I bought this Topshop skirt from eBay, new with tags, for £6. I never saw it in store (I have been banned from setting foot in there now I live just off Oxford Street) but when I saw it online I fell in love. I’d seen a similar one in stock in The Kooples on Carnaby Street, for £240, however it had a tie waist rather than elastic. That’s the only noticeable difference (except the quality of lace but hey, beggars can’t be choosers!).
I am not a girly girl, nor am I a midi skirt wearer – I am fairly tall, have a hefty bum but a small waist and whenever I tried them on they made me look like a heifer. However I wasn’t bothered – I turned into MUST HAVE IT mode and for £6 it was all mine. There is a matching turtle-neck cropped top in stock at the moment in Topshop, but I am not about to go all 90s late-Top 40 Girl Band just yet.
The skirt is Paisley patterned lace which ticks one trend box, but I didn’t buy this because it was cool. I bought it because it is already one of the most versatile pieces in my wardrobe. I have worn it to work, with a pair of 100 denier tights, some Matalan ankle boots (from the post before…at £22 I could not resist!) and a vintage Specials band tshirt from some charity shop in Sheffield. I topped this look with a statement necklace from ASOS and my favourite Acne leather jacket. As it has a mini-skirt underneath the midi-length lace skirt, for work, tights are a must. Playing down the lace was also key – it became less of a statement piece and more of an outfit as a whole. I loved this look and so many people complimented me on it.
After I was head over heels in love with it, I wore the skirt again on a night out back in Stoke. I forgot to bring a t-shirt to wear with it, so I stole a Banana Republic plain black silk t-shirt from my mum (which I might have possibly bought back to London with me…), and wore a very cool jewelled necklace from H&M a couple of months ago. With bare legs underneath, the skirt became less cool and more sexy, which is why I was keen not to pair it with anything too risqué… as my mum said, ‘is that your grungey take on glamorous?!’ With a pair of ankle-strap velvet & gold heels from Topshop’s Abigail’s Party range about four years ago and duh, my leather jacket, it felt great, was super comfortable and looked different to my usual mini-dress, ankle boots going-out look.
I thought midi-skirts were for those more… tanned than I. But no, I’ve since bought two more (a bias cut silk one from Topshop Unique, and a floral tapestry-effect jersey one from…Topshop). Teamed with a plain Gap linen-mix t-shirt and some ankle strap sandals, they’re cool, easy to wear and most important of all, good for the booty.
