July 24, 2020
Her email to me was urgent, but self-effacing. She REALLY wants this skirt – I mean really really really REALLY wants it… but she doesn’t want to be a bother…
Such nice people you all are!
But who could resist this challenge? It’s mid-calf, it’s pull on, it’s got some great colors:
Our heroine was thinking of this as the pivot piece in a travel capsule wardrobe – would that be possible? I say – resoundingly – YES!
Let’s start with a couple of tank tops and a 2nd layer for freezing indoor temps, as well as cool outdoor evenings:
Tank tops – Lands’ End; knit overshirt – Lands’ End; skirt – J.Crew; gold sandals – Talbots
A couple of uncomplicated pink tee shirts, and some sparkle earrings! And yes, you absolutely can wear Keds with skirts; it’s relaxed and brings the dressiness level of your cool skirt down a notch or two:
Glitter hoop earrings – Ava & Aiden; neon flamingo tee – J.Crew; bohemian rose tee – J.Crew; skirt – J.Crew; shoes – Keds
Oh my, this isn’t the most readily available shade of green! But one can always wear something beautifully summery in white here…
Earrings – V by Lauran Vann; white linen top – Banana Republic; linen tee – Banana Republic; skirt – J.Crew
So here’s where she is so far (yes, I missed her pink Keds…). At this point, this is, of course, long on tops and absolutely insanely short on bottoms…
So let’s hook up our heroine with some more bottoms! I looked for a LONG time to find another print to bring into this wardrobe – Lilly Pulizer has lots of shorts, pants and skirts that would be perfect, but which were only available in very limited sizes.
And let’s assume that our heroine isn’t ready for a lot more shopping, eh?
So (with the exception of the painfully appealing pink pants), this might be things found in many summer wardrobes:
yes, the pink linen pants match one of the tee shirts exactly – I searched on the J.Crew site for the same “bohemian rose” color. This often helps turn up garments that you might miss, that might be useful…
White linen shorts – Caslon; white skort – Lands’ End; white jeans – Lands’ End; bohemian rose linen pants – J.Crew
Of course, you could also include beige, chambray, or denim blue with this wardrobe.
NOW, this is what she has sorted out to pack:
If you’re white-phobic, this might be a challenging wardrobe, but it certainly has lots of possibilities for what to wear!
Do you ever obsess about a garment that you might buy? I spent quite a long time pondering my new pink cardigan before it came home with me…
love,
Janice
p.s. If you’re looking at something at the Nordstrom site and it shows “out of stock” try just refreshing your browser – often, that’s all you need to do to make merchandise magically restock! (not really, but it works…)
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In 1967 I was 9. I wanted hot pink shoes so badly but they were not available to me. I took my white Keds and dyed them hot pink. I LOVED those pink shoes and I think our heroine will too.
You were my kind of girl… We would have definitely been friends!
hugs,
Janice
I would love to see some better quality fabrics and more detailed sewing in garments. $144 for a 100% polyester skirt with an elastic waistband seems expensive to me but my daughter tells me I’m out of touch. Anyone with the smallest modicum of sewing skills could duplicate this look in an hour for $10.
Like me you regard value for money higher than a brand name. Good for you.
Have you sewn recently? I agree, $144 for a polyester skirt is pricey, but sewing is not the bargain it was of my youth. There are good deals to be had, but I fear you’d spend more than $10 in these times. I’ll be 62 in September and spent my college years as the notions and trims girl in a locally owned sewing shop. Ah, to go back to those days, and those fabrics!!!
In my opinion your daughter is out of touch :)
Can’t help but agree, even though finding good quality fabrics for sewing isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Still, in my experience, even with very basic sewing and knitting skills enable one to make garments that are far better value than their store-bough counterparts.
Right now I’m working on a cardigan. Ready-made cardigans I could have bought at the price of yarn would have been sweatshop-made from plastic (acrylic) instead of real wool. Sure, there is the “trouble” of knitting, but that’s more relaxation than work really…
Only problem with woollen garments are moths munching holes.
I agree! I absolutely hate polyester. It’s so cheap and staticky. Basically, it’s plastic, so it will never return to the earth as a natural fabric will. For $144 I also want some design details, especially pockets, not just an elastic waist.
A beautiful skirt, and the wardrobe built around it is terrific. I’m a bit surprised how much I like the two shades of pink here; they both have a cool quality to the color that makes them compatible. I would happily wear the light and dark pink in the same outfit. I think I might prefer a dark pink top with the light pink pants even…the matched set looks a bit like pajamas or scrubs in the photos, though worn and accessorized, that resemblance would probably diminish. A nice example for those of us who are looking at how to blend multiple variants on the same color.
