A pencil skirt

For those do-it-yourselfers...
User avatar
Fred in Skirts
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 3988
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2016 6:48 pm
Location: Southeast Corner of Aiken County, SC USA

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Fred in Skirts »

Tipsytim wrote:Hello everyone. I had to join this group to answer this point.
:welcome:
Welcome to the cafe Tipsytim!! Grab a seat and a cuppa and tell us a little about yourself. :D
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
User avatar
beachlion
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1627
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:15 am
Location: 65 year The Hague, The Netherlands, then Allentown, PA, USA

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by beachlion »

Welcome to this forum.
My problem is not really the visibility of the bulge but more the cut of the skirt. I have other skirts in more or less the same style without that much of a bulge. So I will try to find a better cut. I also have a slight belly and the drooping front is adding to the effect. I will make a second version soon.
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak
weeladdie18
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1474
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:17 pm

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by weeladdie18 »

Perhaps my style of pencil skirt outfit is the answer to the bulge problem.....I wear a traditional
Scottish Drovers Sporran hanging from a tight leather waist belt.....I prefer not to carry a heavy load
in my sporran....just spectacles or handkerchief or a few coins. ...As I have said before , I also
often wear an unbuttoned male tweed sports jacket . Nice and warm with plenty of pockets.
Or perhaps a long wooley cardigan, worn in such a way as to show my drovers sporran.
The sporran is made from one or two pieces of leather sown together together with leather thonging.
Check out the photos of this item " Drovers Sporran " on the Scottish Highland Dress Suppliers webb sites.
The basic design is a one piece leather bag held together with a draw string , a front cover, and a belt loop
attached to the rear of the bag.....Visit your local Charity Shop and canibalise a handbag and a woven
leather belt and you have all the materials you require.....good hunting ....weeladdie
Grok
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2804
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2008 2:21 am

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Grok »

Daryl wrote:
beachlion wrote:
1. Make the skirt fuller and rapidly tapered in at the waist by means of pleats or darts. That little extra bit of fullness gets rid of the problem at the "wrong spot" but doesn't ruin the overall straight-long silhouette effect. You can afford to add a slight taper inwards once past the "wrong spot". That will enhance the sharp/straight look without looking like your skirt was made to accomodate female hips.
This description sounds like that of a pegged skirt.
User avatar
Daryl
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1219
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2011 4:25 am
Location: Toronto Canada

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Daryl »

Grok wrote:
Daryl wrote:
beachlion wrote:
1. Make the skirt fuller and rapidly tapered in at the waist by means of pleats or darts. That little extra bit of fullness gets rid of the problem at the "wrong spot" but doesn't ruin the overall straight-long silhouette effect. You can afford to add a slight taper inwards once past the "wrong spot". That will enhance the sharp/straight look without looking like your skirt was made to accomodate female hips.
This description sounds like that of a pegged skirt.
But nowhere near as dramatically pleated, and especially not shaped to create the illusion of female hips or buttocks.
Daryl...
Kilty
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 956
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:47 pm

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Kilty »

The skirt looks very flattering - though it looks more A line than pencil but very accommodating for the more well endowed amongst us 8)
weeladdie18
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1474
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:17 pm

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by weeladdie18 »

Perhaps the answer is to have the waistband at the position of the natural waist just below the breast bone and above the hip bone.
Perhaps wear looser underwear and cover the troublesome area with a sporran on your waist belt..... perhaps wear a sweater or
unbuttoned male jacket or lightweight sports jacket. This sort of attire does help to cover up unwanted contours in the human frame.
User avatar
Daryl
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1219
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2011 4:25 am
Location: Toronto Canada

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Daryl »

Caultron wrote:
Daryl wrote:...Lately I've come to appreciate stretch fabrics much more. I was kind of a purist before, regarding stretch fabrics as a kind of cheating; just a way to allow a poorly-fitted garment to fit anyway. Discovering the joys of the pencil skirt (or just a narrow straight skirt) has convinced me that stretch fabric is more than a cheap shortcut...
No doubt, Lycra and pencil skirts are a match made in heaven.

