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Today’s post title might be rather generic, but the content is pretty exciting, if I do say so myself… Oh, you love my elephant print halter top? Why thank you!—It’s actually a SKIRT. That’s right, I’m getting a little creative with clothing versatility today, so keep reading to hear my tips on how to style your skirts as tops and to see how Jodie from Jodie’s Touch of Style wore her skirt.
As I mentioned, I’m teaming up with Jodie from Jodie’s Touch of Style today to showcase how else we can wear our skirts, besides just on our bottom halves. Jodie is a fashion blogger who focuses on ageless style, as her tagline is, “It’s Never Too Late to Look Great.” She also features her mother Charlotte on the blog, as well as two other women. I actually had the wonderful opportunity to get brunch with Jodie and her husband Rob last spring, and they are such kind people! Jodie is a huge inspiration to me, and I absolutely love how creative she is with clothing and versatility (she always thinks of the cutest and most unique ways to rework pieces). I mentioned on one of my OOTD videos on Instagram that I should do a post about wearing this skirt as a top, and she immediately reached out to me, saying she wanted to do the post with me. So be sure to check out her blog post today (click HERE), and share some love!
This skirt started as a hand-me-over from my friend in high school, who decided she didn’t want it. As a fashion lover, I gladly accepted the skirt. It has the cutest elephant print and boho feel! Last spring, I attended a concert with my college friend and wanted to have that “concert/festival” feel. As you probably know if you’re a long-time follower, I have what I call a rather “mature style” compared to my fellow teen and 20-somethings, so the number of cutesy, college-type outfits I have are few and far between! Which is how I got the idea to wear this skirt as a sassy lil’ halter top instead.
I wanted to showcase the skirt in two ways: how it was intended to be worn and how I wore it as a top. In the first outfit, I paired the skirt with my favorite black mock-neck shirt and some brown sandals for a casual summer look. In the other outfit, I dressed up the skirt-turned-top by throwing on some skinny jeans and studded black heels. This is the “night-out” look I wore to that concert!
The skirt has a drawstring, so I used this to tie around my neck and act as a halter. I felt much more comfortable this way; I don’t usually wear strapless items because, well, there’s just not much up there. Additionally, I wore a strapless bra on top, which isn’t ideal (for obvious reasons) but was necessary as the skirt is a little sheer.
I originally wore the skirt untucked (see photo above, on the right). However, I quickly realized that this was not flattering for two reasons. First, the skirt was just long enough to hit at an awkward place on my hips; if it had been a little shorter, I think the ‘top’ would have looked better. Second, because of where the skirt hit on my hips, it made my whole body look as wide as my hip-region (when in reality my natural waist is smallest). So I decided to tuck the skirt completely into my jeans, and this made for a much more flattering look, adding shape and accentuating my waist. You’ll likely have to mess around with your skirt, too, so be sure to try different things—tuck it all the way in, only half-tuck it, untuck, add a belt… Play with it until something looks right!
When picking a skirt of your own to wear as a top, here’s what I recommend:
- Choose a skirt in a loose, breezy fabric so that it can easily be tucked/untucked.
- If you don’t want to wear something strapless, I suggest picking a skirt that has a long drawstring that you can tie around your neck.
- Choose a skirt with an elastic waist so that it’ll hug your girls and stay up on your chest.
- Unless you want the top to fit more like a tunic, I recommend picking a skirt that is on the shorter side so that it fits like a true blouse would.
I hope this post sparked some ideas and that you found it helpful! I love making my clothes more versatile, so the fact that I now get to make twice as many outfits out of this skirt is SO exciting to me. Again, be sure to check out Jodie’s blog post here, as I think she has a little surprise in store for even MORE ways to switch up how you wear your skirts! Jodie’s blog is also part of the Magnificent 8 blog post collaborations I do once a quarter, so you can check out a few of those posts below:
Denim Day 2020: Wear Jeans, Support Survivors
The Beauty of an Heirloom Piece
8 Ways to Style Animal Print this Fall
Thank you so much for stopping by today. Have a fantastic weekend, and be sure to tag me on social media or let me know if you decide to wear a skirt as a top! I would absolutely love to see your outfit creations.
Miles of smiles,
Grace
Black Mock-Neck Top: JCPenney, $11 // Elephant Patterned Skirt: Hand-me-over // Skinny Jeans: Francesca’s, $20 // Brown Leaf Sandals: DSW, $45 // Black Stud Heels: Frye via Sundance Outlet, $75 // Black Fringe Purse: Was a gift, $50 // Black Elephant Purse: Francesca’s, $20
Fabulous idea! I did it once with a maxi skirt and wore it as a dress!
Thank you Nancy! And that’s on my list of things to try too, such a great idea.
Wearing your skirt as a top? That’s definitely the first time I’ve heard of such a thing and that’s most likely due to the fact that I’m more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl! I admire your passion for fashion, Grace, that’s so inspiring! Thanks for sharing and have a good day. The weather looks promising for an upcoming weekend and we are planning a mini road trip right here in Sligo. Take care 😊 Aiva
Thank you so much, Aiva! A mini road trip sounds lovely. I hope you have the best time!
I love that yours had a tie that you could use around your neck!!
I am so glad I heard you say this because it’s such a cool idea! And thanks for letting me join in! Our clothing is just material pieces so it’s good to be creative with them.
Xoxo
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Of course Jodie! It was so much fun to team up with you.
Do i have any short skirts i can try this with? Not sure but I will look at my skirts in a new way now. Love this one and it looks adorable both ways!!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thanks Mireille! Can’t wait to see what you can come up with. I was even thinking you could try wearing a maxi skirt as a dress? Who knows!
Now I need to dig through my closet and see if I have any skirts I can wear as tops! You’ve inspired me. 😂 I also loooove that your purse and skirt (or shirt) match. 🐘
Thank you Meghan!! Yes, I have alllll the elephant inspo going. I can’t wait to see what outfits you come with up!
This is pretty cool! I remember Rihanna did this a few years ago but she kind of just wore a denim skirt on her top area without even making it look like a top (?!)
Oh?? I definitely need to check that out! My friend texted me and said you can wear scarves as shirts too… so I think that’s next on my to-try list!
Yes! I’ve been using my bandana thingy as a top recently and I’ve been loving it!
So cute!!
Ohh what! Your skirt makes a fabulous top! Happy Friday, Grace, you look lovely!
Thanks so much, Katerina!
You’d never know that was a skirt, it looks so cute when worn as a top! xo
Makeup Muddle
Thanks so much!
What a cute idea!! It looks so great as a top (and as a skirt lol!). I want to try this!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
Thanks Lizzie!
This is the second time I’ve seen a skirt worn as a top this week and I’m totally going to have to try this out soon!!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Was the other outfit on Jodie’s Touch of Style? We actually teamed up for this post! 🙂
Great idea. It looks lovely as a skirt and a top 🙂
Thanks so much!
Grace, this is amazing styling! I love the elephant print, too. So cute. And it looks so great as a top. I have one skirt that I have worn as a top a really long time ago. I need to try this again! And I love that you have teamed up with Jodie for this fun post! Thanks for linking up with me.
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Thanks so much, Shelbee!! Yes, you should totally try it again and post about it!
So creative and unique! Love this blog post!
Thanks so much!
What about wearing a tube top as a skirt? I have a tube top dress that I like to wear as a long skirt.
Anisah
Ooh so smart! I don’t own any tube tops but if I end up buying one, I’ll definitely have to try that!