Why I’ve become a skirt convert
— by Alyson Walsh
I’ve never thought of myself as much of a skirt-wearer – ever the tomboy, slouchy trousers, suiting and shirt dresses take preference over anything swirly or girly. But this summer there’s been something of a breakthrough; when an influx of super skirts meets a heatwave, it makes sense to reconsider. And, becoming a skirt convert was relatively straightforward. Continuing to experiment is the only way to discover another winning outfit combination – and whenever there’s an element of uncertainty, I welcome the wardrobe newcomer with a selection of much-loved, old favourites. Introduce a great shirt and a pair of summer sandals you can walk everywhere in and all the skirt shyness ebbs away. By keeping things simple and faff-free, I’m well within my Gentlewomanly comfort zone. Now that a number of non-bifurcated garments have slipped easily into my wardrobe, I’m no longer skirting the issue.
The marvellous denim midi I’m wearing in the top picture is Weekend Max Mara from John Lewis & Partner‘s (this is the second part of the Instagram project I’m currently working on with the brand). It’s swooshy, the perfect length and fits like a dream. The stretch cotton dress shirt is Finery and the leather sandals are Jigsaw (all from John Lewis).Boden also has a good selection of skirts – the Demelza skirt, now half price in the summer sale, appeared in a recent Telegraph column (keep an eye on the fabric content at Boden, I’ve noticed more and more polyester creeping in…) Skirt converts might like the pared-down styles at Toast and COS. Or prefer to make a statement with a patterned silk maxi, the one in the second photo is from small independent label Phoebe Grace – now out of stock, but the autumn/winter collection will be arriving soon. In the meantime, check out Pink City Prints and the Ridley London sale.
There are loads of non-scary ways to style skirts: team with a Breton top and a blazer, try a plain t-shirt and denim jacket or add a colourful cashmere sweater. Finish off with flat shoes. Most skirts look splendid with trainers, chic sandals, ankle boots and brogues.
Even more superstar skirts here:
Please note I may generate a small commission from items purchased through That’s Not My Age
Discussion (46 Comments)
- Alyson Walsh says:
Thanks Catbird Farm. And you’re right, it’s not just Boden. I do try to keep an eye on this because I don’t want to promote the use of materials like polyester, nylon and acrylic that are essentially plastics but occasionally some slip through. Aargh! One of my friends works in fashion retail for quite a big brand and we recently had a conversation along the lines of ‘ when did viscose become a luxury fabric?’
- Michelle Braverman says:
There was a point where too much leg made me uncomfortable (like too much arm). I am, if nothing else, a certain woman of an age. I traded skirts for pants but lately have realized a midi length or long skirt is both flattering and feminine. Disobeying some long-held “rules”, I found you can pair a long skirt with a tunic top as well as the usual tucked-in button down. I love the look with sandals but am not sure how it will transition into fall. I’ll be watching what you do…
- Meg Carey says:
I’ve been looking for a shirt like the one you wore in the second picture, with the Phoebe Grace skirt. Would you mind sharing the make?Thanks
PS: live your posts.- Alyson Walsh says:
Hello Meg and thank you. The skirt is by Phoebe Grace but it’s now sold out. They do have a few similar styles online and tend to reissue prints so it’s probably worth dropping them an email. In the piece I’ve linked to one in cotton by a brand called Pink City Prints which was the most similar I could find.
- Meg Carey says:
Hi Alyson, Thanks for your reply. I was actually wondering about the make of the shirt that you wore in that picture. I’ve been looking for a such a shirt for a while. Would you be able to share the make of that shirt? Thanks a lot, Meg
- Alyson Walsh says:
I bought the second shirt a few years ago in the sale at Arket
- lizzie g says:
more working from home means more sitting at a laptop for long hours, a skirt is great for comfort and freedom. Not having pockets doesn’t matter so much when i’m not travelling as much. Or a belted utility jacket gives me all the pockets i need, for trips out and many of the denim and corduroy skirts around actually have great pockets. Its cool and wet enough already here to need boots, short or long, which thankfully make skirt wearing and keeping legs covered, even easier.
- Maureen says:
I agree about JL so why is their new boss saying they are going to reduce women’s clothing and focus on home and garden products. Bad move I’d say
- Rebecca says:
Love the top combo the skirt and white shirt you could carry that through to the Autumn would you say the Maxmara skirt is true to size not sure about their sizes as I haven’t bought bottoms from them? I am glad you are doing a collaboration with John Lewis they are getting some really nice things in. Thanks x
- Nancy says:
I used to loooove pencil skirts just over the knee, and now I love the length you are wearing more! But I always loved skirts!
