Thursday, July 24, 2014

Teacher Style: Skirt Inspiration (13 Looks)

Last year, I created what I called the Teacher Wardrobe Series (click the link at the top of the blog to access all of the posts). I considered doing another round but wasn't exactly sure what to do until today. (Well, as you're reading this post, it's actually yesterday that the idea came to me. Semantics.) In order to clean out my closet and determine what closet "holes" for the school year that I wanted to fill, I played dress up. (Ummm...is that still anyone else's favorite game? OF COURSE IT IS.)

I wanted to try on all most of my skirts to be sure I wanted to keep them. I based the decision on fit (comfort, length, and tightness) and remixability. At the same time, I wanted to determine whether or not a few shirts were worth keeping. As you can see, the striped shirt is a clear winner despite the fact it almost found itself expatriated from my closet.

I highly suggest laying all of your skirts out at once and organizing them by color and also pay attention to type (pencil, A-line, etc.) I lined up all of my solid skirts in one row on the bed and my printed skirts in another row. I realized three holes I'd like to fill. One, I'd love to own an orange skirt. I own all of ROYGBIV except for the O; that bothers me more than it should. Plus, I really love orange. Two, I'd love to own a black skirt that's A-line and a bit more casual. I have one that's dressy and chiffon; another is the pencil skirt you see below. Three, I'd love to add a gray skirt that can be dressed up or down (maybe not jersey but a thicker, sturdier cotton and still in an A-line?) Do I need these items? No. However, if I happen upon them at an obscenely good price, I could be persuaded to make them mine.

Important note: I fully believe that it never hurts to try something on even if you think "it'll never work on me." No pencil skirt ever fits you but you love that one, try it on, and find out that it fits like a dream. It's like a Sisterhood of the Traveling Skirts moment. Allow both clothing items and people to surprise you by giving them a chance. However, with that being said, determine which cut you like best and gravitate toward that silhouette if you'd like to feel less overwhelmed by options.

For you Pinterest lovers, I created a main image in case you'd like to remember this post in the future. If your eyes aren't made of magnifying glasses, then you might want full-sized images, which I provided, of course. 


Skirt 1: Pink LOFT skirt with pockets (bought on thredUP)
(Shirt is Tommy Hilfiger Outlet; Shoes are J.Crew Factory)

 Skirt 2: Navy A-line Jersey Skirt from LOFT
(Flats are Merona from Target; Shirt is Tommy Hilfiger Outlet.)


Skirt 3: White Pencil Skirt from LOFT  
(Shirt: Tommy Hilfiger Outlet; Shoes: J.Crew Factory)

Skirt 4: Pleated Mustard Skirt from Banana Republic
(Top: Mudd via kids' section at Kohl's--what? I have no chest!
Shoes: Mia via DSW
Cardigan and Belt: New York & Co.)

Skirt 5: Printed skirt from White House Black Market 
(Top: New York and Co.
Cardigan: The Limited
Shoes: J.Crew Factory)

Skirt 6: Black Pencil Skirt from The Limited
(Top: New York & Co.
Cardigan: The Limited
Shoes: J.Crew Factory)

 Same Skirt as before, but I opted for all black and white with a bit of a print. I figured I'd show you both looks.


Skirt 7: Sequin-covered pencil skirt from White House Black Market
 Who says a party skirt, of the right length, can't be work appropriate? This might actually become my first day of school outfit. I love it so much. 
(Cardigan: Banana Republic via thredUP
Top: New York & Co.
Shoes: J.Crew Factory)

Skirt 8: Pink Scalloped Skirt from LOFT
(Top: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's
Cardigan: The Limited
Shoes: J.Crew Factory)

Skirt 9: Khaki A-line skirt from The Limited
This color combination is my favorite of the bunch. This look is also a strong contender for day 1. 
(Top: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's
Cardigan: The Limited
Shoes: Dana Buchanan via Kohl's)

