Well, skirt 112 from Burda 1.2009 is done. I took it apart a number of times to do some tweaks and did a full lining on it. I also made a matching belt with a little bow in front that I can use until I get a proper brown belt to match. The strange thing is that when I look in the mirror, I think this skirt is very cute and flattering. In the photos, however, it’s just not working. I’m not sure what to believe.
It does go awfully well with the Sweet Pota-toe shoes though :)
The Selfish Seamstress 
61 comments
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February 7, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Love it! Sew it!
It is beautiful. Another stunning piece from you.
the skirt is totally flattering, and I love the belt, and I adore the shoes too.
February 7, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Denise L Perry
Too short?
February 7, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Peggy
It’s cute. How about some tights with it?
February 9, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Liz
Agreed, Peggy, I would do tights and possibly a darker top – more monochromatic and lengthening for us shorties!!=0
Liz
February 7, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Marsha
Whaaaa? I think it looks awesome on you!!!! It could be worn with a simple solid color tee and some cool hoop earrings!!! I think the skirt rocks!!
February 7, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Kristen
It looks great! NOT unflattering at all!
February 7, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Adelaide B
What is it that you don’t like. I think it looks great!
February 7, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Beth
I’m with all of the previous posters — I think it looks just fine. :-) Go with the mirror …
Beth
February 7, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Elizabeth
Another vote for looks great. Don’t sweat it!
February 7, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Brenda
Very cute. Believe the mirror.
February 7, 2010 at 6:28 pm
karen
Very flattering. You crazy.
February 7, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Beangirl
Hard to say from one photo, but my inclination is that this style is flattering for a little person with -ahem- not much in the way of a waist. The high-waistedness is a good move: It gives the illusion (I’m assuming it’s an illusion) of nipping in at your smallest part and elongates the whole waistage area for added emphasis.
Plus, it goes with shoes. Honestly. Some people just do not have their priorities straight.
February 9, 2010 at 1:37 pm
emily
I don’t like to follow like a sheep everything Trinny and Susannah (What Not to Wear in England) say, but in this case they are right: high-waisted skirts and pants aren’t really flattering, on anyone. So I tend to agree with Selfish–not the most flattering skirt in the world.
February 7, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Gertie
Are you out of your selfish little mind? It looks fab! I have this issue – I’m totally making this pattern up and selfishly stealing the bow-belt idea from you.
February 7, 2010 at 6:49 pm
Annette
I think the skirt is great. How about trying it with different colored tops and then seeing what you think.
February 7, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Catherine
I think the skirt is great – and the pairing with the shoes is spot on. I’m wondering though if it needs a stronger colour up top to contrast a little more… like a brown maybe? I also feel like maybe the white/cream doesn’t quite do it justice.
Oh and tights, like someone else suggested. Play with it :) It’s a fantastic piece!
February 7, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Claudine
“Unflattering” might be too strong a term. You may be disappointed in how it looks, though, because if you really want to rock a high-waisted, pegged skirt, you need a big butt. Which you don’t have, so it may not be as sexy as you would like. It looks really nice, though. A contrast belt and darker top might help a bit.
February 7, 2010 at 7:03 pm
peter
I agree, the skirt is beautiful. Here’s what my cousin Cathy says:
“It’s really hard to tell from one photo, BUT…. Elaine is on the petite side and the skirt is high-waisted. The stark contrast between the dark tones of the skirt and the white of the blouse cuts her in half and squeezes her torso a bit, shortening rather than lengthening her proportions. I would recommend she A) wear the skirt with a blouse closer in tone to the skirt — something soft and drape-y as opposed to the rather stiff-looking blouse she’s wearing in the photo; or B) wear the white blouse, but top it with either a dark cardigan or jacket that ends where Elaine’s left hand rests on her hip. This will lengthen her torso. The shoes are fantastic, and the hair is lovely. And since it’s a high-contrast outfit, a little lipstick would help balance the red of her shoes.”
Again, that’s Cathy speaking. What does a guy know about women’s clothes?
February 7, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Sandra
I think Claudine and Cathy are very wise.
February 7, 2010 at 7:15 pm
arnysews
I think it looks great on you but agree with the other comments that a darker top would improve the look.
I also think the yoke is a little too deep for you, maybe as a petite you need to adjust proportions a little and shorten the yoke? I find I have to do do this (but lengthen) as I am tall (5’9″).
February 7, 2010 at 7:29 pm
AmyG
I do think the skirt is totally cute. I think it’s the blouse that throws it off. The skirt looks fall / winter and the blouse looks spring / summer. Try it with a turtleneck or a darker color blouse. Love the shoes.
February 7, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Vicki
Well we can’t comment on flattery by that photo! You (and the skirt) look gorgeous!
February 7, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Amanda S.
Well, the fit is perfect and the shoes are a great match. Sometimes when I take pictures of a garment I’m surprised by how I look in it. I didn’t realize it was so tight across the back or something. But fit is not what you’re taking issue with. Perhaps trying it on with other coordinates in your wardrobe will yield a more pleasing result. It looks great from here, though.
