How to Wear a Long Skirt

Unlike short skirts and mini-skirts, a long skirt looks elegant everywhere that it's worn. If you favor an understated look and don't enjoy the thought of showing off your legs, the long skirt can be a real workhorse of your wardrobe. When you choose to wear a long skirt, some thought should go into selecting a skirt that will flatter your body type, and, of course, there's also the issue of what shoes to wear. Here are some tips on how to wear a long skirt.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. The Long, Narrow Skirt.
   
   When selecting a long, narrow skirt, choose one that's straight at the hips but flares slightly towards the bottom. Otherwise, you're going to feel stifled when you're forced to take short steps to avoid tearing your skirt. A skirt with a slight flair as it moves toward the hemline will feel much more comfortable. When selecting a long, narrow skirt, take the time to walk around the store to make sure it's not so straight that you feel inhibited.

2. The long, narrow skirt tends to be most flattering to tall, slim women and may be overwhelming on a short, petite person. If you don't have the height but still want to wear this look, opt for a slim monochromatic top to keep the line long and lean. Don't go overboard and try to wear ultra high heels with a long, narrow skirt as high heels tend to throw off the proportion of your outfit. Boots can coordinate well with a long, narrow skirt including ankle boots and boots that extend to mid knee. For a more dramatic look for evening, try a long, slim skirt in an animal print fabric paired with sleek black boots. Accentuate the look with a black suede belt.

3. The Long Full or Pheasant Skirt
   This look can be tricky for a short person to wear as the fullness of the skirt tends to overwhelm a short or petite frame. Pheasant skirts look best on a person of average height or taller worn with a short sleeved t-shirt or tank top and sandals. With the fullness of the skirt on your bottom half, you want to keep the top half slim and sleek. A pheasant skirt looks cool and casual worn with bold accessories such as a long, slouchy, hobo bag and big chunky necklaces. This can be a cool look for a warm summer day spent shopping or site seeing.

Tips & Warnings

• You can wear a long skirt on almost any occasion. Experiment a bit and find out what length and fullness flatters your body type. Why not spend several hours at one of your local department stores trying on long skirts? Experiment by trying them with a variety of tops and jackets until you come up with the look that's right for you. If chosen carefully and accessorized well, a long skirt can be a very versatile addition to your wardrobe.

[maggieos]

on 5/8/2009 It's a peasant skirt, not a pheasant skirt. The agricultural worker, rather than the poultry.

[goodselfme]

on 1/23/2009 these are 5* tips.