Lessons from Skirtember

Well! Skirtember is over. I'll admit I had it a bit easy, since I work at home and don't always NEED a real outfit (I also cheated a few times, but it is really hard to work up the gumption to get fancied up just to go to the post office... which I did do at least once.)

These were my take-aways:


- If a skirt or dress requires special undergarments, it ain't gonna get worn.
I've got some of those no-show "hipster" undies from H&M that really aren't bad, compared to thongs, but still. The notion of a strapless bra will not even be entertained. This is a really good thing to know about yourself and keep in mind while shopping :-P


- Getting into or out of a tall car in a short skirt is exceedingly difficult.
I've got a lot of sympathy for Britney and Lindsay now. Though, knowing this information, I probably wouldn't go commando.


- You'll get more comments when you don't wear pants
Some of these will be the creepy-leering-dude sort, many will be the ladies-of-all-ages saying your outfit is cute sort. Nobody likes the first kind, and if you're as painfully introverted as I am you may find the second kind a little stressful too, even though they are delivered with the kindest intentions. I find that sunglasses really cut down on how many people talk to me, as does walking around with a gait and expression that says "I'm running late because of someone else's incompetence and they are definitely losing their job and at least one limb when I make it back to the office."

More like "Keep Calm and Don't Fucking Talk To Me"

- Tights need to be like, three inches longer in the leg.
Seriously, I'm not particularly tall and I don't usually have to buy "long" jeans, but tights crotches are almost always way too dang low. Makes you feel like a penguin, but not as cute.


- A skirt-based wardrobe is annoying to launder
All kinds of tights and fabrics that shouldn't go in the dryer... just how many lingerie bags is a gal expected to own, man? I guess you could choose only hardy-fabric items and skip the tights and it wouldn't be so bad, but...meh.


- I love jeans... but skirts are more fun to style.
They're also tougher to style, since you have to actually consider the colors on your bottom half instead of just going "PFfffff jeans go with everything!" I've got my wardrobe whittled down to a fairly limited palette, though, which definitely helps.


- I definitely feel more comfortable in skirts than when I started
...which was the goal (I'm prone to feeling too "dressy" and getting a bit self-conscious... it's also the reason I rarely wear earrings.) I'm also kind of sick of them, but I'm sure that'll fade. There were a few skirts/dresses I didn't get around to wearing, and now I need to take a long hard look at them and figure out if I really like them enough to keep.

All in all, definitely a challenge I'd recommend.... and it's not too late, I just saw the word "Frocktober" somewhere! And then there's always "No-pants November" and "Dresscember"...

Skirtember's End, Sept 23-30

Hat: Heartbreaker

Cowl: Bandana-Rama

Shirt: One Step Up

Skirt: Stoosh

Tights: Michael Stars layered over solid black

Shoes: Aldo

Plaid shirt: Forever 21

This is around the point when I started getting sick of Skirtember and pushing it a bit farther. I wanted to make sure to work in some of these slightly trickier skirts (though I'll admit there were a few I didn't get to.)

Hat: This one

Jacket: Vintage Paul Louis  (my mother's! Unfortunately she's shorter than me and was itty bitty, so it's a bit small.) 

Dress: Rewind

Tights: Unknown

Boots: Mossimo

Purse: The Sak

Necklace: Precious Hardware

Bats! They are very important. And adorable. 

Hat: Fave

Jacket: Theory

Sweater: Abound (seems to be a Nordstrom/Rack brand?)

Skirt: Windsor

Fringe Slip: Val Mode (vintage)

Tights: UO

Boots: Minnetonka (similar)

Necklace: Unknown

Jacket: Bebe

Flannel: Merona

Dress: Balance Collection (by Marika)

Tights: these- they're not quite leggings, not quite tights.

Boots: Freebird by Steven, "Drover"

Necklace: found on Fab.com, but I don't think it's this one.

Back view of fun legging things:

Whew! Well! That wraps it. I've got another post in progress where I do a little naval gazing about this whole skirtstravaganza, but in the meantime... time to turn our attentions to the great month of Halloween. Or October. Or whatever you want to call it. 

Feelin' Skirty, Sept 10-22

Hat: Fave (handknit)

Shirt: OP (as in Walmart, I think... I got it second hand and it's my favorite ever.)

Skirt: Windsor (old, but they've got a lot of pencil skirts.)

Tights: xhilaration (probably? I don't know, I own a lot of opaque black tights.)

Boots: Minnetonka (these are a few seasons old, but these are similar.)

Hat: Suture (handknit)

Sweater: Mossimo

Dress: Lux

Socks: unknown, but probably from Sock Dreams

Boots: Mossimo

Sweater: Roxy

Dress: H&M Jersey Dress 

Socks: b.ella, I think. Believe it or not they are different from the last pair.

