How to Wear a Denim Skirt This Fall

By Bridgetteraes @BridgetteRaes

During the fall I don’t get a lot of Saturdays off.  Typically, these days are set aside for clients who only have time to see me on the weekends.  So imagine my surprise when I had this past entire weekend free.  While I am a workaholic, and often use non-client Saturdays to get ahead on other work, like preparing some upcoming blog posts for the week, I committed myself to not doing anything work related.  Instead, I decided to do some tasks around the apartment.  When I got around to cleaning out my closet, and switching out my wardrobe to fall, I had to seriously chuckle.  Here I was with an entire weekend off and I still managed to find myself inside a closet full of clothes.  The only difference?  There was no check made out to Bridgette Raes Style Group when I was done.  But I do have a nice organized closet and have been reunited with some of my favorite sweaters.

If you’re getting ready for fall and have been wondering if it is time to store away that cute denim skirt that you wore all summer, or if you feel you missed out on the denim skirt trend when the weather was warm and have put it on your list of things to buy for next spring, read this post first.  A denim skirt can be a wonderful fall weather staple.

Denim skirts are just as versatile as jeans

You wear jeans all year round, why not denim skirts?  They have the same versatility as jeans and can be worn with just about everything, can be dressed up and dressed down, and are often a lot more figure flattering than a pair of jeans can be.  Trying on jeans can be a nightmare, trying on a denim skirt often comes with a lot less dressing room heartache.  Additionally, like denim, there are plenty of different denim skirt washes, lengths and silhouettes, making it probable that there is a skirt out there for you and your needs.

Casual, but not too casual

The other nice thing about denim skirts is they’re casual, but not too casual.  If you’re someone who leads a laid back lifestyle but are sick of your yoga pants and jeans, but can’t see the need for something as dressy as a fancy skirt or dress, a denim skirt is a nice alternative.  See a denim skirt as a jeans replacement for the times where jeans will suffice but you want to take it up a notch.

Denim skirts can go to work

This tip needs a disclaimer:  Denim skirts can go to work if your work environment has a business-casual environment and denim is allowed.  If your workplace allows for this way of dressing, you still need to be mindful on how you wear a denim skirt to work.  Wear more elevated pieces with it, like a nice blazer, blouse or sweater, and be sure to accessorize your outfit.  You don’t want your denim skirt outfit at work to look like you are hanging out on the weekends.

How to wear a denim skirt in the fall

To give you some ideas on how to wear a denim skirt this fall, check out these outfits and tips below using this chic denim skirt from Boden.

Outfit #1

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Nothing is easier than throwing a sweater on with a denim skirt.  So cute, functional and stylish for the weekends.  But don’t just stop with a sweater and denim skirt, that can get boring.  Instead, play with some color and accessories to give the outfit some punch.

In this look, using this basic grey sweater from J. Crew, I created the base of the outfit.  From there I added the scarf from Nordstrom that has pops of teal and green.  With these colors in the scarf, I looked to add more accessories that played with these brights.  I found these earrings from John Wind Maximal Art that worked perfectly.  Even if you remove the scarf the earrings still keep the colors in the outfit.  For a handbag, I loved this blue Fossil bag that harmoniously worked with the colors of the outfit.  For shoes I chose casual brown booties from Born because, after all, you’ll probably want to be comfortable in an outfit like this.  Seeing that you’ll also be choosing to wear tights with this look, I recommend a dark brown pair, that creates a long, lean leg line with the boots.  However, for a more playful look you can choose a teal pair.  That would be fun.  Lastly, for an unexpected pop, I added this orange pea coat from Boden.  Imagine how adorable the coat would look with the teal bag and green and teal scarf.  LOVE!

Outfit #2

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Can you wear chambray with denim?  You bet you can.  There are a few tips to keep in mind.  First, try to wear denim and chambray in different shades.  If the colors are too close it can look weird, like you’re a gas station attendant or Chuck Norris.  Also, another suggestion is to try breaking up all the denim with some accessories, like I am doing with this brown Lodis skinny belt wrapped around this classic chambray shirt from J. Crew.

While this outfit is totally fine without a topper piece, given the popularity of the blanket scarf this fall, I liked this Navajo inspired cardigan from Modcloth as an additional layer of warmth.  Instead of the fussiness of an actual blanket scarf (that is like wearing a huge blanket) choosing a drapey cardigan with sleeves can be more comfortable and realistic.

To keep the rugged look of this outfit, I added a pair of cognac boots from Bussola and handbag from Banana Republic and finished the outfit with rose quartz drop earrings from Max & Chloe.  In this outfit, for tights, I’d probably go with dark brown but you can also try navy.

Outfit #3

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To dress up a denim skirt, try wearing it with a blazer, like how I am styling it here with a classic navy one from Reiss.  Underneath it I layered a classic scoop neck long sleeve white t-shirt.  This being a very clean and neutral base, any color can be added to the outfit for a pop.  In this look, I added this scarf from Anthropologie, and loved the way the outfit looked with this olive green handbag from Anne Klein.  The coral and green work well together and bounce off the timeless foundational pieces.  The finishing components also include a pair of tan suede boots, mandarin hoop earrings and some branch bangles.  If you want to add tights to this outfit I’d choose dark brown or rich navy.

Outfit #4

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Denim skirts don’t just have to be styled in a rugged manner.  Like jeans, you can do anything you want with a denim skirt.  In this outfit, I went more modern and sleek with a feather top from T Tahari and layered this very cool charcoal draped crossover sweater from Alice + Olivia.  For a more balanced proportion, this drapey look will likely work best with a shorter, more tapered denim skirt, like the one in the photo.  The outfit is finished with some edgier accessories, including this pair of black booties from Seychelles, pendant from Anthropologie, chain bracelet from Julie Vos, and studded handbag from Nine West.  For tights, black is probably your best bet.  But you can try heathered grey tights too.

Outfit #5

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Putting the outfits together for this blog can take hours.  Often, when working on them I empty my DVR queue and, when I run out of saved shows, I put something on in the background for noise.  When I was working on the outfits for this post, I had some MTV teen show on (I think Faking It) and, even though I had no idea what was going on, I did get inspired by one girl who was wearing a shirt under her plaid button down.  Certainly this type of look isn’t just for teen girls (or straight girls faking it as lesbians…is that the premise of the show?), and can look good on everyone, especially with plaid being so hot right now.

For a casual look, I took this grey henley and styled it under a Buffalo plaid button down shirt, both from the Gap.  From there I added this patterned infinity scarf from MICHAEL Michael Kors, laid back grey handbag and grey moto boots from Modcloth.

Shop for denim skirts

Now that you know not to pack your denim skirt away, have fun styling it for fall.  If you’re still on the hunt for a denim skirt, check out these additional styles.

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