Short Skirts...Long on Style & Value

Today's post will be on a couple of short skirts I have picked up recently.  Both of which are, IMO, very cute, fun for summer, and a great value for the money.

First, >Old Navy Women's Linen Blend Whirly Skirt (#730585, $24.50, curr on promo for $15 in store).  I tried and then purchased after seeing Gigi's post when ON first instituted the dress/skirt promo.  I also used an in-store 15% off coupon to get it for $13.50.  Not too shabby for a summer skirt.  (and how can you not love the name "whirly"???)

I got the flax skirt; it's also available onlin in white, cobalt ink, and honey pot.  The B&M may have had more colors - to be honest, I don't really remember because when it comes to linen, there's nothing better than khaki for me.  (Which is why I was so bummed the JC Playa dress was only in the white & papaya - I still think it would have been perfect in khaki.)

This skirt is short - 16", as mentioned online.  However, because the elastic is only in the back and the rest of the waistband is nice and wide, it's very easy to wear low on the hip.  And in summertime, that's probably comfy, too.  I got an M, which gave me plenty of room for the nudge down on the hips trick. (If you plan to wear at your waist, you will want to size down.) At this length, I think it works fine...as long as I'm wearing flat sandals or sneakers with it.

And that would be in direct contrast to the dreaded JC Nico skirt, which has an extremely wide elastic as its waistband that creates mega-muffintop on anyone trying to nudge it down to get the length to a decent level, if they're short-shinned like me.

I love the pockets - I think they give the skirt some extra style.  But the key is wearing the skirt low enough so that the pockets aren't adding width to the hips.  But you definitely want a streamlined top with this skirt - nothing too blousy.

Next skirt...from Target.  No...not Liberty of London.  Actually, did they even have women's skirts?  Because that would have been way cute.  >Merona Women's Patchwork Madras Skirt (orig $19.99, in store on sale for $14.99, online for $8).  (Tough choice here - do I get a price adjustment from the 19.99, or re-order online?)  I have been semi-coveting this ever since >Sweet Tea in Seattle got a similar one last summer from Target. 

I got it in a 10, figuring that I may want to wear it a bit down on the hips since it's much shorter than the online picture would make you think.  And the 10 works.  I love it with the navy tee here, even though I just grabbed that to throw on with both skirts.  (And yes, if I wear the tee sans cami, I definitely need a dark bra.)

Not much more to say on this skirt - I love the patchwork madras, the fit is just fine, I can't wait to wear it with tanks or tees this summer, and it will be great with sandals, flip flops, or sneakers.

Easy...just like a summer skirt should be...

Spring is Sprung....the J Crew Nico Skirt

Spring is sprung
The sun is riz
I wonder where
The birdies is.

And that concludes my very poor attempt at poetry. (Sorry...it's a fave of my dad's.) And today the new arrivals are online at J Crew, and I'm headed in to my B&M to check them out...assuming I get my work done this morning. Speaking of online at J Crew...did you see that the 30% off sale was extended through Sunday. I've been so strong so far....

But first, I wanted to share one of the pieces from the earlier release that I really haven't seen in bloggy-land. (and if someone has posted it, please let me know and I'll update here)

Presenting - the Nico skirt (#22994, $59.50) in faded black, vintage gray, and sandalwood. Also now available in the black blossom print. I do think this is a really cute skirt. But...it just did not work on me.

This is the size 8. The problem on me is the length. This skirt is 18" and that's way too short on me, at 5'10" with my long femur. As you can see on me...as well as the models.

Speaking of proportions...I will refer you all back to JCAUNCMom's excellent post on skirt length. Are you a short shinner or long shinner? I'm a short shinner and that's why this doesn't work. JCAUNCMom also had great posts on short vs. long waisted and the skinny bits trick. Definitely worth a read, whether you've never seen them before or you have - good time to refresh the memory.

Back to the skirt...Ok, 18" isn't as short as some of the minis, however...in spite of JC's assurance that you can wear this low on the waist, unless you have about 5% body fat or size way way up (ok, I did do the way size up trick when I got the wool shirred skirt, but that sucker was on sale for $35, not FP) that's not going to work. Why? Because the waistband is one giant piece of elastic. I cringe at how awful this looked when I tried to tug it down a couple of inches. It created muffin tops and bulges I didn't even know I had. Not a fun experience.

Also, this skirt really works best if you're a tucker-inner. And I don't tuck anything in (see info on short vs. long waister above - I loved these posts because they validated the way I've always dressed - hemlines above the knee and sweater/shirts always untucked - now I just have the technical info to back it up). As you can see in my dressing room pic, it's cute with a top tucked in, even if that top was just the cami I was wearing under my sweater. (btw, it looks shorter on me IRL, more like the online pics. I think the angle of the camera made it look a bit more substantial than it actually was.)

So why am I recommending this skirt? Because it's really cute. I love the shape - just a bit of fullness, but not too much. What fun summer skirt, with a tee and sandals or sneakers. And with a bit of pressing, it can be dressed up easily. So I am really bummed that it didn't work on me. But I don't want you to miss out. Unless you are tall & short-shinned like me, chances are that it will look great on you. I would grab it in a heartbeat if it had 2 more inches of fabric on it (or 15 years younger) and just wear my tops untucked anyway. But my loss is your gain...more of the skirts out there. Enjoy!!