the fundamentals of fashion: Skirting around the issue

Recently I have been shopping for a nice white circle skirt to pair with my blue and white (with a bit of gold) striped tank top for a very French riveria look. Last Friday, while shopping with a friend and continuing on after she left, I bought 3 white skirts from Zara and returned one that very same day as I deemed it er, well, not so nice.

Then I was left with 2.

I brought it home that very night to show my mum to help me decide which I should have---I really didn't want to be saddled with two white skirts---and she gave her verdict. I double-checked in the mirror and agreed, so this morning, it was off to return that white skirt. While at the malls, I remembered yet another white skirt from Warehouse which might fit the aforementioned top quite well and we went to take a look. It wasn't too bad, but my mum thought the one i had kept was nicer, so i gave it a miss.

And on our way back to the car, I met my teacher and his dad. What a pleasant surprise! And what an eventual 2 hour outing.

As such, this post is on the circle skirt look that I have been hankering after for quite some time. I shall divide it into white skirts and coloured ones.And since I have been wanting white ones most, let's begin with that:

This was one of the Zara skirts that I bought then returned.

It is pretty nice, but the fabric was a bit too stiff for me as I was looking for something with a bit of a drape to give some swishy-ness. The Zara piece that I bought and kept looks just like this, but in softer and yes, drapey-er fabric.

Then this is the Warehouse piece that I tried on.

Very nice, and it is drapey too. But I prefered the one I had with me, especially cos this piece is a little see-through due to the linen fabric and I didn't want to have to bother about making sure my underwear was appropriate enough for the skirt.

I didn't check out the Miss Selfridge store, but I am aware that they do carry lovely options such as these two pieces (below):

They look the same, but according to the website, they are two different skirts. The one above is most aptly called "mini-skirt" and the one below is called "cut out mini skirt". Would look really great with a striped tank (I have always loved stripes, heh) like these two from American Eagle Outfitters and Delias respectively. Pair with wedges or thong sandals!

Then there is this lovely Topshop one that I didn't see and hence, didn't get to try on.

I'd pair it with this lovely "Little Miss Sunshine" tee from Delias (the "little miss" tees are now rather popular and I find them adorable, especially since I grew up reading the Little Miss and Mr men series by Roger Hargreaves. My very first book from that series was Little Miss Giggles.

I'd add a pair of flip flops and a nice smile and I know I'll be good to go :)

If these skirts are too short for you, there are plenty of knee-length versions out there. Starting with the runways, there are the Aquascutum versions such as these two (shown below)...

But of course, for something that is so easily available, there is no need to pay such a high price. (The fact that there are still high prices though shows that this is not a perfectly competitive market---trying to put my newly learned economic knowledge into good use). For one, Jcrew (shown below) provides a high street alternative...

...as does Gap

...Topshop

...and of course, H&M

Here are two tops that I would pair with these skirts. To balance the fullness of the skirt, try something more fitting on the top, like this Jcrew halterneck. The checks are preppy but still sweet.

These striped top from By Malene Birger (left) and Splendid (right) would also match nicely. The By Malene Birger piece is a bit billowy looking but the runched hem prevents it from being too bag-gy, and also cos i'm biased towards striped tops. Teeheehee.

Moving on to coloured skirts, there are pastel coloured options which are very fitting for summer days and the ensuing breezy or balmy weather.

These 2 pieces shown above are from Jcrew and Gap respectively, and you've met their counterparts at the "white skirt section" above.

And then there are darker versions, such as this mushroom coloured one from Topshop...

...or these gray ones which are also both from Topshop.

As you can see, Topshop is a very good place to head to for indulging in skirts. I would pair the grey skirts with this tennis-esque top from United Colours of Benetton. Very Hamptons but I like it anyway.

Last but not least, there are the black skirts. I really like this one from Marc by Marc Jacobs.

I would pair it with this top from Mayle for a look that is reminscent of the movie "Roman Holiday".

See what I mean?

As usual, Audrey Hepburn, queen of the ingenue, looks gorgeous. Her leading man, Gregory Peck, is not bad too.

While browsing through the web, I found other nice black finds.

These ones are from Zara and Graham & Spencer respectively and I like the casual elegance juxtaposition it has.

I chanced across the picture (below left) of the girl with the black satin-looking circle skirt and I liked the playfulness of her outfit. I'm not sure where i got the picture from, but I do know that Alice + Olivia has a similar piece (below, right).