brown like an eyeshadow palette.
What happened to all of these skirts? A combination of practicality and evolving style. I was nannying and working in schools, going up and down countless flights of stairs rather than the sedentary territory of the office building. I felt more comfortable exploring typically masculine and baggy styles. I found jeans that fit me. The pants revolution happened! But I do miss having a wider selection, especially in the summer. So I’ve begun looking for another skirt (hopefully not one I’ve owned before) to add to the rotation. And this time I’ll hold onto it, even if I don’t wear it for a couple years!
What I’m looking for: not pencil, something loose. Definitively below the knee, but not full-on maxi—want to be certain the hem won’t touch the street or subway stairs. Not full on a-line, but not a column. Ideally cotton, linen, or silk, but we’ll settle for rayon if we need to because it drapes nicely.
Some search terms to use: tiered, wrap, bias cut, button-front, drop-waist, gored, godet
And some secondhand options, sorted vaguely by category or occasion / level of dressiness / general vibe:
How I’d wear it:
How I’d wear it:
How I’d wear it:
How I’d wear it:
As always, if you buy one of the items in the newsletter—send pics!
Close readers remember how you intentionally didn’t buy the same dress twice so it’s kind of funny how this happened serendipitously lol!
You have reminded me how much I love a flowy midi skirt - something that was a huge wardrobe staple for me in my mid-twenties, too! I will be considering adding that Derek Lam one to my cart today!