Boots: Freebird by Steven "Drover"

Shirt: The tag just has a bunch of spiderwebs on it instead of a name (?!)

Dress: H&M Jersey Dress

Tights: cheap random-ass nylons like the kind you buy in an egg or whatever

Socks: unknown, but probably from Sock Dreams

Boots: Blue Suede Shoes (I find it disturbing how many brands just straight up don't have a website. At least TRY, geez.) 

This was my Halloweenified outfit for Hell's Hearsefest, an event that anyone in the area should absolutely attempt to attend someday.

Clearly, I had estimated the aesthetic of the event accurately.

Hat: Fave (handknit)

Sweater: Old Navy (ancient)

Skirt: MICHAEL Michael Kors

Socks: Urban Outfitters (similar)

Boots: Freebird by Steven "Drover"

I think when this month is over, I'll feel a lot more comfortable wearing skirts (which was the goal) but I'm also going to be really freakin' sick of it. And this is without even going out everyday...and having a few cheat days (because it's really hard to get all gussied up JUST to go to the post office, y'know?)

Skirtin' along, Skirtember 2-9

When you see how few outfits I have to show for September, you'll really grasp the full extent of how much working at home isolates you, haha. It appears that I left the house 3 times in 8 days (yikes.) In the interest of honesty, I did cheat and run two quick errands in jeans, though. So, 5 times.  (I've been posting these on Instagram as I go, so if you follow me there you've probably seen them. Look for the #skirtember tag.)

Hat: Garage sale find of the year, whoop whoop!

Tank: Thrifted and tagless, whomp whomp.

Shirt: James Perse (TJ Maxx always seems to have these, in various colors, for way less than that.)

Skirt: Vintage, no label

Tights: Urban Outfitters (Don't buy these ones if you're tall- they want to slide down so that the line is on or below your knee.)

Shoes: Ole standby's from Payless

Tank: H&M
Cardi: BDG
Skirt: Gap (thrifted and ancient... Gap is super excited about black denim right now though, FYI)
Tights: xhilaration 
Boots: Soda (I bought these for my halloween costume... scroll down a few posts and I bet you can guess what I'm planning to be, haha. I looked everywhere for a real leather pair but didn't want to spend $100+ on halloween cowboy boots, so, oh well.)

Let me tell you something about pestering your significant other to take pictures of your outfits: Eventually they may start getting bored. As a result this is the best picture I have of this one, haha. But that's an awfully nice ice cream truck, right??

Top: BDG
Skirt: MICHAEL Michael Kors
Tights: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Aldo (I wish they still sold these- they look like black-on-gray wool chucks and I love them so, so much. I'm going to be devastated when they wear out.)


I'm a little ashamed that I've worn the black skirt twice when I still have plenty that I haven't touched. A lot of them just feel a bit more... formal, I guess? Ah well, I'll have to tough it out. For science.

Remember, Remember, the First of Skirtember....

Somehow, it's already September. This month means a lot less once you're out of school- especially if you're childless- but I'll never shake the urge to buy new notebooks and pencils. It also has the perfect weather for a little experiment I've been cooking up...

I have a pretty healthy collection of skirts, dresses, and tights, but I almost never wear them because tossing on jeans is so damn easy. So I've challenged myself (and you, if you want to play along) to celebrate the holy month of Skirtember.

The rules are simple: No pants outside of the house until October (exceptions can be made for things like manual labor, horseback riding, etc. But otherwise. Skirt 'em up.)

I'll post all my outfits, either here or on Instagram (bombasinedoll, btw) under the #skirtember tag (I thought I was being terribly clever with the play on words, but a quick Google search indicates that I am far from the first to think of it. Ah well.) Since I work at home there won't necessarily be an outfit everyday, but I'll try to drag my sorry ass out of my pjs at least a few times a week ;-)

Today's outfit is nothing to write home about, but it's hot as balls (and twice as muggy) so I wasn't really feeling "layers" or "tights" (I loathe having bare legs, so you KNOW it's gotta be gross out for me to go without.) 

Shirt: Bozzolo

Skirt: MICHAEL Michael Kors

Shoes: Aldo

Sunglasses: Garage sale junk

Necklace: Satomi Studio

Dogs: Out of frame because it's WALKIES TIME, dammit. 

(Speaking of dogs, do other people's leashes manage to get riddled with impossible-to-untie knots? Or are we just really talented?)

If you're feeling a bit skirty as well but need some inspiration, I've been hoarding pantsless Pins hardcore the last few days. Please do join in!