What to Wear: the Topshop Pencil Skirt

I’m a serial outfit repeater (but I wash my clothes regularly, promise); when I love a piece, I love a piece, and you’ll find me in nothing but said piece until it’s due for a few spins with gold ol’ Dawn. You may have remembered a particular Topshop skirt from this Kenzo collage a while back—this is the ultimate jersey tube skirt in terms of quality and versatility. Since a few of you asked for more ways to incorporate it into your wardrobe, here’s how I’d wear it:

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Proof that less is more, and classics will always be king. This is my ideal outfit for anything and everything at the moment; I dream about this, actually: That’s how much I adore each piece in the outfit on its own and together as a single outfit. Cropped knits are all that’s on my mind lately—I’ll blame Tracy Anderson and Buti Fitness for this newfound obsession with my midsection—but the gold mine right now is the ever-coveted chunky cropped turtleneck from T by Alexander Wang. (It’s the one thing I need the mass retailers to produce and they’re not; go figure. Do we need another Kenzo knockoff? Or Prada SS 2012 print? I don’t think so.)

It’s not really about showing skin with this combination: it’s about the illusion of length and highlighting the hourglass. A cropped top serves the same purpose as tucking in your blouse: it hits at that ideal point on the ribcage above the nip in your waist. The jersey pencil skirt does the rest. It contours the curves while remaining modest; I have this theory that nearly every woman looks most elegant in a hemline that hits right below the knee. Black pumps go without saying (it’s me making these collages… don’t act so surprised now!) to keep things feminine and leggy.

A chunky skull ring adds a touch of romanticism and rock all at the same time, but let’s be honest, here: the hero accessory of the look is the Yves Saint Laurent Chyc Cabas. Here’s to the last legs of the “Y” in Yves Saint Laurent and the most beautiful bag in the world. I’m seriously contemplating this splurge as my first designer (with a capital “D”) handbag in homage of ladylike tastes, classicism and one of the most incredible artists in history.

SHOP THE LOOK: Yves Saint Laurent Cabas Chyc + Zara pumps (similar here) + T by Alexander Wang chunky knit cropped turtleneck + Topshop double-layer pencil skirt + Wildfox Skull ring

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I’ve dubbed this The Librarian 2.0. J. Crew cardigans? Bah humbug! Penny loafers? Pah! These are different times, my dears, where things like Google and social media platforms have taken over the Dewy Decimal system.

Black is always the new black, but Starbucks is the new library*—since our coffees can only keep us warm for so long in adorable air-conditioned cafes, a chunky cardigan is the way to stay cozy and comfortable while submersing ourselves in textbooks. Plus, it keeps the sexy in check: a cropped top and bodycon skirt isn’t so intimidating when swathed in cable knits.

Edge it up, sex it up. Whereas the closest thing to edge the original librarian would touch was one of those eyeglass thingy-ma-jigs, we’re no strangers to heavy metal. Finish with a killer pair of ankle booties and cult-status leather bag to keep things edgy.

SHOP THE LOOK: chunky knit cardigan + Topshop cropped tee + Topshop double-layer pencil skirt + Givenchy Nightingale + Garron ankle boots

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Tuck the heels away into the (reusable) tote and chuck on (ha!) those low-tops for when you’re bound to be on your feet and on the go for an entire day. It’s comfortable, easy-breezy and easy-peas-y. Just tuck in a favorite white tee and get out the door: call this your go-to uniform for tourist-y exploring, running errands, a much-needed shopping spree, or just another day of school. It’s the red lipstick and earrings that make the pencil skirt and Chucks combination work; it’s all about balancing the casual and the dressy. A patent leather clutch pulls it all together to keep things minimal and chic. Remember, less is more: if you’re out and about, why carry more than the essential cards, lip balm, red lipstick and cell phone?

Going for drinks afterwards? Swap the trainers for the heels again and no one would have missed a thing.

SHOP THE LOOK: NARS Red Lizard + low-top Chucks + YSL Belle du Jour patent clutch + Topshop double-layer pencil skirt + white pocket tee + Karla Deras x Roman Luxe lapis lazuli earrings

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Editor’s Notes:

*Support your public libraries! Make sure your tax dollars are going there instead of some ridiculous “local enhancement.” What this society needs is books. Education is power.