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Style & beauty

Skirts and dresses

(57 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?

cornergran Fri 08-Jul-16 16:25:01

I would wear a dress if I could find one that was the right length (I'm tall) so it covered the varicose veins (thank you grandad for passing them on!) but stopped before my ankles and had a short sleeve to cover the arm wobbly bits. I do often wear a skirt as I've got some the right sort of length. I actually feel better in a skirt or a dress but usually settle for trousers or jeans, think my legs are too chunky for leggings sad

Pittcity Fri 08-Jul-16 16:22:15

A tip for thighs that rub together in Summer is to rub on stick deodorant. Less friction and smells nice too!

Maggiemaybe Fri 08-Jul-16 16:21:07

Ah well, wot, I might have decent legs but I've got what have been described as childbearing hips, so an ample broad beam. It's a lot less obvious in a frock! Tunics are my friends as well, though. smile

wot Fri 08-Jul-16 16:14:01

I would like a shift dress though...........

wot Fri 08-Jul-16 16:13:06

My legs resemble knotted string, so it's jeans, leggings or trousers for me!

Maggiemaybe Fri 08-Jul-16 15:41:44

Absolutely not! I have got a bit into the habit of living in jeans and leggings recently - very practical when looking after a toddler. But while my legs are (still) my best feature I'll never give up on the skirts and dresses. I love my frocks in particular - they're just so easy to wear, particularly linen shifts in Summer. And somehow I never feel properly dressed up for a night out in trousers.

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

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.

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.

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!"

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.

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?

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

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

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

Photo please?

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

Oh yes, waxed, spray tan, the works.

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

Have you had your legs defuzzed for Summer GandTea?

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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