The Perfect Skirt

You know how I wrote about how I bought a ton of clothes on an extremely tight budget by buying secondhand?  I was determined to only buy clothing from thrift stores.  Pay attention to the past tense here, people.  As much as I love the idea of buying secondhand and am still committed to buying most of my clothes this way, I must say that sometimes the selection comes up, well, lacking. 

I’m a huge fan of vintage-inspired clothing, but most of the secondhand stores I can afford to shop in do not offer very much vintage clothing in my size, to my tastes, and in my price range, if they offer any at all.  I stick to buying mostly basics and more business clothing (for when I am teaching or presenting for classes and need to dress up) which need little embellishments. 

I decided not to buy strictly from secondhand stores recently when I was on the prowl for a cute skirt that could go from casual to semi-formal in a flash.  I wanted something with a pattern, preferably a floral pattern since I can never get enough of them, and also wanted it to hit just above my knee since my petite frame makes wearing skirts any longer or shorter a big no-no most of the time.  I searched secondhand stores but couldn’t find anything that fit my tastes.  So, I headed to regular clothing stores.  After a couple months of looking around occasionally, I still came up short.  I was ready to give up.

A couple weeks ago, I wandered into Charlotte Russe, one of my favorite stores when I am not buying secondhand.  I was blown away at how much vintage-inspired clothing there was.  The store was completely remodeled, so I think it has had a new design in the clothing as well, but am not sure.  I planned on just trying a few things on “just to see how things looked.”  Well ladies, you should know the rest of the story!  I found the perfect skirt without even looking!  Take a look:

Lace Inset Floral Skirt

On me, it hits just above my knees and sits slightly below my belly button, so I can wear it as a high-waisted skirt with a shirt tucked into it or let a shirt hang over it and still look good.  I love the floral pattern and the little band of lace.  Plus, it has a dark black lining on underneath, so I don’t have to worry about it being transparent.  For me, it was a lot of money, but really $22.50 for a gorgeous skirt I can wear out with my friends, on a date with San, or even to a wedding is a bargain in my book.  It even comes in another color if you are interested:

I can’t wait to have a reason to wear it!  Lately I’ve been doing a lot of working and not much else (you don’t see many Subway employees sporting a cute floral skirt), so I need to make plans with some friends or find time to meet up with San for a fun date night!  Too bad my legs don’t look as good as the models (I’m much to pale and short), but the skirt should take the attention away, right?  Just nod and agree! :)

What is your favorite clothing item that switches from day to night in a pinch or can easily be worn casually or for a more formal occasion?