February 7, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Kathi
I like it – and I like those shoes!! Try it with different shirts see if you change your mind!
February 7, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Melissa
How is this unflattering? It makes your legs look so long! And the belt is so cute!
February 7, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Nomaliza
Love the skirt, very nice and suit you.
February 7, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Anonymous
Dear MS SS, Although your skirt is Beautiful I agree there is something about the proportions of the outfit. I think the belt sits a little too high (even though this is probably where your natural waist is). I suggest a darker belt sitting a little lower and a dark crew neck sweater to give a ‘mad men’ look.
February 7, 2010 at 11:08 pm
heyvix
It looks great in the hips (and overall), but there’s not much room between the top of the skirt and your bustline.
Don’t know if this is the case with your fit, but my particular brand of Rectangle-ness means that higher-waisted skirts often slide up a few inches when I walk because I don’t have a sweet indentation to “hold” the waist. You could check where the skirt length hits you, walk around a bit, and check your knee area again.
If that’s what’s going on, maybe someone will have a “pretty” solution for you…the alterations I’ve had done to help with this aren’t stunning. But since I’m shortwaisted and never tuck anyway, I just deal with a constantly-moving skirt length!
February 8, 2010 at 2:09 am
senaSews
Is the selfish seamstress fishing for compliments?! It is very flattering and legthens your legs! I love it!
February 8, 2010 at 2:33 am
Cindy C
I think the issue is both proportion and color combination. Yoshi got away with this very wide high waistband because her blouse was so close in shade that it didn’t cut her in the middle and it looked like a dress- like continuous line. I think some of the recommendations to try a brown top would still have that effect. Perhaps the lightest pale orange in the fabric should be matched instead would provide a smoother, tone-on-tonelook.
Also, the inclusion of the belt, total work of art that it may be, also cuts you in the middle by drawing the eye right to it. Try removing it and folding the waistband to the inside by the length of one whole block line of the plaid, too, to see if it might look more balanced that way.
February 8, 2010 at 3:54 am
Kerry
I won’t wear this style because I hate having anything over my stomach – drives me nuts. I am an exclusively low rise sort of girl. It doesn’t look bad on you, but I can understand your apprehension in wearing it.
I agree with some of the others – the high waist of the skirt and the yoke proportions are messing with your petite figure. I can’t wear stuff like this for the same reason. My waist:hip ratio is a lot closer to 1.0 than 0.7 (hourglass I am not) and whenever I wear high waist, it looks like it’s chopping me off too high. I have a long torso/short legs, but my natural waist is kinda high and not that defined. In theory a high waisted pencil skirt should elongate the lower half, but it doesn’t work on shorter people.
Peter’s advice (mirroring others) about a different top would work. The silhouette of this ensemble is really flattering – were this a one piece dress it would look great. So, go with a monochromatic look and then re-evaluate.
February 8, 2010 at 4:04 am
Kerry
One more thing – upon viewing the photo again, the contrast of the darker skirt/shoes and the white top is creating an effect where the white top is being washed out in the photo and the dark on the bottom is dragging you down. I am always at how tall you look in your photographs. I cannot tell just by looking at you that you are only 5′ tall. This photo is having the opposite effect. That could be a result of the outdoor lighting and the backdrop not working with this color scheme – I wonder how it would look shot in front of a dark backdrop in a studio with proper lighting (not that you have access to that, but it’s just to point on that the photography could be the culprit here).
It could also be that the color scheme of the outfit is dragging you down, and the eye is directed towards your lower half and not your upper half. Try this again with similar colors on top (or darker colors). Turtleneck works (brings things back into balance) or a twinset shell/cardigan in a similar color. Or, a secretary blouse (something with a higher neck line).
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my sewing teacher when I was showing her my wedding dress ideas. I had a bunch of photos of gowns that I liked, from the 2008 Pronovias Vintage collection. One had a cumberbund style waist that created a similar waistline seam as your skirt. My teacher told me that would not look good on me because I am so short, and that I would be better with something at the natural waist or no waist seam at all.
Just some ideas from the only person around here shorter than you.
February 8, 2010 at 4:33 am
Marie-Christine
When in doubt, believe real life – just don’t wear it in your next movie :-). Seriously, I don’t think the problem is the skirt, I think the white blouse is blah, and looks too short.. Maybe a sweet potato blouse?
February 8, 2010 at 6:15 am
Nancy K
I think that the skirt is fine, better than fine actually. I think that the top isn’t the best match for it and I’d like to see a stronger color with it, and something in silk. It gives you a nice long line and makes your legs look longer too. Great shoes.
February 8, 2010 at 8:15 am
Karen
I’m with Cathy – I think the blouse is what’s throwing you off, because ther’es not a thing wrong with the skirt.
And I Want. Those. Shoes.
February 8, 2010 at 8:33 am
ASewnWardrobe
I don’t think that it looks unflattering in pictures. Really. But I know what you are going through: I made a high-waist skirt in the fall and just didn’t love it. It turned out pretty meh, and it looked meh. And I have a big butt, Claudine. I don’t know, maybe they are just tough to pull off in general, RTW or self-made.
