It took a week, but here we go… 100 summer skirts for every shape, size and price point (all under £250). There are some for as low as £8 and some that cozy right up to £250. But, before we get into the 100 skirts, chosen after scouring over 150 websites, I wanted to address a few key points about wearing skirts in general. I asked the question, “do you love or loathe wearing skirts and why?” and I was overwhelmed with the response. I was also surprised by the number of women that don’t wear skirts because of five main reasons. Truly, it was like you were all reading from the same script about why we, as women, don’t feel comfortable in skirts. So, let me address those issues head on, and knock them all right in the head!
1. Chub Rub
Ladies who wrote in about that horrible chafing in between your thighs… please know that I had over 500 messages from women stating they stay away from dresses and skirts entirely in the summer, because they are not members of the thigh gap club. I don’t know too many people that are card carrying members. Women, most of us have this problem. Our thighs touch. And, in summer, that spells misery. For years, I avoided wearing anything in summer that didn’t protect my legs. If I wore a dress, in the heat, I’d come home with bleeding and rashed thighs. No joke. Blood. Then, I was introduced to a product that did actually change everything. And I tell every woman I meet that they need this product in their lives. If you don’t know Megababe, drop everything and order this right now. It’s a balm, that comes in a stick form, that you simply swipe onto your thighs before leaving the house. It makes your thighs feel like silk rubbing on silk. You forget you have thighs! I have been using this since the first month Megababe came into existence and I actually panic when I get down to my last inch of product in the stick. Buy this and thigh chafe will be a thing of the past! I promise you. It is my desert island beauty buy. {Buying – If you are in the USA, pick it up at Target. If you live in Europe, the UK or Canada, you can order it here…and I would advise buying in bulk or buying with friends to justify the shipping cost. I go through about four sticks a year, if that helps you at all with ordering).
2. Body confidence, shape, style and knowing who you are!!!!!
This is a much bigger conversation, but the vast majority of messages I worked my way through involved talking about how big bums, tums and how they don’t look good in skirts. First of all, I’m not going to sit here and say, “love everything about your body and get over it.” That would do no one any good. I totally get the idea that there are some elements of your body that you love and some that you have issues with when it comes to dressing. That is absolutely ok, and really it’s to each their own on that one. But, if I may be so bold, can I suggest that you throw out any preconceived notions you have about yourself and skirts for just a moment? There is always a way around making a skirt work in your wardrobe and, in my experience, every single woman can pull off a skirt, if they know the right ways to wear one
Firstly, let me say, do you know your body type? Get to know yours, ladies. Spend a lot of time getting to know the body you have, not the body you think you want to have. This is you, in the here and now! Wardrobe for this you and as and when, change when change happens. Here’s what I would recommend for general style tips. This is brief as can be, and I’m always available should you want some personal assistance. Just use that contact tab!
- A gathered skirt works for just about every shape. I feel like so many woman are terrified of the dreaded gathered waist skirt because of the volume of fabric. Newsflash! Gathered skirts work for just about every body type and they work wonders for showcasing waists and distracting from things you are no so keen on. That’s why you see me wearing on regularly. I have a spare tire coming with my middle as I dig into my forties, and the most comfortable outfits I wear these days are gathered skirts that showcase my waist and don’t cling to my stomach. They are comfortable sitting, standing, running and playing and they are everywhere right now, in great fabrics, prints and various lengths.
- Get thee a pencil skirt! I feel like this is the hardest style for women to believe in, especially if you have a tummy (and I’m mentioning this a lot as I had thousands of messages from women who have bigger stomachs that refuse to wear skirts). You can work with a pencil in a few ways. I absolutely have to wear spanx with mine, if I’m doing a tuck situation. For the record, I don’t use Spanx to slim. I use Spanx to skim… yes, I want the skirt to skim my body, not showcase every lump and bump (of which I have a few). If I’m not in the mood to wear Spanx, as we all know it’s a mood, I use the pencil skirt to layer. I throw a large shirt overtop, roll up the sleeves and put on some heels….instant chic. Or, I put on an oversized sweater that comes down to at least the top of my thigh. Pencil skirts, when worn layered under oversized garments are chic as hell, in my opinion.
- Look for elastic! My favourite skirts of all time have an elasticated waist. I hate a buttoned waist. I have loads of them, but only because I couldn’t say no to something about the design. If I had my choice, I’d live in elasticated waist skirts. I tell my clients, “this is your out of home sweatpant.” It should feel comfortable as all get out. You should be able to pull the skirt out so you could fit at least 1/4 of another person in there. Not so big that it falls down, but so big that you forget you’re wearing anything at all. These skirts exist. They are fully elasticated and you need at least three of this style in your wardrobe, in my opinion.
- Embrace bold and beautiful colours and prints. I realise not everyone is a daredevil when it comes to fashion, so I’ve kept things a bit of everything here in my edit. But, if I may be so bold as to say…. the best skirts are the loud skirts! Skirts should be fun. They should be attention grabbing. They should be something you can throw on and feel like a million dollars, just like a dress. They should be easy garments, but fabulous in every single way. Embrace crazy, here, folks. Just go for it. Remember fashion is supposed to be fun.
3. The dreaded tuck in!… you feel like you can’t do it so give up on skirts entirely.
I had a lot of woman asking about how on earth you tuck a sweater into a skirt, or how they can wear a skirt without making their boobs look too prominent in separating the body with a skirt/ shirt situation. Well, the short answer is this… it’ all about where your waist sits. I know that’s not really an answer, but you have to be aware of it to understand how this effects the whole tucking in and boob situation. If you have a high waist, tucking isn’t really an option because you will be tucking essentially right under your boobs. You need a very specific style of skirt (think Jane Austen) to make this work. For most people, I say this….embrace cropped tops or go oversized. Cropped should not be misinterpreted to mean, “show off my tummy.” No, a cropped top is simply a top that only overlaps the skirt slightly, it’s short enough to give you a nice silhouette but long enough to keep everything covered. I actually prefer this to a tuck and have a number of tops that are in my closet exclusively for pairing with skirts or high waisted trousers.
