Attack of the Pencil Skirts: Part 1

Pencil skirts are very hard to fit if you have an unusually large hip-to-waist ratio unless you are willing to do alterations or pay someone to do alterations.  But I have found another way -- take advantage of a job that allows for more casual, relaxed dressing by wearing your tops untucked.  Buy the skirt in a bigger size that fits your hips and butt -- the loose waist means that the skirt will shift down on the body, making it effectively longer, too. 

Ever since finding a couple of pencil skirts at Goodwill and loving how much easier they are than full skirts to wear with untucked shirts (with full skirts, the length has to be just short enough), I've been wanting to get some more.  So I put in orders at 4 stores and actually found some that worked.  Sizing up makes a big difference.  But it was interesting how much the shape of the various pencil skirts differed.  This was mostly just different cuts for different brands/particular items -- some more straight from the waist to hips and others with a curvier cut.  But the worst offender was (perhaps not surprisingly) Old Navy, notorious for the amount of variability in their clothing sizes -- it's like they are so bad about cutting and sewing their clothes that you have to expect that a given item might be anywhere from one full size bigger to one full size smaller than the label.  Oh, and not consistently too big or too small.  It might be the right size everywhere except they cut the arms like it's a size smaller or the shoulder straps a size larger.  I guess that's how they sell stuff so cheap.  I know Walmart's clothes are the same way -- you might have to try on 3 red t-shirts in size L to find one that fits.

The Summer to Spring Transition - Monday, 9/8/14

So much is written about transitioning from summer to fall, as though this is at all difficult.  I mean, summer turns into fall all on its own.  The summer to spring transition is much more challenging because it is at odds with natural science.  It requires a kind of magic.  But here I am, bringing the magic to this pencil skirt ensemble.

*Cream lace top (Target) -- I have owned this for over a year and never wore it until now.  It's so cute on its own, but it's hard to wear.  I wasn't super pleased by how the skirt shows through the lace on top (and the skirt is already lined, so I feel like wearing a camisole with it is just dumb).  I could tuck it in but the sort of boxy cut makes me look like Inspector Shelf-boob when I do.  So I don't know.  This one might end up in the Goodwill bag.
*Teal pencil skirt (JCP) -- woo, thank you JCP and your colorful line of Worthington pencil skirts sold in a wide range of sizes at good prices.  You rule the (start of the) school (year).
*Rose gold ballet flats (thrifted, Old Navy, new with tags) -- I probably don't need another pair of shiny nude flats but for $5, I wasn't letting these go.
Wild bead necklace (Macy's)

Expanding My Collection of Barbie Pink Work Clothes - Tuesday, 9/9/14

This is a great example of a skirt that would have been too short if I were wearing the waist up where it's intended to be but that hits at a nice just-above-the-knee length when worn lower. 

*Black/pink dot knit top (thrifted, Target; it's the sister of the blue dot top I wore recently with the jeans-then-blue-golf-skort outfit on the weekend)
*Bright pink pencil skirt (JCP)
Black short-sleeved cardigan (thrifted, The Limited)
Black Lifestriders flats
Black claw/tooth necklace (Outfit Additions)