I especially like ponte, which is stiff enough to keep the whole rig smooth and under control.
Ponte...yes...my education now includes that wonderful option. I now own two of these skirts, one in black and one in a kind of burgundy colour they call Cassis. They are now my go-to autumn and winter skirts. I am in one of them almost every day now. I am between a 1x and a 2x so the last one I bought was a 2x. Fortunately my sewing machine works well on stretch fabrics so as I shrink some more they will be easy to modify. I've already brought the black one in by probably 2 sizes because initially I bought it too large (but on sale so no returns).
Daryl...
User avatar
beachlion
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1627
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:15 am
Location: 65 year The Hague, The Netherlands, then Allentown, PA, USA

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by beachlion »

I made version 2 of the pencil skirt. I made the waist 1 cm shorter and the band 6 cm wide. It sits a little higher now. I also put some stiffner in the waistband. The hem is on the knee and at the hip I added a few cm and that took care of most of the bulging from version 1.

I think part of the inspiration for this model came from Mark. I only miss the elegant pose and the surrounding. ;)
P1010481qq.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak
weeladdie18
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1474
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:17 pm

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by weeladdie18 »

Imagine wearing a light weight gents traditional jacket with lapels and pockets with all of the front
buttons unfastened. .....From a side view this jacket may cover any unwanted male outline in the
skirt or the shirt. .....One may have to try wearing slightly different jacket designs and sizes to gain the effect to which I am referring .............

Remember that an Argyle Kilt Jacket is shorter than a standard male sports jacket....
The design of the rear vent may also affect the shape of the jacket.
User avatar
beachlion
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1627
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:15 am
Location: 65 year The Hague, The Netherlands, then Allentown, PA, USA

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by beachlion »

I'm not crazy about jackets, it feels too restricting. Being retired, I don't have to wear jackets in the workplace. For warmth I rather use a heavier shirt and T-shirt. I like the looseness of clothes, hence the skirts. And that is why my top button of my shirt is always unbuttened and the cuffs are rolled up two turns. ;)
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak
User avatar
Fred in Skirts
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 3988
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2016 6:48 pm
Location: Southeast Corner of Aiken County, SC USA

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Fred in Skirts »

beachlion wrote:I'm not crazy about jackets, it feels too restricting. Being retired, I don't have to wear jackets in the workplace. For warmth I rather use a heavier shirt and T-shirt. I like the looseness of clothes, hence the skirts. And that is why my top button of my shirt is always unbuttened and the cuffs are rolled up two turns. ;)
Comfort is number one for me if it is not comfortable I do not wear it period. One thing I hate are long sleeves and tight necks. I always buy short sleeve shirts or tops and never button the neck always leaving the top two buttons undone. When it gets cold I wear longer skirts and hose for warmth. I do wear wind breakers if it gets too chilly.

Fred
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
KenCT
Active Member
Posts: 55
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2018 6:10 pm

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by KenCT »

Daryl wrote:
Discovering the joys of the pencil skirt (or just a narrow straight skirt) has convinced me that stretch fabric is more than a cheap shortcut.
Agree - one of my favorites is a straight stretch corduroy miniskirt. Even at 42 cm long, I need the stretch to walk and climb stairs comfortably.
I made a knee-length straight skirt in a cotton print; to allow normal movement, I put an inverted box pleat in the back. It's a separate rectangular piece of the same material sewn in just like an additional panel, except that it only goes halfway up from the hem. Above the 'spliced-in' pleat, the seam is closed in the normal way. I had to add 'boning' (actually, a piece of thick nylon fishline, the kind used in grass trimmers) inside the hem of the wide panel of the pleat. Needs careful pressing, but it functions.
User avatar
beachlion
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1627
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:15 am
Location: 65 year The Hague, The Netherlands, then Allentown, PA, USA

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by beachlion »

KenCT wrote:....... I had to add 'boning' (actually, a piece of thick nylon fishline, the kind used in grass trimmers) inside the hem of the wide panel of the pleat. Needs careful pressing, but it functions.
That is a clever way to stiffen fabric. I have quite some left-overs from our weed wacker as they call it in these parts of the world.
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak
User avatar
Mark as in Mark
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 484
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:32 pm

Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Mark as in Mark »

Not sure what lead me to this part of the forum. :roll: The pencil skirt is about all I wear and I do not concern myself with the bulge in front. Maybe because I rode bikes at a semi-pro level and was always in bike shorts and just got use to it. 8) Besides, it is just part of the male anatomy, so what! Some women have the same problem with nipples. Most of them try hiding and some don't really care. I guess I'm in that don't care category. Most CDers do what they call tuck to hide the goods. But then most CDers want to look like a woman. Sounds like a pain in the as... if you ask me.
I was told I have balls for wearing skirts! My reply? "That's because balls this big won't fit in pants!"

https://www.pinterest.de/Mark_as_in_Mark/me/
https://www.instagram.com/markbryan911/
Post Reply