Women have always wanted a skirt that showed their figure at its most flattering and, from the early 1940s, the pencil skirt has been considered tasteful and extremely flattering. Unfortunately, however, that does not apply to everyone.
The pencil skirt is a skirt that fits at the waist, glides smoothly over the hips and then ends at around or just above the knee. Shirt lengths tend, of course, to go up and down with the times without making major changes to the design. It’s most important feature is that it emphasis and enhances the hourglass shape made popular in the late 40s and early 50s.
The good thing about this skirt is that it shows off the figure to perfection, making the wearer seem sophisticated, alluring and sexy. The downside, let’s get that out of the way, is that the skirt needs to fit and fit more or less perfectly. If your hips are a little (or a lot) out of synch then the result can be anything but flattering since to look good a pencil skirt needs to be a
snug fit at both the waist and hips.
If you want to wear a pencil skirt but feel that your figure is not quite up to it then there is an easy way to get it right and this is important for the overall result. Buy one that fits, preferably, your hips perfectly and then have it professionally (or do it yourself if you have the skill) altered to fit at the waist. The result is well worth the cost and you will have a garment in your wardrobe that will outlast any other styles you have and always make you look good.
When first designed, pencil skirts were produced mainly in pastel colours but as the 50s turned into the 1960s and more experimentation took place in fashion, the pencil skirt acquired a new range of colours. However, black or one of the pastel shades still helps the skirt to look good and create a flattering image.
It’s always been one of fashion’s quiet favourites and the 1960s saw the skirt continue in popularity for most of the decade, surviving the topsy-turvy mix and match fashions of the period and emerge into the 1970s unscathed and as popular as a fashion statement as it always was. It has remained popular until the present day mainly because it is a simple style that somehow manages to ooze elegance and simplicity like no other.
If you like wearing a pencil skirt but sometimes don’t want it to look too dressy then it’s always possible to dress it down by wearing a loose fitting top or jumper over the top. The top’s loose fitting at the waist will them ease out the fitted look of the skirt and create a more relaxed feel. Alternatively, for a different look entirely, try pairing it with gorgeous laceup boots or spectacular shoes to take the eye away from the mid section and give a more balanced look to the figure.
For sheer elegance and looking-good the pencil skirt has remained a clear favourite and it’s a the one fashion item that everyone should have somewhere in their wardrobe.
Below are half a dozen links to vintage pencil skirts on Etsy vintage fashion that are well worth a look and which caught my eye as I travelled through recently.
Photo 1 Wikimedia
Photo 2 and Nancy Says
Photo 3 Church Street Market Place
Photo 4 The President Wears Prada