- Sara says:
I’m very much with you, Alyson. It’s been trousers, jeans, crops for years until the long skirts came back. I long ago finished with the skinny pencil skirts – fortunately not having to wear that kind of uniform for work. I struggle with midi and do best with ankle-skimming. A much-loved Joyce Ridings black crepe Sunray pleat , almost down to my ankles, has been my only winter skirt for yonks. Wish she was still around for fab, stylish adult clothing . Me and Em have done some great long pleated numbers but I have to own up to the fabric being some kind of synthetic , not environmentally acceptable I know. Unfortunately, it is totally crease free, hangs beautifully and causes moral traumas because of this. Agree ++ re viscose: it creases like an old rag! And why so expensive??
Can I ask how tall you are? The Maxmara skirt looks fantastic on you, but on the website, it might be a tad short for me…..
agree re tunics and long skirts, my Me and Em ones look great with a long slim tunic/top.- Alyson Walsh says:
Hi Sara, I remember Joyce Ridings from my fashion editor days and yes, Me+ Em is a great brand but some of the fabrics….
I’m 5′ 10″
- Jane Elms says:
How I agree with Alyson about rediscovering skirts! I seemed to live in jeans for 4 months during Lockdown. It was only when the heat struck that I rediscovered the joy of dresses and skirts. Skirts, in particular, I just love that swooshyness around your legs but the fabric is so important. I’m so lucky to be able to sew my own. Dressmaking has been a joy during the long days and weeks of Lockdown. The Max Mara skirt would not be difficult to make and the fabric would cost a fraction of the price. In fact I bought enough denim to make a copy of that skirt this week and it cost £18. If you’re worried that it won’t fit, buy some cheap calico and make a ‘toile‘ (copy!) so you can adapt the pattern if necessary before cutting into your more expensive fabric. So get your sewing machines out and have a go! It gives you a real kick when you make it yourself!
- Annette O'Farrell says:
I agree with Jane Elms. I have recently discovered that I love wearing long swishy skirts
and can make own…..a great hobby during lockdown when my grandchildren are not coming to me after school, and there is only so much walking or gardening I can do ! I think they are more flattering on my pear shaped figure then most jeans or trousers.
My next skirt will be teal double crepe wool .
- Corinne says:
I too have noticed the rise of polyester in Boden and have pretty much stopped shopping there. Cos and Arket are good alternatives and have a lot of organic cotton, wool and silk in their range. Hurray for them. Get with the programme Boden!!
- Alex Addison says:
Very fond of a good skirt too. The Max Mara one is particularly lovely. Have you seen the skirts from the small independent brand @kemitelford on Instagram? They’re mostly all cotton, a fantastic length and come in vibrant, joyful prints with lots of swish factor.
- Alyson Walsh says:
I have and would love to run a profile on Yvonne the Kemi Telford founder.
- Marilyn says:
Love the Finery shirt. Do you remember the brand Jake (Jackie Staples I think) back in the late 70s – 80s? I used to love their cotton lawn blouses!
- Julie Bowland says:
Alyson, you look gorgeous in both those photos. I too have shied away from skirts, apart from the styling issues, I have a more practical issue – fat thighs & no tights (which I loathe) = chub rub. Once I had discovered M&S do a stay cool culotte slip, it was a revelation, a whole new styling possibility opened up!
- Julie Seddon says:
I have the same problem with “chub rub” and I don’t fancy the tight spandex cycling shorts some manufacturers advise. Instead, I wear brightly coloured footless tights (with a high percentage of cotton if possible) in matching or contrasting colours. I find this makes a colourful outfit, cheers me up and I don’t have the misery of chafing!
- Rosemary says:
Hi Alyson, I’m wondering how to get through winter with long skirts. I mean, what sort of warm coat would you wear over one ?
- Hilary says:
Yes please reply on what coats to wear in Winter. – I love a skirt and boots but they don’t work well with coats.
I love both skirts you’re wearing and particularly with a crisp shirt. I’m off to look at the Max Mara…
- NW says:
I have been looking for a “longish” coat (at least 38 inches to go to my knee) in a warm fabric since I Iive outside of Chicago IL. Two other I guess obstacles to my ongoing yearly search is I need a true XL and …….under $500.00 . A coat meeting this criteria is IMPOSSIBLE to find. I do not want a wrap coat…have had in the past and they do not stay wrapped very well. Help please…
- K says:
To the knee or over the knee boots on the coldest days, flocked tights underneath, or better still, leggings that can be removed inside (I am thinking of the old days when one traveled to work and play!) If the skirt has a lining, or if one wears a slip or long almost to the knee knickers , it will cut the wind and one can wear a shorter coat, which looks cute with a long skirt.
