Our Thrifty 6 prompt for the month was lace skirt outfits, and my crew almost had a mutiny. While lace skirts may not be something that everyone owns, 3 of us found some ways to play along, and if nothing else, you can glean some inspiration from the textural combinations.
Quote of the day: “Do not fear mistakes, there are none.” Miles Davis
When you think of lace, your mind might jump to wedding dresses, fancy blouses, or something reserved for “special occasions.” Heck, I remember the first time I wore a lace top with my olive green utility jacket and wondered if it was “okay” to do that.
I’m always on a mission to prove that we need to stop categorizing our clothing too much. In reality, our clothes are much more versatile than we think. For example, colors are seasonless, and textures can be dressed up or down.
My crew each styled our lace skirts in very different ways to prove just how versatile this timeless fabric can be.
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I couldn’t think of a lace skirt in my closet, so I went the path of creating one from a dress. This idea works with ANY dress in your closet. You can cover the top portion and make your dress look like a skirt.
Other examples of this idea on my site:
–Why I take a dress for travel
–Original crew wearing a dress as a skirt
For this look, I topped the lace dress with a zebra print blouse.
Just because I believe that more is more, I even added my dress extender (seen years ago on all of us) hanging out the bottom.
My orange lace dress has a high neckline, and for this lace skirt outfit, I wanted it hidden. So I wrapped this fringe scarf around my neck that created a “mane.”
Pro tip: If you’re ever unsure how to style a lace piece without looking too “girly,” just add something edgy or modern on top. For example: animal print, denim, leather, or even a graphic tee. This is the perfect way also to casualize any item that you consider “fancy.”
-My aunt knit me this scarf over 20 years ago. It’s created with 2 different yarns, and I loved how it makes a circle of fringe around my neck.
-This purse again, because I just Love it. You can see how burgundy it looks in my photos as opposed to the description of dark sepia on the website.
-I’m mixing animal prints with the zebra print t-shirt and cow print flats. These flats don’t have good arch support, so I added my Sole Insoles that can be used in multiple shoes (and even sandals since they are clear).
When my mom, Charlotte, couldn’t find a lace skirt in her closet, she just decided to whip one up. She went to her fabric stash and found this lace material, then she made it into a skirt.
She created a column of color with the white base and then added a purple satin vest that she had made years ago.
Basically, her version of lace skirt outfits is all about making your own.
Pro tip: Another idea I had for my mom before she went to the sewing machine was to layer a lace scarf over a plain skirt. If you need a visual, here is a similar idea on Pinterest, except over a pair of pants.
Details:
-Not only did my mom make the lace skirt, but she also made the top (about 10 years ago) and the vest. The vest was created from a leftover bedspread. How creative is that?
-I love the combination of different textures in Charlotte’s look. The lace of the skirt, the bumpy texture of the top, and the shininess of the vest, PLUS the suede of the purse.
-And the bow elastic belt blends in with the column of color, yet it adds shape and an extra detail. These types of belts (found on Amazon) are great because they stretch.
Cathie found this lace-trimmed slip skirt in her closet that she had thrifted last year.
Here’s that textural combination with lace to make it less girly and include that yin/ying element. Denim.
Her outfit shows that lace skirt outfits don’t have to feel dressy. By mixing in denim plus her sneakers, Cathie grounded the look in everyday wearability.
If you want to dip your toe into wearing lace but still feel like “you,” this is the perfect approach. Denim adds approachability and works with any lace color, whether white, black, or even bright hues.
Details:
-Cathie has about 5 different pairs of these sneakers from Walmart in different colors. She says that for $20, they are the best buy.
-A structured purse like this adds a professional element to the other vibes, which is why the outfit translates as a modern look. No matchy matchy here.
Growing up, we may have thought lace was purely for “special days,” but with the accumulation of birthdays, we have learned that every day is special.
Therefore, you can create lace skirt outfits for fun, no matter what event is on the calendar.
Pro tip: Lace has come a long way since my grandma’s days. Today’s lace fabrics often include a bit of stretch, making them more wearable.