However, if you are going to tuck, be very mindful of what you’re tucking. Choose shirts that will lie flat when tucked, have little to no volume to them, or are just a bodysuit (this is truly the awesome solution). Again, you have to think about the length of the shirt as well, as you want it to stay tucked. It’s all about planning.
4. “How do I even begin to style a skirt? I’m totally lost on this!”…. This was an actual quote from a reader. So here we go…
MY BEST EVER ADVICE FOR SKIRT BUYING AND STYLING. Look at the models! It’s that easy. Even looking at the 100 skirts below, you will see them styled 100 different ways, from rock shirt pairings to simple white tank tops, and everything in between. Everything I learned about style, I learned from other stylists, by looking at models and magazines and then applying the same look to myself and being honest about what works and what doesn’t work. Let’s define, “what works” so we’re absolutely clear. What I think works on my body is about two things: comfort and confidence. Do I feel comfortable wearing this all day long and do I feel amazing in myself as I walk around in it? I ask myself both questions every morning, with every outfit. If either answer is a no, I change immediately until I get it right. What’s the point otherwise?
5. “Skirts are too old school and feminine”
… Bullshit. No, really. That was my exact answer to that reader response. Have you looked at some the most iconically bad ass women of history? Have you looked at female rock legend hard asses wearing skirts with doc martens and rock tees? Skirts are for every woman (and men… hello, kilts and sarongs on a man.. yes!). As with everything in fashion, if you make your own, it’s whatever you want it to be… but it’s certainly not off limits!
So, that’s a brief lesson in skirt wearing. So brief. I could go on for days. But, with the knowledge from above, look at these 100 skirts, and see if any could now work their way into your wardrobe. They are for various body shapes, sizes and price points. I tried to include something for everyone…. Please note, affiliate links are used in this post.
Sizes 6-18
£45
Sizes 6-18
Clearance £87
Sizes 4-22
£34.99
Size 14-30
Clearance £19.50
Sizes 8-18
£79
Sizes Small-XXL
$27.19
Size 6-16
£98
Sizes 6-18
£59.50
Sizes 08-18
£65
Sizes 6-14
Clearance £221
Sizes 6-20
£18.40
Sizes 6-16
£60
Embroidered Front Button Skirt
Sizes 6-16
Clearance £42
Sizes 4-22
£34.99
Sizes 2-18
Clearance $49.99
Size XS-XL
Clearance £91.37
Sizes XS-XL
£49.99
Sizes 6-18
Clearance £40
Sizes 38-44IT
Clearance £207
Sizes 8-14
£150
Sizes 6-20
£110
Sizes 10-26
Clearance £8.40
Sizes 34-42GER
Clearance £51
Sizes 4-22
£39.99
Sizes 4-22
£39.99
Size XXS-XL
£199
Sizes 2-18
Clearance £87.50
Sizes 2-16
Clearance £211.85
Sizes 00-10
Clearance £131.40
Sizes 4-18
£28
Sizes 4-18
£35
Sizes 18-28
Price £32
Size XS-XXL
$148
Sizes 4-14
£48
Size 14-30
£26
Sizes S-XXL
Clearance £13.50
Sizes 8-18
£79
Size XS-Large
Clearance $148
Size XS-M
Clearance Price $120.99
Size 0-12
Clearance $49.99
Size 6-16
£175
Sizes XXS-XL
£215
Sizes 36-44FR
£211
Sizes XS-XL
Clearance $59.99
Sizes 6-12
£74
Sizes 16-24
Clearance £14
Sizes XS-XL
£39.99
Size XS-3X
$118
Sizes 36-48Eu
Clearance $19.59
Sizes XS-Large
£250
Sizes 34-44
£208
Sizes Small-Large
Clearance £220
Sizes XS-Large
£69
Size 4-18
Clearance £23.20
Sizes 6-18
£75
Sizes XS-XL
£149
Sizes 2-18
£175
Sizes Small-XXL
Clearance $41.23
Sizes S-XL
Clearance $44.97
Sizes 0X-4X
Clearance $18.36
Sizes 4-14
Clearance £126.42
Size 6-22
Clearance £22
Sizes 6-22
£120
French Navy and Ivory Pleated Skirt
Sizes 6-22
£140
Sizes 0-16US
$88
Sizes 0-16
$88
Sizes XS-XL
Clearance $49.99
Sizes XS-XL
£199
Sizes XS-XXL
Clearance $23.79
Sizes XXS-XL
£375
(I know it’s over, it’s the only one…but it’s so gorgeous I had to include)
Sizes Small-Large
Clearance $27.73
Sizes S-XL
£45
Sizes XS-Large
£131.79
Sizes 4-18
Clearance £28
Sizes S-XL
£45
Sizes XS-Large
Clearance £198
Size 0-4 (not great options here, I know guys, but it was a beautiful skirt so wanted to share on the off chance there’s someone small enough to add this to their wardrobe).
Clearance $235
Sizes XS-XL
Clearance $59.99
Sizes XS-XXL
Clearance $20.40
Floral Print and Polka Dot Skirt
Sizes 6-18
Clearance £24
Sizes XS-XL
Clearance £73.56
Sizes XS-Large
Clearance £136.77
Sizes XS-Large
£202
Sizes XS-XL
£160
Sizes XS-XL
$109
Sizes 6-18
£38
Sizes 6-16
Clearance £35
Size 6-18
Clearance £75
Sizes 4-22
£19.99
