Wool skirt report

[cimorene]

It's back to +1 today, so I'm wearing jeans again, but for the last two days of considerable coldness I've been testing my theory about warmth and comfort in skirts:

• Monday I wore the gray skirt I made with merino leggings and some flannel pjs rolled up to just above the knee, because I didn't have a chance to hem them to there and add a drawstring to make them into bloomers yet. The merino leggings because I didn't have any super long wool socks yet, but two pairs arrived in the mail and I picked them up Monday evening. It was -14° C (7° F), and I was cozy on the walk, wearing a wool sweater and long down coat. On the way home I had to spend too long inside picking up packages on my way home and walked home with my coat open and was still uncomfortably warm. No cold drafts were felt whatsoever, and at work I had to take the bloomers off and was comfortable in a tshirt most of the day, but not TOO hot due to the leggings. However, the unlined skirt stuck to my wool-covered knees terribly. The bloomers prevented that.



• The skirt needs modification, however. I'll need to take in the waistband a bit at the back before I wear it again, as well as making a petticoat to go under.



• Tuesday it was already much warmer at -2° C (29° F) and I wore my new DK-weight merino cardigan and my light wool winter coat over my other wool skirt, which, being vintage, is lined in nylon. Over-the-knee wool blend socks, lovely and cozy, were quite comfortable with the flannel bloomers, which I still hadn't had time to hem up because I spent Monday evening hemming the ends of two silk ribbons I found to use as garters! Ribbons were the standard garters until the Victorian era and continued to be used somewhat thereafter, and I read that genuine silk ribbons were ideal, but I found that 1 cm was too narrow and they didn't really have great grip. They slid from over the knee to under it on the 10-min walk to work (although not all the way off) and had to be retied perhaps ten times during the day. I have ordered some cotton twill tape that's 1" wide and will see if that is better. I don't really love the idea of elastic ones. I've also heard that they stay below the knee better than above it. I guess I could try that.



• The nylon lining did prevent the skirt from sticking to my knees. However, it was full of static and had to be pulled down a bunch of times, being much inclined to ride up or fold up and stick well above the knee. I wonder if natural silk lining was better? Not that I have any intention of trying it.



• This outfit was extremely comfortable outside on my walk, cozy but not too warm at all, and thanks to my tall snowboots and long tartan skirt and wool jacket, I felt like I was a character in a book. Not sure exactly what book, though. As mentioned, the bloomers also made the skirt lining less annoying. Maybe some lightweight linen ones would work for milder weather. Not actually in the summer obviously, but perhaps into spring. You wouldn't wear a wool skirt when it got too warm anyway.

It is of course possible to wear skirts when it's not super cold too, but I will wait for the cotton ribbons before attempting it if possible.

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

\o/

[oracne]

This post reminded me of the polyester slips we always wore under skirts and dresses when I was growing up.

[cimorene]

Yeah, my vintage skirt has a lining that's either polyester or rayon. It's very slippery, which is a plus! But it's a lot more static than you get from a natural fiber. 😬 I am getting tired of getting shocked every time I touch anything.