Revamp Your Wardrobe Using Skirts You Already Have

A recent conversation with a store clerk went like this:

Him: Dude, your dress is rad.

Me: Oh, thanks! It's really a skirt.

Him: No way. Do you make your own clothes?

Me: No, I just do wear things wrong and stuff.

Him: That's so cool. Today my girlfriend made a hat out of a pant leg.

Me: Dude, that's so cool.

I am probably older than his mother. I didn't say I was proud of the conversation, but that's really how it went. This rather large, post-adolescent Dungeons and Dragons kind of guy behind the counter at Blockbuster wasn't the only one to acknowledge my shimmering, strapless, crimson dress that day.

I've always loved street fashion. In junior high, I used to scour the pages of Cosmo, Glamour, and Seventeen for the precious few pages of 'real' photographs of cool women on the streets wearing very cool outfits. The weirder, the better. Then, in high school, a foreign exchange student, Daniella, from Italy, gave me a bunch of her Italian fashion magazines, that were chock full of street fashion photographs.

I still remember my favorites. A woman in L.A. wearing overalls and white-framed cat eye sunglasses; her long, blonde hair wrapped like crazy on top of her head, woven and tied with what looked like shredded ribbons and rags, and carrying a tiny, Victorian embroidered handbag.

Also, a woman standing with her arms around a gigantic Great Dane, wearing a huge sweater that's ripped everywhere, perfectly tattered, and a shiny silk, long formal sapphire blue skirt that she has strategically knotted and tied--with a black crinoline underneath, and ancient combat boots.

That was 25 years ago. It was cool then, and it would be cool still. Because it's not really 'fashion' in the sense of things you can go out and buy. It's fashion in the sense of feeling confident in your creative and innovative use of fabrics. That's how we can think of clothes in general-fabric that is meant to be placed on our body.

Sounds like a no-brainer, but it really serves to deconstruct our ideas of what skirts, pants, shirts, etc. are, and frees up the creative process, allowing us to think of wearing items different ways, with different things. The cool thing about this is-we already have clothes with which to think along these creative lines, thus creating new outfits without cost, or sewing skills.

So, take a look at your skirts. Some of them can be worn as strapless dresses, either alone, or layered over a shirt. Shorter skirts can likewise be worn as strapless shirts, again, either alone, or layered . Depending on its shape, consider belting it with a scarf or sash. The best skirts to be worn for dresses are plain-waisted ones, usually without zippers or buttons. But, even this is not a rule-if it works, it works.

Another idea is wearing a skirt far higher than the waist, right under the breastline, over a tight fitting shirt of the same general color. It creates the look of an empire-waisted dress, or depending on its length, a tunic. It can be sashed or not.

One thing that's very cool is layering skirts of different lengths. Longer, lighter textured fabric skirts look great peeking out from under a slightly (or even significantly) shorter skirt. It creates a peasant-medieval effect that just looks cool. Experiment with different skirts-there's something about the symbioses of certain ones that just cut it, or don't. It has to do with the various textures, fullness, colors, and feel. It's intuitive-you'll know.

If you have a skirt you're tired of, or just never wear anymore--consider cutting it. To hem or not to hem-it's your choice. Fashion it into a mini skirt, and/or even cut or rip a long slice into it, and then fasten the slice back together with a brooch or large fabric rose pin. You can even make your own rose pins easily from items you may already have at home--from paper (or even plastic) flowers and larger safety pins. Wear this 'new' skirt pinned over a longer one.

A few years ago, the shawl was very popular. Consequently, the thrift stores are now full of them. Your own closet may be as well. I have worn a couple of mine that have larger neck lines as skirts, layered over either jeans, or other skirts. I've gotten so many compliments on these-especially the ones that are crocheted-a crotched skirt is a unique and lovely rarity.

So, the next time you feel the need to inject some life into your wardrobe, by thinking outside the box, you may not need to even buy a thing!