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Style & beauty

Skirts and dresses

(56 Posts)
SwimHome Thu 07-Jul-16 13:57:56

The past few days I've been noticing what other women are wearing: amongst the hundreds of women I've seen on the South coast while I've been travelling there have only been three wearing skirts or dresses, all the rest have been in shorts, leggings or trousers. Has the skirt had its day?

Charleygirl Thu 07-Jul-16 14:00:57

It has for me but that is because I have a very swollen ankle since it was pinned and plated following a fracture dislocation. I also cannot wear what I would call decent shoes. that is why I wear long trousers and lace ups.

ninathenana Thu 07-Jul-16 14:24:53

I would love to wear trousers or three-quarter linens, knee length shorts etc.
I'm apple shaped and have short legs so unfortunately it's skirts for me sad

Pittcity Thu 07-Jul-16 14:53:26

I like to wear a skirt but the weather has not been right on many days this year!

Alima Thu 07-Jul-16 15:28:43

As far as I am concerned the skirt has had its day. I have worn trousers for years, do not actually posess a skirt now. I worked in a merchant bank in London in the early 70s. I joined the union there to push for the right for female employees to wear trousers at work. Seems like the dark ages now.

Teetime Thu 07-Jul-16 17:51:38

I'm a frock freak especially in the summer- love a nice frock. I tend to wear skirts more in the winter with nice woollies and boots. I don't like living in jeans and trousers makes me feel blokey!!!smile

janeainsworth Thu 07-Jul-16 18:05:27

I agree Teetime.
I do wear trousers and shorts for comfort, but if I want to feel as though I'm making an effort, it's got to be a dress or skirt with the right sort of shoes.
Clearing out some stuff recently we came across a book produced in the late 40's. It advocated putting on a decent dress, some costume jewellery and your makeup if you were intending to sew, as you would then be in the right frame of mind shockgrin

TriciaF Thu 07-Jul-16 18:36:13

I like to wear a skirt or dress in hot weather too.
Apart from a couple of very loose lightweight dresses that I wear when it's really hot, I have a couple of retro frocks that I bought (second hand) in the market here.
and I've been looking at another one:
fr.shein.com/Navy-Long-Sleeve-Floral-Maxi-Dress-p-240771-cat-1727.html
Might dare to buy it!
The main problem is my legs, real spindleshanks and lots of blue patches sad

Envious Thu 07-Jul-16 18:45:50

I only have a couple of skirts and dresses. I'd love to have more but I'm a hard fit. I'm large chested and have a short and thick waist. Skirts have to be elastic waist and dresses big enough through the chest but don't fit tight in the waist. I feel flowing dresses make me look heavier. So I wear mainly trousers and tops.

LullyDully Thu 07-Jul-16 18:58:50

I tend to wear trousers because my legs are not as lovely as they were.
They used to be one of my best features... Sadly no more.

Greyduster Thu 07-Jul-16 20:04:21

I feel comfortable in trousers, and they suit me, so I wear them most of the time. I have worn a skirt once this year (I only have one!) and wore a dress last weekend because it was our anniversary and we were going out. I have to say I did feel rather nice in it and DH thought so too, but now it is back in the wardrobe and I can't imagine when I will wear it again. I often see a nice dress I could see myself wearing, but when I try them on, they mostly look awful.

Deedaa Thu 07-Jul-16 21:12:51

My legs aren't great but I mainly wear trousers because they are more practical for rushing around with three small boys.

Jalima Thu 07-Jul-16 21:17:58

I think a skirt or dress looks better with a small heel or wedges, neither of which I can wear any more.

I noticed that most of the young mums in the park after school the other day were wearing strappy tops and skirts or dresses, and they all looked very nice!

GandTea Thu 07-Jul-16 22:07:50

I think you ladies are too critical about your legs, A nice pair of heels set off a ladies legs a treat. I have made a life long study and rarely see a leg that I don't admire. (except on a hairy Scot)

Ok, if you have had a knee replacement (as I have) wear a skirt that hides the scar. I do. grin

Pittcity Thu 07-Jul-16 22:16:04

Have you had your legs defuzzed for Summer GandTea?

GandTea Thu 07-Jul-16 22:30:40

Oh yes, waxed, spray tan, the works.

Galen Thu 07-Jul-16 22:39:19

Photo please?

janeainsworth Fri 08-Jul-16 02:18:43

That's a lovely dress Tricia go for it.
I too have blue patches on my (thin) legs but if others don't like them, that's their problem not mine wink

ninathenana Fri 08-Jul-16 07:35:30

I agree GrandT heels do make legs look better.
You try walking in them though, I think a red sparkly pair would be your best bet grin

J52 Fri 08-Jul-16 07:53:20

I like to wear a dress if I am going out somewhere nice, or if it it hot, especially abroad. Like others, skirts in the winter with boots.

BTW GrandT is it only Scottish hairy legs, you object to?

suzied Fri 08-Jul-16 07:59:14

A dress is so easy to wear - just one thing to put on and it looks like you made a real effort. Kirsty Alsopp always wears a dress and has quite a curvy figure- you don't have to be super skinny to wear a frock. I have loads of dresses and skirts ( mostly made by me) and you can wear them all the year round with suitable layers etc. You can wear a long floaty skirt or dress in summer if you don't like your legs. They're just as comfortable, if not more so, than jeans or trousers, which I also wear a lot, but it's great to ring the changes. It's easy to get stuck in a rut with clothes.

Greyduster Fri 08-Jul-16 08:53:13

Another reason I don't wear skirts and dresses very much is that, being only five feet tall, I often have difficulty finding something that is a comfortable length. Anything longer than just below the knee looks ridiculous on me. I can't wear cropped trousers for the same reason. If I had three wishes, one of them would be "please make me taller - another five inches would be nice!"

SwimHome Fri 08-Jul-16 09:44:00

You've hit the nail on the head for me, Greyduster, I'm too short for most dresses and tend to look like a dancing lampshade if I'm not careful. Tunics and leggings are great as they give me the proportions of a taller woman in a dress! But I still feel as though I'm not properly dressed up unless I'm in a frock, so skimming the knee and a jacket on top seems the best solution if I must look respectable (not often!) even though it condemns me to looking dumpy too.

petra Fri 08-Jul-16 12:14:29

Swimhome I've got to remember that: dancing lampshade, hilarious.
Same here, I'm just on 5ft.

Indinana Fri 08-Jul-16 12:17:19

One of my issues about wearing a dress or skirt is that I have fat large legs, particularly at the top. Without tights, they rub against each other and get sore! So it's trousers all the way for me, though I would love to wear floaty dresses sad