You may scoff at the idea of a 50+-year-old woman wearing a black tulle skirt outfit. And I would have been on that same side of the coin 8 years ago. The tulle skirt is one of those items that makes you think of ballerinas and whimsey.
So how is it a mature woman (retired no less) should even be thinking about wearing such a clothing piece? I’ll give you the reasons why it might be something to consider.
Quote of the day: “To play a wrong note is insignificant. To play without passion is inexcusable.” Ludwig van Beethoven
Sometimes I get the impression that once women retire, their passion for style goes down the drain. Granted, that’s not the case for everyone, but I do see it quite a bit in our retirement community.
And I get it. What I observe is that now that women don’t have a “uniform” for their daily lives, they tend to go with the comfort-only option. OR some women have never analyzed what clothing they really like or feel good wearing, and aren’t even sure where to start.
Then again, some are still stuck in those rules or judgments that as an adult we should look like one.
Insider tip: One way that helped me from being so judgemental about everyone’s outfits is complimenting at least ONE thing from every woman’s look. Even if I didn’t say it out loud to the person, I would tell it to myself. That habit of approaching everyone in a positive light instead of negative light is good for you and your attitude!
Then again there are many variations of black skirts to style. Make sure to check out Lesley’s pencil skirt look or two variations of pleated skirts outfits.
Skirt: WHBM -thrifted ~~Vest: Time after Time from Naomi & Ruth~~ Top: Cabi-thrifted ~~ Shoes: Converse-thrifted ~~ Socks: Sheec Find the current discount linked~~ Earrings: Ask N Have ~~ Purse: Kate Spade-thrifted~~ Glasses: Glasses Shop code JSHOT35
Reasons Why a Black Tulle Skirt Outfit is Ageless
Since the title of the post included the reasons a black tulle skirt outfit is ageless, then let me address that first and foremost before I talk about the actual clothing in the look.
THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR: We are all very unique individuals and therefore should all be dressing in ways that showcase our uniqueness. There should never be a rule about fashion for everyone. Unless that rule is to have fun and wear what you want!!
A-I should start with what is your definition of ageless. Seriously, have you ever thought about what the word really means to you? Notice I added the “to you” to the sentence. Because since we are all unique, of course, there is no one definition for the word. Sure, you can google it and see that it says “never looking old”. But there is obviously more to it than just that.
Since I consider ageless to mean that any clothing item can be appropriate for me, then why shouldn’t I wear a tulle skirt?
B-The second point is that ANY skirt is really a fantastic item for your closet. Even though most women gravitate towards pants, I think the skirt is really an underdog that is actually easier to wear. Why?
1-Less fit points. Especially a skirt like this only “fits” at the waist.
2-The length can be easily changed to make it shorter.
3-Skirts make it easier to go to the bathroom. Just hike it up, pull down the panties, and voila. No material pooling at your feet especially in public restrooms.
4-For the hot, summer months, there is increased air circulation so they are cooler.
5-In the winter, you can layer tights and wear leather boots so the kickback from snow and slush is easy to get off.
C-If you are still of the mindset that tulle skirts are too girly because for gosh sakes, you are a grown woman now, I feel your pain. This was my mindset many years ago too. Until I decided that life was too short to be so serious, and I was going to start enjoying life/my clothes/and being ageless.
Those years of feeling the need to be more professional or masculine to be taken seriously are in my past. And while not everyone reading this agrees, I do think it’s good to dress the age we feel.
At least every once in a while.
The Proportions with the Tulle Skirt
One complaint I hear with a skirt that is poofy like this is many of my contemporaries don’t like to tuck their tops into their pants or skirts.
Yet we have all heard the idea that when you have a flowier item like this, you need something more fitted on the top half.
So that was my goal. Find a way to not tuck in my top, yet still not look too fluffy. (Not that fluffy is bad, but I know everyone reading this is always trying to look slim).
What I did was tuck in my sweater vest in the back instead. We’ve talked about a half-tuck before, and it’s usually in the front of your outfit. I decided to experiment with tucking the back so there was some fitted aspect of the look.
The other trick is I left the bottom button unbuttoned to break up the horizontal line of the sweater.
There is one other aspect that I used for this black tulle skirt outfit. The waist of this skirt is velvet and elastic. I can basically wear it in many places on the trunk of my body. For this look, I pulled it down on my hips as much as was comfy so that the skirt and vest weren’t a half and half proportion.
More is Better
Once I decided that my word for the year was “extra”, it gave me the freedom to include all of the accessories that make me happy.