Skirt 10: I threw a wild card at you. It's actually a Banana Republic Outlet dress I disguised as a skirt.
(Top: LOFT
Shoes: Sole Society)

Skirt 11: polka dot pencil skirt from Forever 21 (this skirt is OLD)
(Top: New York & Co
Shoes: J.Crew Factory)

Skirt 12: Khaki & Coral Skirt from Lauren Conrad
(I came up hopelessly empty on these options.)
  I think this outfit looks better than it photographed. Poo.
(Top: The Limited
Shoes: J.Crew Factory)


Which look is your favorite? Would you like to see more skirt inspiration? You haven't seen even half of my collection. Would you like some pants inspiration? What about dresses? I hope so because I was planning to throw all of these at you.

Note: modify looks based on your needs. Can't wear heels or open-toed shoes? Wear flats instead. Need a cardigan to cover up your arms? Okay, do it. Every school has different rules for dressing, so do what works best for you and your environment. Even if that means wearing bicycle shorts under your skirts because you crawl around on the floor with small children all day. (I think sticking with pants might be better in this case, but to each her own.)

8 comments:

  1. Ooh you are making me really ready to break out my work clothes again. I actually was just thinking about this and promising myself that I would do a better job of wearing my skirts this school year. It looks like an at-home fashion show is in my future!

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  2. I can't pick a favorite, however, I an excited to wear my dress clothes again, I have missed them!

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  3. Love this post! I just wish I fit into more of my skirts that I bought around the time I got married and started teaching. I don't know if I knew you had a khaki skirt (from The Limited). I have one just like it in a pencil version, and I could use more inspiration. I would love to see winter skirt inspiration, but we can wait for that one. I also want to invest in some trousers that actually fit. Long story short, I went to the mall in a dress, wanted to try on a top at Dillard's, feel awkward trying on tops without pants, so I grabbed some from the store, and they were amazing. I mean, they should be considering they were $120 black work pants. But still. Also, if you weren't losing weight (and if you wanted it), I'd send you my black pleated a-line skirt. It's been in the "I'd send it to consignment if I could get more than $2 for it" pile for months. Have a great weekend!

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  4. You have so many fun skirts! It's great to pull everything out and see what you have every so often. I'm thinking I need to re-do my closet inventory every 6 months to see what I'm missing! Because otherwise, I end up with 3 pencil skirts in different shades of blue.

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  5. Your outfits make me want to go back to teaching just so I can dress up.

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  6. I love this post so much. I enjoy seeing all (or I guess part) of your closet. I don't recognize some of these skirts (the last one, the khaki a-line, and the WHBM printed skirt) while I see a few of my favorites (the sequin skirt!!!, the mustard skirt!!!). Although pencil skirts seem to be everyone's closet staple, I find that I don't like them for me all that much. They aren't very comfortable to move in! I bought several because that's what I saw all the bloggers wearing so I thought I needed them too. I do like how slimming they are, I just realize I never really choose to wear them. I"d much prefer a looser a-line instead. I need to do have a wardrobe try on, one group of pieces at a time. This is a fantastic idea.

    Oh, I think my favorite is the all black and white or the mustard skirt outfit, although they're all great and will make getting dressed easier with these inspirational outfits!

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  7. I can't believe how prepared you are for the school year already (at least in terms of your wardrobe). Maybe I should start getting my act together... In any case, I love the mustard skirt + plaid top and also the brown skirt + polka dots + red cardi! Definitely a good first day of school outfit!

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  8. Yep, you're a rockstar. I adore this post! I'm so glad you're keeping that striped Tommy Hilfiger shirt - it is so pretty, and very versatile! I think my favorite skirts featured here are your navy jersey skirt, the khaki A-line, and your pink scalloped skirt. All of these outfits are so cute and I can see them working very well in the classroom! I would LOVE to see more of this kind of post...and you're right, playing dress up is the best!!

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