February 8, 2010 at 8:39 am
peter
One last thing:
When you look at yourself in a mirror, you are seeing yourself from eye level: across and down.
The photo seems to be shot very low, almost at knee level, and from a distance, i.e., across and up. This causes some foreshortening of your torso that may not reflect how most people are going to see you in the skirt.
Unless they are very, very short, of course!
February 8, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Kerry
So, what you’re saying Peter, is that this photo is a “Kerry”s eye view of the world.”
February 8, 2010 at 7:38 pm
peter
Precisely.
February 8, 2010 at 8:43 am
amber
The skirt is lovely and looks great on you. I think the others have nailed it – it seems to just be a styling issue, which is easily fixed. A darker top or something a bit softer would look great with the skirt. I’m fiddling with my own high-waist black pencil skirt right now (damn thing is way too persnickety!) and it tends to look best with my soft blouses and/or a long cardigan over it. Keep playing around with it and I’m sure you’ll find some pieces that make it all pop. :)
February 8, 2010 at 9:14 am
Illisse
Try having photos taken in different poses and angles.
~Illisse
February 8, 2010 at 9:18 am
Hatty
I think Cathy’s got it but I do also think it accentuates your butt and makes you look nicely curvy on bottom, while up top the lblouse ‘flattens’ you a bit. The whole is unbalanced. I think the rather masculine wool and the straight skirt style would look great with a more feminine flowy top with a bit of “action” – a poufy flounce, a neck tie (plus the brown hip-skimming cardi and brown belt reommended above). That all would take you into real office sex-bomb Mad Men territory.
February 8, 2010 at 9:40 am
Stacy Marie
I’m not seeing the unflattering part, I think it looks really nice on you!
February 8, 2010 at 10:33 am
Angela
I think it looks great, too! It seriously works perfectly with the shoes!
February 8, 2010 at 11:19 am
Susan - Knitters Delight
I think it looks very flattering!
February 8, 2010 at 11:32 am
Lin
I think it looks great! But I see what you mean about the top not seeing quite right. I think a darker colored, fitted scooped neck top would look fantastic.
February 8, 2010 at 12:07 pm
raquel
Peter’s cousin Kathy said what I wanted to say! The skirt is gorgeous!
February 8, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Ellen
What everyone else said… the skirt is flattering, but not with that top. Also, while I love the belt with the bow (great idea), I think a simple dark brown leather belt will break it up and make it even more flattering.
Plus, don’t you need one for your Parity dress?
February 8, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Trudy Callan
I think the mirror is telling the truth. It looks awesome on you.
I just did my “What I’m Wearing” post, and I’d love to know what you think and if you think I should do more of those. Thanks.
February 8, 2010 at 1:16 pm
fiebie
sorry posted my comment on another page…fx
February 8, 2010 at 1:18 pm
peter
Where is that Selfish Seamstress anyway? How dare she not comment on our comments — I mean, it’s been more than 12 hours?
She’d better have a good excuse.
February 9, 2010 at 6:58 am
raquel
yeah! Where is she?
February 8, 2010 at 1:58 pm
The Slapdash Sewist
I love it! I really liked similar 03-2009-104 and was wondering if I should try this one. I have been wanting a high waisted black pencil skirt…
February 8, 2010 at 2:27 pm
lsaspacey
I don’t get what everybody is talking about, I don’t see anything wrong with the skirt. It looks great to me!
With my high-waisted skirts, though I usually blouse the shirt over just a tiny bit, not tucked in straight like you have yours. It helps define the waist a bit.
I don’t think it has anything to do with being short, see here.
February 8, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Dei
Too cute, tiny you. Nix the belt, I don’t think you need it. Maybe a dark colored fitted top would work, but the skirt is perfect as is.
February 8, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Sue
I have made this skirt – team it with a darker top, contrasting or darker belt and keep the shoes – personally I would love to see a belt the colour of the shoes.
My skirt is a brown colour and I wear it with a brown top, red belt and red shoes (sometimes).
Yours looks great!
February 9, 2010 at 9:02 pm
sa
Stunning !!
however I am of your height.Do you think such skirts flatter people that are our size? If I look in the mirror I think I look shorter? Might be differnet for you though !
February 26, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Trisha
I think this skirt is cute (and your blog is hilarious!)! I hate it when something looks different in the mirror than it does in a photo. It must be a strange ripple in the space-time continuum…
February 27, 2010 at 11:00 am
reilly
It looks great on you! I think if you were wearing a shoe that opened your foot up more (something not loaferish that didn’t almost cover your whole foot) your leg line would look longer.
May 18, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Bunchy bunchy « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] this skirt? I don’t wear it often. But I put it on today (with a brown fitted v-neck sweater that hit at […]
November 11, 2010 at 4:07 pm
annon
Between the top of the thighs and the natural waist the skirt looks stressed, then pooches out. Is that what you are seeing? You are very slender and obviously, it is the skirt. For me, my belly would be filling out the fabric at that pooch spot and it would be exceedingly unflattering. The skirt should be smoother looking. I think you are having a fit issue.