Posted by Bridgette Raes | Nov 2, 2014 | Bridgette Raes, Dressing Your Body, How to Wear, What am I going to wear to work tomorrow? | 4 |
With mini skirts being trendy again, I am reminded of when they were popular in the early 90’s. I was a senior in high school and my school had a dress code about skirts like this. They could be no shorter than our fingertips when our arms were at our sides. Back then, these rules seemed incredibly restrictive and limiting. However, now, at 40 years old, when I think about just how short this length was, I can’t believe how I felt. I can’t imagine wearing a skirt shorter than that now.
One could say that the return of mini skirts means the return of a prosperous economy, as history dictates that when skirt lengths shorten the economy improves. Be this bunk or not, let’s hope this is the case. In the meantime, let’s explore wearing mini skirts to work, as, no matter where you work, be it casual or a bit more buttoned up, I think all women should observe certain rules about wearing this trend.
How to Appropriately Wear Mini Skirts to Work
The limitation of mini skirts at the office
Mini skirts are certainly okay for work if they are styled in ways that make them work appropriately. Here are a few things to consider:
- Cover your legs- Now that it has gotten colder, less of us will likely want to leave the house without some sort of leg coverage. I think opaque tights are probably your best bet when wearing mini skirts to work. Tights will not only create an appropriate level of workplace modesty, but they will make it easier to bend, move and stretch without worry.
- Keep your shoes on the flatter side- You have to watch heels with mini skirts, particularly for work. While heels can be fine, I think you need to be discerning. Chunky, stacked heels would be more appropriate than spindly stilettos, especially with bare legs. Usually the only profession where stilettos and mini skirts work is in the street walking profession.
- Buy mini skirts that are age appropriate- What is considered a mini skirt to a 20 year old is undoubtedly shorter than what a 40+ woman would consider to be mini. With all the different designers and manufacturers out there putting mini skirts onto the selling floor, to find the style that is most age appropriate for you, it would be wise to choose one from a brand that caters to your age group. The last thing I want you to do is consider a mini skirt and buy one from a brand that is too young for you only to think that this trend just won’t work. When ordering online, look at the length of the mini skirt in the product description. Anything shorter than 17″ is probably just too short for the workplace at any age.
The freedoms of mini skirts at the office
Yes, mini skirts may initially come with what seem like tremendous limitations, however, there are actually a lot of freedoms that you can take advantage of, much of which come with the proportion of this skirt style. Here are two of them:
- They look great with flat shoes- As I said earlier, flat shoes, or chunky heels, look best with mini skirts. If you are someone who veers towards flats over heels, mini skirts work really well with them. Sometimes a longer pencil skirt looks awkward with flats, whereas, proportionately, flats with mini skirts look great.
- You can wear relaxed tops and tunics- Another benefit that mini skirts have over longer skirts is that relaxed sweaters and tunic tops work well with mini skirts. Again, it’s all about proportion and what is created when you wear a longer top. A longer, relaxed top can look awkward with longer skirts, but tend to look perfect with shorter ones.
Mini Skirt Outfits for work
If you are new to wearing mini skirts, or if it has been a while since you have worn one, below are three work appropriate looks to help you figure out how to style mini skirts for the office.
Outfit #1
In this first outfit, I am creating a clean look with a bit of a pop using this J. Crew mini skirt in yellow. The rest of the outfit is navy, with this peplum top, opaque tights and navy heeled oxfords from ECCO. The look is finished simply with a bronze pendant necklace, with a touch of light blue, from Athropologie and a bronze python cuff from Max and Chloe.
As you can see in this outfit, I am using heels but they are stacked and chunkier. Also, if you have been looking for ways to wear your oxfords to the office, wearing them with a mini skirt is a great way to do it. Additionally, if you worried about how your legs will look in a mini, not only do the darker tights slim the look of the legs but the shoes and tights matching in color also creates a longer, slimming line.
Outfit #2
In this outfit, I am featuring two of the benefits that I spoke about earlier. Not only does this black relaxed sweater from Reiss proportionately work with this plaid Akris Punto skirt, but you can see here how you can get away with flat booties, like these chelsea booties from Seychelles. Lastly, for a pop, I added burgundy tights, but you can certainly go with black ones for a cleaner line. For accessories, I used this silver bib from Bauble Bar and silver stud earrings from Stella & Dot.
Outfit #3
Lastly, with tall boots that are flat. Again, sometimes tall boots like this can look odd with longer skirts. However, if heels just aren’t your thing, wearing them with shorter skirts may look more balanced. Here, these cognac boots, which I own and LOVE, are styled with this navy tweed mini skirt from Boden, an ivory top from French Connection, and the outfit is finished simply with a blue infinity scarf from Modcloth, heather grey tights and a pair of green Sam Edleman earrings.
As long as you style them right, wear the right lengths, and go for modesty over shock, mini skirts can be fine additions to your work wardrobe. Of course, it all depends on your work environment. Be sure to know what your workplace dress code is before strolling into the office wearing one. My guess is that HR won’t look too kindly on, “Bridgette Raes said it was okay”, as an excuse.