- AppleEverAfter says:
Timely reminder about the usefulness of a longer-length skirt, thank you, Alyson! They can work well with extra layers underneath (anyone else wear stockings?) and knee or ankle boots in Autumn/Winter.
Yes, polyester, yuck – M&S is another sinner. It seems to me to be very common in this country, much less so elsewhere in Europe.
There is work being done to make viscose more sustainable in terms of cellulose sourcing and reducing chemical use – look up Lenzing Ecovero as an example if you are interested.
- Maggie Alderson says:
Hi Alyson – I really appreciate your commission statement, but you never have to apologise to me for making a living. I know how hard you work doing this and you provide such a great service, showing us where to get great things xxx
- Amy A Griswold says:
Your ‘new’ look is wonderful. Definitely faff-free and so you. I have always liked wearing skirts however too much fabric below my knees becomes problematic when one is still rolling around behind a desk at the office!
- Hilary says:
Hi Alyson, I love those skirts on you. However I rarely wear summer skirts or dresses as I have such horrible feet and mottled legs so need tights to cover them ! (I am 72) Also I live in an old house with 3 flights of stairs so would probably fall down them in a swishy skirt…
I lived in Singapore for 5 years and my tropical outfits were crumpled linen trousers and silk shirts which I still wear here in UK when it’s very hot.
Winter skirts are ok with thick tights and boots but as someone has mentioned, you need a suitable coat/jacket.
- Ciclochick says:
Gosh, yes, I too have rediscovered skirts over the last twelve months or so. Until fairly recently I possessed neither skirts nor dresses, always being in skinny jeans or shorts. But I’m now a great great fan of skirts, especially pleated ones: I love the way you can dress them up or down (as, indeed, you can any skirt), and they are so feminine. I now possess both skirts and dresses in double figures. Love, love, love the white shirt. But Finery will never have me as a customer until they have smaller sizes. I’m a 4 or a 6. I’m not short, so I’m not asking for petite…I’m five foot five, but slender.
- Karen Mary says:
I live in skirts (and dresses), and I love the ones you’ve chosen!! Have for many years now. They are just so much more comfortable than pants, and you can easily choose a length that works. Sandals in summer, boots (usually low) in winter. Can’t abide tights, though, so I wear leggings, for comfort and warmth, with them. Looking for some new skirts, so happy for this very inspiring post!
- K says:
Oh my, you are totally channeling my style today….and may I say, you look fabulous! Also really appreciating the discussion on plastic fabrics today. I have been a fabric checker since I was old enough to have my own money, and I too have been despairing of the recent increase in plastic fabrics everywhere. It wastes my time in stores and clicking online, but upside it does wonders for my pocketbook as I will not buy! What on earth, for instance, is the reason for the proliferation of cotton/span blends????? They may stretch, but otherwise so uncomfortable. All that said, I do think that the best thing is to buy as little as possible and wear it for as long as possible, whatever the fabric. For certain types of apparel, there is currently no choice. I have not seen a cotton bra in my size since the 1990s, even though I have lobbied every sustainable underwear producer I know for years. (If anyone can help, please share!) I blushingly admit, in addition, to buying tencel, on occasion, as it is purportedly a closed, safe system where the chemicals are recycled, but do still feel guilt and don’t like the wrinkling either!
- Mary Grogan says:
Just love slacks, but have always had a weakness for long, swirly skirts. Nice article.
- Cindy says:
Love this!
I have been a convert fo some time. Travel- every day…. just love. Summers- am stuck in MI., and I am too old ( for me) to wear cut- offs or shorts. Skirts are easy breezy….. add a legging under to add warmth if needed in another season and it works.
Dresses and skirts for me. - Heidi says:
Beautiful, this skirt/blouse combo. I love skirts, always did, but I stopped wearing them in the colder season. It’s so difficult to make them look great when it is to cold to go barelegged. I tried leggings and tights, but often feel frumpy in them.