For this look, I did add a print scarf with lime green in it for 2 reasons. One because the stark white in the blouse isn’t always a color that makes me glow, and two because I wanted to print mixing. Therefore, I found a scarf with some lime green in it even though it’s not totally lime green.
If you are thinking that the scarf is hanging wonky, I did pin it (there’s a pastel cactus pin holding the scarf together AND attaching the scarf to the blouse). I wanted the scarf to stay to the side and this is how I made it happen.
These earrings are from a local online boutique called Ask N Have. She changes her selection regularly, so I hope you’ll check it out.
The Kate Spade bright yellow/lime green purse was a second-hand find. Truthfully I have no idea if this purse is a “real” Kate Spade, but that doesn’t matter to me. As long as I like the color and shape, that’s the reason I purchase a purse.
Even though the purse is not the exact same shade as the sweater vest, it works to add brightness to the overall look.
The Top Half of the Black Tulle Skirt Outfit
Since the bottom half was dark, I wanted to find something light and bright for the top half. And since I had recently purchased this sweater vest from Naomi and Ruth’s online boutique, I figured it was a perfect pairing.
BTW, I just love the sparkly buttons on this vest.
Insider tip: Buttons are one of those details that are super easy to switch out and create a different vibe. If you didn’t like these sparkly ones, you could always replace them. And save the sparkly ones to put on something else.
Other sweater vest outfit posts:
Borrowing my husband’s sweater vest
3 Different Sweater Vest Looks
I had multiple options of what shirt to wear under the vest, and I opted for this sheer, windowpane blouse. I’ve worn it before on the blog for a different kind of spring outfit. Since I was covering up the front of the blouse, I didn’t need a camisole or other layer under it as I usually wear.
Insider tip: Do you struggle with sheer tops? I experimented with 5 different ways to wear them. And when I say “ways” I mean different ways to wear them. Not just styled with different outfits yet all worn the same way.
Using Dichotomy In a Look
Once I heard the term dichotomy with outfits I was sold. It’s basically incorporating two different kinds of styles into one look for a more modern feel.
For instance, most of us tend to think we need to wear heels with a fancy skirt. And yes, I would consider a black tulle skirt outfit fancy!! Yet I not only wore sneakers, but these are Converse sneakers which I think of as more of a masculine option.
Insider tip: I don’t know about you, but for me, Converse sneakers have no arch support. Therefore, I add my Sole Insoles in them every time I wear them. These inserts are sticky but can be reused multiple times.
This is the season that I am wearing my Sheec socks all of the time. These no-show socks really stay put even though they are low-profile socks. This version is the Active X low cut.
Tulle Skirts
There are so many options for tulle skirts if you think you might want to explore this fun style. Just think how you will always have the perfect skirt to wear to a party, yet you can wear it for casual days too.
Some tulle skirts are long, while others are shorter. They come in all colors so there is something for everyone.
Insider tip: If you are crafty, you can even make your own. Here’s a no-sew way to make one. I had one friend cut down her wedding dress and create a tulle skirt out of it. It was fabulous!
I found this black skirt on Poshmark and it still had the tags on it. My other tulle skirt in my closet is burgundy and was found at Goodwill.
This is exactly the reason I love thrifting both online and in stores. You can try out a trend or style that you aren’t sure about without spending an arm and a leg.
Here are a couple of my favorite online thrifting stores:
thredUp—this link gives you $10 (and me in return).
Poshmark — here is the post I wrote about how to shop the site.
Etsy
ebay
Swap
Uncommon Closet— nonprofit to help women
Gild the Lily– a local Michigan store that sells online
My Goal
Thank you for visiting my space on the internet. I like to showcase how it’s never too late to look great for women of any age, size, or working with any budget.
I feel I’m here to help move beyond the fashion rules of yesterday and evolve. Style and clothes are made to give you joy. Not cause us stress because we are worried about what others think.
My hope is that you get ideas and inspiration from Charlotte, Lesley, and myself. It’s not about copying what we wear, but about using what you already have and updating items along the way.
Most of all it’s getting us to think differently and dare I say, have fun?
Feel free to share wherever you can so your friends can get inspired also!! You can do this by saving an image to your Pinterest board or sharing this post on Facebook. Or send this post to your friend, and make sure they sign up for the emails.
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Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.
It’s not just about me on this blog, but also my mother and friend. We get to showcase not only different decades of life but also different body shapes and unique personal styles.
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