So you know how I was saying I'm at my enough point with pants? Well I've now moved onto finding that point with skirts. I think I've been watching too many of Jamie's Provenance Insta-stories over at AnnStreetStudio because I'm jonesing for a long linen skirt, which is a style that I've never even contemplated before. Plus I'm a huge fan of skirts in the summer (who doesn't want to go pants free when it's hot?) and seeing as I'm now in my mid-thirties, I'm now looking for skirts that cover up my legs (plus this means I can prolong not shaving for even longer). But at the same time I don't want to look Amish, which is why I've stayed away from long skirts most of my life.
Since I had so much success with Elizabeth Suzann's linen Clydes (reviewed here), I thought I would try out their line of skirts as well. I ordered the linen Clyde Billow Skirt in flax (which will probably take another several weeks before that's shipped). But in the meantime I found this ES Bel Skirt in linen on eBay and snatched it up right away to try it out. Like I said before, finding ES secondhand is seriously the best (it's a tad cheaper and there's none of the wait!). This skirt is Gen 3 and a size small (for reference I'm 5'4" and usually size 4-6).
So what do you think?
{Wearing: Jamie+the Jones Blank Canvas Top in slate (reviewed here), ES Bel Skirt, Everlane Day Heel Mules (reviewed here)}
I probably could have style this a bit better by wearing a fitted top instead of this voluminous J+J top, but I was going for that easy country look. My husband called this a "maid" look lol. To me, this skirt definitely went into Amish territory. First of all, the length is a tad too long for my 5'4" frame (but the current Gen 4 line comes with variable lengths, in which case I probably would have ordered a short small). I could probably hem this and it would be more of a midi length on me and more flattering. However I'm not going to bother because I'm also not a fan of the fact that there are no pockets on this skirt. Pockets are a must for me at work (which is why I'm such a fan of the Clyde pants), and for any bottom to earn their place in my wardrobe it must have a pocket (unless it's like a fancy-ish item meant for going out, then pockets are just a nice-to-have). But since I'm looking for a skirt I'll be wearing weekly if not daily, I'm going to need pockets.
The outfit does look better with the top tucked in, so I would probably make an effort to keep the waist defined whenever wearing this skirt. And though it doesn't look so voluminous here, the skirt definitely felt really bulky at the hips. I'm not sure if it's because I'm more pear-shaped so the skirt feels bigger around there or if it's just how the skirt is made (I looked at some of the reviews on the ES site and it seems that I'm not the only one who feels like it's too big at the hips). I also can't take wide strides in this skirt, though I can still take medium ones. The reviews on the ES site says the new Gen 4 skirts allow for slightly larger strides than previous iterations. I think if this was a bit more of a true midi length for me, I would be able to take larger steps.
What I do like about this skirt though is the beautiful flax linen. It feels thick and substantial and even though the flax is a really light color, the linen is 100% opaque. You can't even tell I'm wearing black underwear here, but it also helps that the skirt falls away from the body.
I do think this is a beautiful skirt, but this one just isn't meant for me. The no pockets thing are a deal breaker for me. But I think this would definitely work better on someone who is 5'6" or taller. You can find this skirt for sale here and in the meantime I'll be pinning all my hopes on the ES Clyde billow skirt to fill my daily skirt needs *fingers crossed*.
P.S. Here are some pictures with a more fitted top. I'm still not in love with this even though a lot of you guys voted it as a 'keeper' in my instastory. And that made me pretty conflicted, but in the end I decided if I don't feel like myself in this skirt, then it's totally ok to let it go to someone who will love it more. So yep, still decided to sell it.