- lizzie g says:
alyson, you’re in such great shape, it would be good to see how a more fitted top half would work differently with the volume of swishy skirts, how about a raglan t, short or long sleeved, a sweatshirt, a ribbed polo neck knit, or a crew cardi, as an alternative.
heidi, i dont feel frumpy in socks, leggings or tights with my skirts, i wear boots i love and i feel kickass. - Justine says:
I’ve always loved skirts and until a few years ago would wear every length and style. Now I have developed lots of spider veins on my legs and don’t like wearing skirts of any style that are shorter than about an inch below my knee. I own lots of longer skirts that I love anyway. I’d feel uncomfortable now as I’m a bit older in a shorter skirt irrespective of my vein vanity and most days wear either a midi or an ankle skirt. I’m in Australia and work in a conservative environment where with shorter or even knee length skirts I’d have had to wear hose. Such a waste of quite a lot of money over the years and now I know how bad for the planet all of those plastic stockings are. So the longer skirts are wonderful as I don’t need to buy or wear stockings unless it’s really cold here (for an Australian!) and then I wear black opaques under my skirts, and boots. But most of the year here… nothing needed under the skirt and they can be worn year round with a season appropriate top and shoes. I have definitely been buying longer skirts only and have been slowly giving away the shorter ones. I also refuse to buy polyester clothing although even our decent and costly brands here in Australia sell that fabric – gross in any climate – Freezing in winter and impossible in summer. Love the natural fibres and wish retailers would stop selling plastic clothing!
- Judith says:
Love your posts and how you style these skirts! Reading your recommendation of Uniqlo, I’m assuming you have not seen the reports about their unethical practices – some horrifying conditions connecting to Uniqlo’s cotton produced with forced labor in Xinjiang. Other major retailers also involved such as H & M, and Karen Millen. It’s really made me avoid theses brands even in charity shops where I often find my little gems. Very upsetting. You can easily verify it by looking it up on google, it was reported in late 2019/ early 2020. Sorry to post something so negative but had to let you and your readers know, as I’m sure you would be as appalled as I was.
- Alyson Walsh says:
Judith, thank you. I didn’t know about this and will remove Uniqlo from the feature. I’ve just read this piece in the Guardian on the brands who manufacture in that region:
- carole b says:
It’s a lovely look Alyson, and really suits you. I wear a variety of skirt lengths – in the summer mostly A-line, just below the knee, but in the winter sometimes miniskirts with opaque tights and flats or boots, under an ancient Jaeger cashmere/wool trench coat. And kilts! I love a kilt – the whole punk vibe thing…
Your post made me look out a Nicole Fahri midi, navy linen skirt – it’s panelled and button through, with side pockets. Really comfortable and stylish. Bought 30 years ago as part of my wedding ‘going away’ outfit! But I got a huge amount of wear out of it for smart/work events for years afterwards. I’m thinking of wearing it next weekend at a family meal for our anniversary – the white Ralph Lauren evening style waistcoat that went with it just about fits still, but will take a bit more courage!
Enjoy your posts so much – always something fresh, and they really make me value what I’ve got, as well as sometimes splurging out on something new – though thanks to you, that’s much more likely now to be british made or ethically sourced. - Sara Mattes says:
best look yet-keep it forever!
Unfortunaltey for some of us rounder, short-waisted women it is a bit ahrd to pull off.
But for you…WOW! - maudie says:
“non-bifurcated” is such a lovely and wildly eloquent word!!
- Lisa D says:
Dear Alyson, I’m sorry this is such a late question but please can you tell me where you bought the perfect white shirt with the ruffled front that you wore with the MaxMara skirt? I’ve been searching for a long time for a shirt like that and know I’ve missed the boat but it would be nice to know who made it so I can keep checking their website for something similar. Many thanks Lisa
- Beverley Torrance says:
I became a skirt convert as I’m having appointments at breast Clinic, I’m fine & well, and you have to take just your top half off! I usually wear dresses. I’ve bought Toast skirts on eBay, new but greatly reduced. I pair them with white shirts from COS or simple tee shirts. At the moment I’m wearing Adidas trainers with my Toast skirt. Agree about making sure they are cotton
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Love the look in the first photo and relieved to see the lovely Weekend Max Mara skirt is 100% cotton. Great combo with the stunning white shirt.
Alison, you mention polyester creeping in at Boden,but it’s not just Boden, is it? Some good organic cotton choices in your recommendations, but a good chunk (half?) of the other featured skirts are made from synthetics. I find it so disheartening that even in the higher end brands more and more garments are made from polyester, nylon, viscose and lyocell. And yet they still retain the high price tags. I know viscose and lyocell are technically plant-derivatives, but they go through a ton of chemical processing and I avoid them (plus they wrinkle like mad). Nor would I ever buy anything made from polyester or nylon. I do know there are problems with cotton and silk production too, so it’s a case of which evil. For me, sweaty synthetics are the greater evil and I’ll stick with linen, cotton, wool and silk. Do you think cost-cutting is behind the increased use of synthetics in better brands? Whatever it is, it’s a ‘no thank you’ from me!.