Tuesday, June 19, 2012

How to Wear a Pleated Skirt

The Scene


Delicious dinner at Tom Colicchio's Craft with the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Saint.

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Hamachi with grapefruit to start

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Duck Tortellini
White Corn & Mustard Greens

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Washugyu Flatiron
Bone Marrow Custard & Morels


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Winnimere
Apricot Mostarda


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Nectarine & Blackberry Shortcake
Vanilla Crème Fraîche & BlackberrySorbet


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And freebie Scooby snacks to take with us. 

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Happy piglets went nomnomnom all the way home.

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The Outfit
Banana Republic tank
BCBG Generation skirt
Louis Vuitton tote
Valentino heels
Canal street palm tree necklace
Forever 21 bracelet

The Grade
C+ (for super self-Conscious)

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The Commentary

As I hurdle violently toward my 35th birthday, I am trying to come to terms with my aging body. I've accepted the fact that thanks to a slow thyroid, an appetite that rivals any hog's and a lifelong aversion to athletics, I'll never have a Kate-esque waist.

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For this reason, I've avoided buying pleated skirts even though they've been everywhere for the past year. LOVE them on other bloggers. They come off as so flirty and lady-like. Especially on my girl crush Kate. Her whippet-thin waist and barely-there hips are ideal for the style, which inevitably adds bulk around the middle. My thick waist and child-bearing hips (barren and yet still broadening, ironically), not so much. 

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However, I temporarily lost my mind a few months ago and bought this pleated beauty. In my defense, the print is pretty, it was on sale and the pleats are so thin that I convinced myself they almost made my hips look thin. I also blame my mom who is pretty honest with me in the dressing room and said it looked great.

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Fast forward a few months and the skirt and its trickster pleats have been languishing in my closet like most things do when I'm not absolutely sure I've made a good purchase.  But recently on a warm spring night out with old friends, I decided YOLO. This side-by-side comparison of Kate and Kim in pleats might have helped me reconsider.


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Paired the skirt with nude-ish heels to help lengthen the legs and balance the proportions.

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Also decide to show off alot of skin on top to draw attention away from my mid-section. Since the girls are holding up, I might as well use them, right? Added the cute little palm tree necklace to further draw the eye up. Was in such a hurry that I didn't add a jacket or wrap sweater to give the look some structure and disguise the midsection - like I normally do.  Pretty ballsy.

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Not one of my favorite looks of all time but I'm proud that I tried to embrace the skin I'm in as I enter my mid-thirties. Even prouder that I did it while enjoying a great (read: pig) meal ;) 

The Inspiration


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FDRESS UP DENIM 239

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mullet skirt - atlantic-pacific

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! You look really good!
You definitely deserve at LEAST an A- on your outfit. Also, thanks for the inspiration for outfits to create with a pleated skirt. Yay!

Kimberly said...

Girl, you make pleats look GOOD!! Definitely deserves a higher grade!

lookrichbitch said...

Ugh. I can't believe you said YOLO. Please tell me that was some SEO keyword sh*t you were doing and that that word is not part of your vernacular. haha..

Jean Bean said...

Interesting point you made about doubting purchases. When I buy something I must wear it immediately. If it can wait...well I don't know. That's never happened. Except the wedding dress.

Nene said...

Thanks for this post! I bought a pleated maxi skirt back in December and have not really had a clue how to wear it. These photos give me some ideas.

danishka said...

I love your look, just don't hide behind that large purse!

Anonymous said...

Just love that outfit the pleatedskirt goes well with .it

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