First of all, oy, please excuse the quality of these photos. They were really dark when I first took them and I had to work the limited Photoshop magic I possess to get these up to snuff. This might be the way of things for the time being, so I do apologize. Alrighty, now on with the show!
Pattern and Fabric
This is the Charlotte Skirt of By Hand London fame. I’ve been wanting to add some sass to my wardrobe with a high-waisted pencil skirt and who better to turn to than those sassy London ladies? Of course I went for the plainest variation of this pattern, but oh well. I still love how it turned out (with some changes) and I can’t wait to have a bunch more in my closet!
(US readers: you can order BHL and Deer & Doe patterns through Grey’s Fabric in Boston and avoid international fees! I was really happy to discover this.)
The fabric is a pumpkin orange wool blend with brown lines that I picked up from Mood here in the city last spring (you can see the print detail better in that post). I lined the skirt with beige Bemberg, also from Mood. Rare to buy the outer fabric and lining on the same day and actually make the skirt I had intended to make!
Being put on hold is just the pits.
I like how this skirt offers up the illusion of an hourglass shape (I’m a rectangle) by hitting at the waist and tapering in at the hem. However! I can’t even begin to imagine actually walking comfortably in this skirt as originally drafted given the narrowness of the hem and the absence of a slit. I tested walking up steps in my apartment building and it was a definite no go! Or maybe it just means I’m not graceful enough hehe.
Following are changes I made to make it more practical for my everyday use of walking in the city and up and down subway steps (though I think it’s also useful for getting in and out of a car).
Size and Length Adjustments
The Charlotte skirt is designed to be figure-hugging, which is nice, but definitely take that into account when picking out sizes. I cut a US size 6 at the waist (comparing my measurements to the size chart, I’d be between a 4 and a 6) and a size 4 at the hips (I would be a 2). The waist fits just right, but the hips are just a wee bit snug so I’ll go up to a 6 for my next version.
I’ll admit, I thought if anything I’d need to take the hips in since the pattern is designed with a generous amount of ease there to accommodate an hourglass shape. If I bend down it almost feels like I could one day pop the invisible zipper at center back! Definitely happy I added in a lining to help the skirt move, especially since I’ll be pairing it with sweater tights through these cold wintery months.
I ended up shortening the skirt 5″ so it hits just below the knee. The original length hit me at mid-calf, and I’m 5’6″ just to give you an idea.
Slit, Please
Even when shortened I needed to add in a 7.5″ slit to be able to walk up steps without too much restriction. This felt kind of extreme, but I checked and thankfully it’s not scandalously high! In the future, I’m going to widen the width of the hem a bit.
As is, I wore it to work this week and was able to get from A to B – yippy! I was kind of laughing to myself as I darted up the subway steps when I heard the train approaching since I couldn’t do my usual skip-two-steps-at-a-time dealy. It was more like dainty, dainty, dainty goes the lass!
Nice Knowin’ Ya, Front Darts
One more change I made was eliminating both sets of paired darts on the front skirt piece. Instead, I brought in the side seams 2″ on each side. A much better fit and no bubbling.
Just a little tight in the hips.
Waistband: Good Times
I really liked the instructions for creating and attaching the waistband. I’m no expert here, but I’ve done a few waistbands in my day and I thought this one came together nicely thanks to the instructions. A little surprised it didn’t call for interfacing, though. In any case, I added two snaps to the waist tab.
Thoughts on the Pattern
All told, I liked this pattern with the adjustments I made. I wonder why a slit wasn’t part of the original design since it’s so fitted (however, if you made this skirt without a slit I’d love to know how wearable you find it!). Also, I think a skirt this fitted benefits from having a lining, but at least this is quite easy to create from the existing pieces.
I’m pleased to have a go-to pencil skirt pattern! Should I have spent $20 for one? Perhaps not, but at least it’s a pattern I’m going to use a great deal. The high-waisted design was a big draw for me, as I find this look suits me best. (Okay, fess up, Amanda: anything “London” makes you super happy.) In short, I feel good wearing this baby. And I honestly can’t ask for more than that.
Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers!
Gorgeous skirt, fits you so perfectly. Beautifully done. I am sure you have already gotten compliments on it. I can’t believe there’s no slit in the pattern!
Thanks! I do wonder how people who make this without the slit manage to get around…!
And feel good you should because it looks fab. I especially like your slit addition because the thought of wiggling around work in a pencil skirt with no vent/split/pleat fills me with dread.
Exactly! That’s what I was fearing.
Wow wow wow. So many great things going on here. Great color and great shape choices. You look slam’n, girl!
Thanks, Leu. :-D The color makes me happy – don’t have anything else like it in my wardrobe!
Oooh, Amanda! A little tight at the hips = very flattering to the bum! Great skirt!
Haha, that’s a very good way to look at it!
What!! I can’t believe there’s no vent or slit or anything! How are you supposed to do anything? Imo vents are much easier to walk/do things with than slits, but I’m glad you figured something out because that skirt looks gorgeous on you! I I absolutely adore the color and I think it fits you perfectly!
Thanks, Kristin! I’d actually like to go with a vent in my next version, but by the time I figured that out for this one I had already cut out the skirt pieces. I think the vent would look great.
It looks amazing! I can’t believe there’s no slit for movement. I never noticed before, but I guess it makes sense given the Charlotte ruffle. Crazy!!
Thanks, Jennifer! That’s true about the ruffle version – not sure how that would work. I guess there’s always a way to add the slit and keep the ruffle, but it might look odd? At least you could walk though!
It looks gorgeous, and so professional and great for work. I’m surprised about the slit, that’s just not practical! You really nailed this one!
Thanks, Kelly! I do love it as a great piece for the office. A few more already planned thanks to some Black Friday shopping at Mood online hehe. ;)