I absolutely love colorful Keds, and am so glad to see that the sneakers + skirt look is mainstream. I don’t own any right now because I am still wearing the same 3 pairs of Rocket Dog distressed sneakers that I bought, my goodness, over 10 years ago; they have lost their support for long periods of walking/standing but are still great for running errands (remember that?) and general knocking around in the summer use.
I find myself very attracted to various pairs of Keds, but I don’t wear sneakers to work, which limits their scope. And I remind myself that I know from experience that colorful high vamp sneakers worn with skirts or shorts doesn’t do my robust legs any favors, so they’re not a super-versatile summer shoe for me. So I have resisted. (I need a tea mug that says “Nevertheless, she resisted” haha.) But I have found a pair with whappage that I am NOT buying, but have put up on my second monitor to look at and enjoy (why not sometimes treat pretty clothing and accessories like art, right?). These beauties linked below. Now isn’t that a fun pair of shoes to build a vacation capsule around? Quite seriously, if I had a travel vacation planned, as I had hoped to do this summer, they probably would have made their way into my closet because think how they would ramp up a very simple outfit of T and capri pants etc.
https://www.modcloth.com/shop/shoes/keds-right-on-the-rose-canvas-sneaker-in-navy-multi-floral/168019.html#product-thumbnail-3
I have a tattoo that says “Nevertheless, she resisted.” It’s a great motivator when I’m trying to lift weights..
hugs,
Janice
Haha, that is PERFECT!
This is an absolutely beautiful skirt! I agree about sewing, it would be so easy to make. If only that fabric was available.
Ida (sorry the reply button isn’t work for me today)…that’s a really good point. My sewing skills are meager, but I can easily make (and have made) skirts with an elastic waistband. You really don’t even need a pattern, and there are a lot of tutorials online that will walk you through it. But it’s been a while since I’ve sewn anything but fabric face masks, so I haven’t kept up with what fabrics are available at what cost. Do you have any recommendations for a person interested in replicating the look of this J Crew skirt in a home-sewn skirt?
It is hard to tell from the picture how drapey/crisp the fabric is. For drapey I would try double brushed poly which comes in tons of prints. For crisp I would use lawn, also available lots of places.
Oh, I would jump on that skirt in a hot minute!!! I love it!!! I love the pink and green. Reminds me of the early 80s when those were constantly paired up in my wardrobe. So fresh and fun. A wonderful wardrobe.
I love the skirt too and they’re not even my colours, I’m not a pink person. This collection is perfect for summer which I’m avidly waiting for the warmer weather to arrive in Australia!
Reply button isn’t working for me either, but yes, there are still great fabric stores out there. A longtime Chicago standby (yes, they ship!) is https://www.voguefabricsstore.com/. (No I’m not affiliated, but they have been the source for everything from wardrobe standbys and quilting fabric to lace for my wedding dress and upholstery for my furniture. And if anybody’s into buttons…). Enjoy!
Oh my, I did a search on that site for “floral fabric” and what a delight! And polyester fabric is only about $3.00 per yard?! (I have never bought polyester so I didn’t realize how cheap it is.) Now I understand where Ida was coming from with the skirt being under $10 to make. I really like this cotton stretch floral that is only $7.99 per yard, for example. Thanks for the info!
https://www.voguefabricsstore.com/vf203-06-havana-flora-colorful-floral-stretch-woven-cotton-print-fabric.html?category_id=127
Thanks for the link! I love the blues and greens in this cotton stretch fabric. https://www.voguefabricsstore.com/vf203-12-nassau-botanic-medium-weight-stretch-woven-cotton-damask-print-fabric.html?category_id=3439
For Sally in St Paul, I cannot tell from the photo how drapey/crisp the skirt is. For drapey I would use double brushed poly. There are some beautiful prints online at Raspberry Creek Fabrics. For crisp, I would use lawn. Lots of summery prints online at Hawthorne Supply Company.
Another good fabric choice would be a rayon that draped well. Rayon isn’t as easy-care as poly, but it often looks nicer, in my opinion.
Thank you PixieSews and SewingLibrarian! More excellent information. Rayon and double brushed poly seem to be under $7 per yard typically. Even the lawn fabric is not expensive. I have a crush on this one that $11.50 per yard.
https://www.hawthornesupplyco.com/collection-name-fabric-collection-by-designer-name/english-garden-in-navy/FCA4443F00F8/
Oooo thank you for sharing that link, I hadn’t come across that site before. I love to support small business owners when I can.
