{"id":60040,"date":"2012-08-31T07:00:25","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/?p=60040"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:16:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T23:16:42","slug":"how-to-wear-pencil-skirt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/fashion-trends\/how-to-wear-pencil-skirt\/","title":{"rendered":"How to wear a pencil skirt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>So Jennifer Aniston, with her toned legs (ok, who are we kidding . . . her toned everything), is basically the model of pencil skirt-wearing perfection.\u00a0But you don&#8217;t need Jen&#8217;s body or bank account to get that sleek, sexy pencil skirt silhouette. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t believe us? Read on for the Budget Fashionista&#8217;s guide on how to wear a pencil skirt. You won&#8217;t regret it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Read next: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/skirt-guide\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1662213\">The Budget Fashionista&#8217;s guide to skirts<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Choose the right length<br><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"269\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/pencil-skirts.jpeg\" alt=\"Collage of women wearing pencil skirt\" class=\"wp-image-125229\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/pencil-skirts.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/pencil-skirts-300x161.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>You can generally find pencil skirts&nbsp;in three basic lengths:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Above the knee, by about two full thumbs&#8217; worth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At the knee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Below the knee, by about two full thumbs&#8217; worth (a shortish midi length)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Length for your legs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A pencil skirt will draw attention to the bottom-hem and then up from there. For this reason, the&nbsp;knee-length midi is often the most flattering, as that&#8217;s usually the smallest part of your leg. If you&#8217;d like a more calculated strategy, try this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Take a measuring tape to your shins (middle of knee cap to ankle bone) and note the number.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Switch directions and measure from mid knee cap to your hip hone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Subtract the smaller number from the longer number.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Divide that result by 2.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If your shins are shorter than your thighs, the number in Step #4 is the height above your knee that your skirt should hit. If your shins are longer than your thighs, drop the number length below your knee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Length for the occasion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your leg measurements may say one thing, but the occasion plays a role too. As an example, you probably won&#8217;t wear a short pencil skirt to a work function. Keep these pencil skirt guidelines in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>For work:<\/strong> At knee or below the knee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>For dates:<\/strong> Above the knee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>For church:<\/strong> At knee or below the knee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Over 50:<\/strong> At the knee or below the knee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Know your shape\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"181\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Screen-Shot-2014-06-14-at-11.31.26-AM-181x300.png\" alt=\"Pencil skirt and booties outfit\" class=\"wp-image-125230\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Pencil skirts on those who are bottom heavy tend to pull across the middle (from one side of your hip to the other), causing an unslightly&nbsp; &#8220;whiskering\/wrinkle&#8221; effect.&nbsp; If you&#8217;re got a bit extra in the hip area, buy the skirt one full size larger and get it tailored to your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Pay attention to your side view<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people pay attention to the way pencil skirts look from the front- which can be deceiving if you have a tummy or a pouch. When trying on pencil skirts, always turn ot the side and see what the skirt looks like from the side view. If you notice a pouch, consider purchasing a size larger and get it tailored and\/or make sure to wear a body shaper with the skirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. To tuck or not to tuck<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"278\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/tall-long-278x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Collage of two women wearing Angelina Jolie\" class=\"wp-image-125232\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re petite, tucking the shirt in will make your legs look longer. If you&#8217;re tall, leaving the top out will make your torso look longer. The same rules apply to those who have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/archive\/long-torso\/\">long torsos<\/a> (tuck it in to create a midline waist) or shorter torsos (where it out to create a longer waist, thus elongating your top portion).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Go for color<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"166\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Screen-Shot-2014-06-14-at-11.31.40-AM-166x300.png\" alt=\"blue pencil skirt\" class=\"wp-image-125231\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>While black is the go to color for pencil skirts, we here at TBF feel that you should look into other color options like blue and red. A word of caution: if you&#8217;re bottom heavy steer away from colored pencil skirts unless you&#8217;re trying to accent your lower half.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So Jennifer Aniston, with her toned legs (ok, who are we kidding . . . her toned everything), is basically the model of pencil skirt-wearing perfection.\u00a0But you don&#8217;t need Jen&#8217;s body or bank account to get that sleek, sexy pencil skirt silhouette. Don&#8217;t believe us? Read on for the Budget Fashionista&#8217;s guide on how to&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/fashion-trends\/how-to-wear-pencil-skirt\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How to wear a pencil skirt<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":854,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[303916],"class_list":["post-60040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fashion-trends","tag-what-to-wear"],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":null,"thumbnail_uri":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/854"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60040"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1663565,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60040\/revisions\/1663565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}