Skirts for the Warm Months

[Sunny]

This winter, I had a pretty good wardrobe of dresses, shirts, and three hard-working skirts. These skirts were all of wool: One heathered gray a-line, one brown tweedy bias, and one black crepe pencil. These are great neutrals that go with a lot of my shirts. In Texas, though, warm weather (highs in the 70s-80s) can start in March and runs into October if not later. I can push the limits a little, but these obviously-wool skirts look and feel really funny by then.

My concern isn't really dressing for the heat; I work in a climate-controlled office, and when it's 120 degrees in the car, I'm going to be hot, wool skirt or no. I'm concerned about being appropriate. I've got some good dresses, but I don't want to wear just them. I've also got some decent summer shirts and jackets and cardigans. But the skirts, I'm short of. The ones I have are waistless, and I really want to tuck things in. Some of my shirts really need to be tucked in.

I've been watching ebay for months. All that's out there are wool pencil skirts and 1950s circle skirts. I really prefer late 1930s and early 1940s - short a-lines and those delicious combinations of inverted pleats - but they're just not out there. So I'll have to make them, which isn't too bad; finals are this week, and after that I'll have time. But what materials do I use for these desperately-needed staple skirts?

I love wool because it drapes and moves so wonderfully. Linen is, of course, the perfect summer fabric; but it wrinkles dreadfully. "Way back then," what was a girl's workaday skirt? Rayon? Linen, and just plan to iron the pleats every night? What about cotton? Cotton needs to be a little heavier to handle a tailored style, but heavy cotton is stiff and awkward and has zero drape.

I'd appreciate any insights you ladies can give me. I always try to go to originals for inspiration, but I'm really drawing a blank here. And with six months of summer to go, the situation's getting rather desperate.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've made some nice vintage-pattern 6-gore summer skirts out of light linen/rayon blends -- they're substantial enough to be suitable for work but light enough for the season. Nubby weaves are especially nice for this.

One of my favorite summer vintage items is a WW2 WAC "tropical" skirt -- a very nicely fitted gored shape in a light beige color. It's wool, but a very light sort of wool, and is entirely comfortable in the summer. I paid $60 for it on eBay back when I spent money on such things -- unissued stock complete with about a million tags stuck to it -- and it's been a very satisfactory purchase.

 

[Brooksie]

I also have a very, very light weight wool skirt that I own and wear in winter with tights and boots and in summer usually with no hosiery and a closed toe shoe. The skirt is really long and it is lined and color is black so it is versitile - it can either be really dressed up or made to be very casual. The skirt is not vintage I got it new at Nordstroms a few years ago but it has a very vintage look to it. There is actually a picture of me in the last issue of Classic Style - back in the "Here's looking at you" page...Fedora Lounge Event. Huber's Restaurant Portland Oregon March 2007. I am the second from the left with the Louise Brooks bob.

Brooksie

 

[8 to the Bar]

I have linen and cotton day dresses for summer. Ironing is daily chore.

 

[Polka Dot]

I also suggest a linen blend--either linen/rayon or linen with a bit of polyester . You just can't beat the breathability, and since they aren't exclusively linen, they don't wrinkle quite as easily.

I have a skirt that, although not vintage, works beautifully in the summer months. It's a gored a-line knee-length skirt made of lightweight cotton, with an attached cotton lining. The outer layer is of printed eyelet, with the lining a complementary color. As you said, heavy cotton is very stiff, but a couple of layers of light cotton works for me.

If your budget allows it, you might also try tropical weight wool or silk.

 

[Grace]

My absolutely favorite skirt is a 40s rayon jersey red, green and gray tropical print on a white background. It is SO lightweight and comfortable, that Ive been on the look out for more. I wore it in Panama in February where it was terribly hot and sticky,and I stayed fairly cool.

 

[Paisley]

Do you like these?

Fully lined cotton sateen skirt:

Lightweight wool fluted skirt:

From Talbots.com. They're expensive, but you could wear them for years.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I have the cutest lightweight cotton skirt that I got at JCrew 2 summers ago. It's white with pink and green and has a ribbon at the waist. It has cute little sailboats all over it. i wear it with a pink tight knit short sleeve top and pink flats.
Other than that, it's cotton or linen for me. I couldn't bare to wear any type of wool in the summer. I prefer to wear a lightweight cotton or linen dress, sometimes rayon, over a skirt, that's just what I'm most comfortable in.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Most of my summer skirts are made out of cottons and lightweight rayons. I do have a couple of linen blend skirts, which are nice and cool, but don't seem to wrinkle as much.

 

[Sunny]

Ladies, you've done it again. I've got my inspiration back! I do have some very lightweight black wool suiting (picked up at Joann's fall clearance last summer) that would make a nice skirt. Lizzie, I like that idea about a WAC tropical skirt. I may set up a search for that, just in case. Paisley, those Talbots skirts are lovely. The fluted shape reminds me of the 1930s. :eusa_clap And since our Hancocks is closing they have their linen-look solids on clearance. I hope that they've got brown! It'd be a great wardrobe staple.