I know this because I have a lace dress that used to be my grandma’s.
The reason that lace can be such a fabulous option is
-Texture
-Seasonless
-Dress up or down
And other ways to style them:
What I love most about fashion is that it gives us permission to play. Whether you’re sewing your own like Charlotte, mixing prints like me, or adding a casual twist like Cathie, these lace skirt outfits are proof that feminine pieces can be fun, expressive, and completely wearable at any age.
With the fashion and textile industry being a major contributor to landfills and other environmental pollution, we decided that our mission of this group is to focus on second-hand items.
Thrifty tip: Don’t forget to check out the men’s and kids’ sections of the store because you might be surprised.
Check out the other members of the Thrifty 6 group below for all kinds of lace skirt outfits.
Pro tip: If there aren’t many wonderful secondhand shops near you, I have included a list of online shops that I love at the end of this post.
“Nancy’s lace skirt theme was a huge challenge for me as I don’t have any preloved lace skirts. I have one lace dress that was thrifted that I had considered layering under a sweater for a lace skirt effect, but the dress is short and tight and I just wasn’t feeling it. So I went thrifting. And I found nothing in lace at all, not even a scarf or a curtain that I could fashion into a skirt. I decided to take a different approach and styled a very old white lace skirt that was purchased at Retail over a decade ago. It got styled it with a recently thrifted shirt dress and preloved ruana as well as a pile of thrift store and flea market necklaces for a fun flowy layered boho look perfect for early autumn. I actually didn’t put much energy into this outfit at all, the pieces sort of just came together effortlessly and I am very fond of the end result.”
“This skirt, again, is from the boutique I used to work for. Both Celina and I bought this skirt, and we probably bought it together. I wore it to pieces. Celina had lost hers several times. And then she found it again and it did not fit her anymore. She offered the lace skirt to me, and although it’s one size bigger then I am, it fits good. I like it a little loose these days. And I knew immediately how I wanted to wear it.
Although that didn’t work out as I had in my head. I had brown ankle boots in mind but that did not look good at all. And I thought the skirt was a bit longer. So I felt good in this outfit, wore it to a birthday party, but would not style it this way again.”
“Ethereal lace over shell-pink silk, the epitome of feminine elegance…
..I’m stamping on that with combat boots!
This is Punk Rock – juxtaposition of leather and lace – refinement meets rebellion – beauty sits astride the beast!
Lace skirt” is October’s T6 brief – this is how I do lace skirt!…”
“Since I don’t have a lace skirt or lace dress from any source (and the thrifting gods were not favoring that purchase for me), I had to go in a somewhat different direction for this challenge – styling my secondhand summer lace jacket for fall with atypical layering. Because the sleeves are just below elbow length, layering long sleeves under it wouldn’t look right to me, so I tried layering OVER the jacket for the first time. I decided to try a thrifted olive open-front cardigan over it to create a lace waistcoat look with the jacket, and I was surprised by how much I liked the result! (I also layered an olive tank top under the lace jacket.) I finished the outfit with thrifted jeans, handmade jewelry, and a retail-on-sale woodland critter scarf and leopard flats for a fall outfit with a bit of a twist.”
“I don’t own many lace pieces, and those that I do are not pre-loved. That got me thinking about autumn/winter updates and looking for inspo on Pinterest. Burgundy is a big trend this season and I’m fully embracing it, so when I found quite a few lace skirts in various shades of red and purple on Vinted, I was spoilt for choice. This one from Asos was £3! I’ve created a tonal colour palette with my bright red top and coat.”
If you don’t have great secondhand stores near you, then another great option is online thrifting. These are the ones I’ve used more than once (except Swap, but it comes highly recommended by a friend)
thredUp—this link gives you $10 (and me in return).
Poshmark — here is the post about how to shop the site.
Preworn–10% off with code JODIEFILOGOMO
Etsy
ebay
Swap
Uncommon Closet— a nonprofit to help women.
Gild the Lily–a local Michigan store that sells online.
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The post Excellent Thrifty Lace Skirt Outfits Styled 3 Ways appeared first on Jodie’s Touch of Style.
