The Power of the Skirt

“I will be a president in a skirt, but I will wear the pants”

Josefina Vazquez Mota

The right skirt has been a beacon of tailored dressing, elegance and brings a level of chic to any business meeting.

I ask my clients to think about what their signature piece in their wardrobes is. What’s the one thing you can grab and feel amazing in and is your fallback when nothing else in your wardrobe quite cuts the mustard. For me it’s my shoes, I’m a stickler for an architectural eye-catcher and I also love quirky a ‘grab & go’ dress. But for many women, it’s a trusty skirt that steals the show.

Getting out there and being visible in your business requires you to feel comfortable in what you are wearing and pay attention to what your body feels like in your clothes. So here are my top tips to help you your perfect partner in crime skirt

Your body talks so listen

If you have broad bold shoulders, like myself, try voluminous skirts that bring the eye down and balance out the shoulders. Try a wrap number, tulip or a peplum to add detail to the hip area.

Ladies with an hourglass figure should look to the A-line for some love. It balances your curves and is the most versatile choice of skirt simply because it hides the hips and focuses on the waist. If you want to rock the curves wear a pencil skirt with pride.

Pear shaped ladies unlike the hourglass you have to balance out your narrow shoulders with your hips so again A-line skirt can do this as well as skirts with a vertical details.

Pleating and darts in a skirt elongate the legs and slim down your hips to add some balance. Or dark colour contouring on the outside of a skirt to skim the hips.

For apple shape, try a lovely bias cut, this draws the eye away from the midsection and makes the eye focus more on your lovely legs.

Slim ladies much like the broad shouldered ladies should go for more volume and avoid any tapered detailing like a pencil. Playing around with textured fabrics, layered looks or contouring patterns to create depth and width to your frame

But where should it stop?

I’m a big lover of on the knee or just below being the optimum length for a skirt for work. Skirts that stop at the widest part of your calf cut your legs in the wrong place instead of giving you that long leg look.

What if I have short legs?

If you have short legs, raise the length of your skirt up a teeny bit to show some more of your leg. Also make sure to tonally pair your skirt with the colour of your tights or skin so that you get a streamlined lengthening effect.

If you have long legs a top tip to lengthen your waist is to do a tonal blend of your top and your skirt so that it gives the illusion of a longer waist.

The colour combinations that work

You have to access the right shades and tones of colours for you but as a rule below are some colour combinations bound to make you pop and look the part.

Navy can be paired with tops in mint green, charcoal grey, red, white, yellow, light blue. For a charcoal go for tops in hot pink, blue, lavender and rich reds. Brown skirts can go a little earthy with forest greens, burnt orange, deep purple, navy blue. Patterned skirts should be paired with a solid neutral colour particularly from your foundation palette or by weaving a choice colour from the pattern

Stop fidgeting

Make sure the waist of your skirt fits well, yes I know it’s easier said than done but try tucking in your top and see if you can breathe with ease. Sometimes the waist may fit but the hip does not. Best thing to do is to make sure you get a decent fit at the hip first, then the waist. You can easily adjust the waist but a snug fit on the hips means the skirt will ride, twist and bunch up. Making you feel irritated and again preventing you from being as visible as possible because your are constantly worried about your skirt.

If you need a helping hand finding your wardrobe statement piece try our new Mini or Maxi Wardrobe Diets today!

Author Bio:

Samantha Clarke is the Chief Creative Architect at Zukuri UnLtd & Style Architecture Academy helping female professionals and entrepreneurs get ‘visible’ in their jobs & business. Stop shying away behind your clothes and get out there and show clients what you are made of. She helps clients know their style, cut the clutter from their wardrobes and shop smarter to walk their walk with confidence and pride. Hop on over to the www.zukuriunltd.com for more tips and treats on how to up your client magnetism for success.