I looked at this wardrobe and immediately thought that it would benefit from another print like a candy stripe, check or ditsy print in similar colours. If I have a patterned skirt in a holiday wardrobe, I will include a patterned top in similar colours. Florals look good with stripes or checks. A ploy often used by interior designers.
I like paisley and if this was a blouse in my colours, I would be keen. Paisley skirts can look a bit twee, mumsy and frumpy if you are small and pear-shaped like me; the round pattern just emphasises my shape and the scale of the pattern is often too big on my lower half. I tend to wear plain bottoms to draw the eye up. However, skirts with hidden elastic are very comfortable and look smooth like a waisted skirt, whilst giving a bit during the day.
I also agree that the quality of material doesn’t equate with the cost of the garment. I used to volunteer in a charity shop. We often used to get clothes with sale tags on. We were supposed to sell new items at one third of the retail price but sometimes the quality of the material, stitching and finishing was poorer than cheaper brands. We used to remove the tag and put a reasonable price on but the poor quality of the garment often meant that it it was sent to be recycled after a couple of weeks.
Perhaps expensive brands should be asked to justify their prices. I can’t believe it’s because they are paying garment factory workers more money, particularly when the same factory is making clothes for different brands who charge a variety of prices. The global textile market deserves our scrutiny.
When clothes shops reopened I found a skirt by chance in a charity shop for £5! Its linen but has a hidden elastic band which is smooth when on. The floral and leaf pattern is in shades of blue, purple, pink and grey on an off- white background. It will be perfect to build a holiday wardrobe around because I have several tops and cardigans in my wardrobe that will coordinate with it, even my dark blue tops. A £5 investment that will keep me going for several years.
However, I still hunt for the elusive purple patterned skirt!
I always look forward to the time of year when I can wear my favorite pink Keds again (four seasons here in the northeast US means they are stored many months). Such a simple pleasure in a complex world. Makes me smile every time I wear them. And, I’ve started wearing them with casual dresses and love the look AND the comfort!
I too love that skirt but would go heavy on the orange. All the wonderful suggestions for fabrics have got me drooling. Thank goodness my mother taught me to sew and during these times I am passing that on to my daughter and her friends, spending lovely days making custom fit garments for their wardrobes.
Making something yourself definitely helps you realise what a garment should cost, and brings home how poorly most garment workers are being paid. It also helps spot why something might be worth more due to the detailing or complicated construction. Often it’s just massive markup for the retailer or designer.
Thanks to everyone who shared fabulous links which I am about to explore ?
I know that your daughter and her friends are thrilled with the fruits of your love and labor! During the pandemic I sewed a few clothes for my granddaughter’s doll, and realized that I know nothing about sewing knits! – nancyo
The problem with Knowing how to sew is finding the freakin’ fabric. Too few Fabric stores in this country. The whole of AZ where I live has none, unless you count a couple of quilt stores and hobby Lobby (grrr). I do go online, but trying to find a certain fabric is very frustrating. So, knowing how to easily put that skirt together is so much of a battle I’d certainly just buy it rather taking weeks online, then probably not find it anyway.
Hi Janice and everyone: I LOVE that skirt, and the potential for pinks, greens, and oranges.
When it comes to sewing, I am a much better cook.
What a gorgeous feast for the eyes you’ve made for us Janice! White phobic? Never! There’s nothing like it for summer!
I wasn’t sure I “got” that slip skirt. Wish the J Crew site showed it on a model. I was able to find similar skirts on models with a Google search. I think it would be tricky to wear. My gosh, it would be easy to sew! Whenever I sew something I don’t like it, even if it’s a dupe for the $144 store item.
As a thrift shop Lilly Pulitzer fan, I love the pink, green, white and orange colors.
Love the wardrobe created around it. Hope to make similar pieces.
Thanks also for the fabric sources and I will patronize them once I find a newer sewing machine.
Grandma’s 1950s model gave up and I cannot find parts or needles for Great Grandma’s 1930 Singer treadle machine.
All I want is an inexpensive, basic machine to sew knits, not available anywhere. Sewing masks has become quite the industry.
The old machines offered as a gift or for sale cannot be used for knits so the search goes on.
A contrary cautionary tale: I fell in love with a red, orange and black patterned skirt several summers ago and bought it, as it went nicely with several things already in my wardrobe. I wore it maybe three times before donating it two years later. The passion of the moment had caused me to forget two things: although I love red and black, they “feel” hot to me, and I prefer plain bottoms. Lesson learned: in love and fashion, don’t let a crush cause you to throw out everything you know about yourself.