There's one thing I don't wear in cold-weather months: skirts. Wool
pants, leather leggings, jeans—I stick to anything that (a) doesn't
require tights and (b) can easily be worn with ankle boots or tucked
into knee-high ones. But this fall I'll be going through a 180-degree
wardrobe change because suddenly I'm craving skirts, specifically
longer, to-the-knee skirts that are feminine, fitted, and fairly dressed
up.
I blame my desire for a wardrobe revamp on Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler.
It was the first look at their fall show that got me; I knew I had to
have the boxy white coat over a black pencil skirt, paired with low
d'Orsay pumps. The ensemble had the elemental silhouette of the
late-'50s and early-'60s clothes I've always been drawn to, but it also
had a stark architectural bent, combined with modernist dense wool
fabrics, that placed it squarely in 2013. That weekend, before I left
for the European shows, I ran to Bergdorf Goodman and happily laid claim
to a black stretch wool pencil skirt and a pair of Céline's nude
d'Orsay heels.
In Paris, the Céline show intensified my growing obsession. Phoebe
Philo's cream stretch wool skirts—fitted at the waist (there's no
closure; you just slip them on, which sounds very appealing) and
elegantly flared just below the knee—offered a whole new, thoroughly
enticing proportion. I knew that come fall I would have to figure out
how to work at least one Céline skirt into my closet.
But rotating your wardrobe from being pants-centric to skirt-centric
opens a sartorial can of worms. Everything has to change. My pants
silhouette was like an upside-down pyramid: loose on top (a blazer and
an untucked blouse or a cashmere crewneck), then skinnier
(jeans/leggings, usually ankle-length), and ending in a point with
stiletto ankle boots.
With the new, longer skirt, new rules apply. First, it's crucial that
your hem hits your leg at just the right spot. Above the knee is not
new and doesn't count here. The sweet spot on every woman is just below
the knee, where your leg curves in before the calf begins. If you find a
skirt that's longer, hem it. I have seen some A-list style setters
wearing their skirts a couple of inches longer, but honestly, it doesn't
work. Even on them.
Once you get the length right, you'll have to reproportion everything
else. Start with a top that either tucks in or ends not too far below
your waist. (You need the definition unless you are Gisele and look
great in a potato sack.) A slim knit turtleneck is my favorite new
choice, and once I find the right one I'm buying it in black, white,
gray, and navy. Then you have to reboot your coat options. What looks
newest with the skirt is a hip-length or an above-the-knee coat that's
boxy or cocoon-like. I love the short, round-shouldered versions that Alexander Wang premiered at Balenciaga. And the sexy coziness of the enveloping shapes at Céline, Rochas, and Marc Jacobs
are also on my radar. They look particularly warm, and after this past,
never-ending winter, would be the perfect antidote to chase away the
chills.
On to shoes. If you are anything like me—as in you're always looking
for an excuse for a new pair—here's your chance. You can still work a
classic pump with a pencil skirt, or try to snag Proenza's new,
lower-heeled d'Orsays. I like the idea of men's-style penny loafers with
a pencil skirt, which is how my mom wore them in college; Saint Laurent
and Bottega Veneta make beautiful, last-forever versions. Tights,
however, don't work with loafers. So bundle up in your coat and flash
some leg. Another no-no is wearing stilettos with a flared skirt. It's
too dated, too precious. You'll want the new bootie, which has a chunky,
stacked-wood heel and covers your ankle. While the pale celadon ones at
Céline are growing on me, I'm not sure what else I can pair them with.
Chloé, though, has navy stacked-heel ankle boots that are a dream. Plus,
this fall navy is the new black. Sold.
