Cheryl Shops

Lace-trim slip skirts are everywhere this summer; we most likely have The Row to thank for that, but also Dôen, who's had a slip skirt in their lineup for awhile now. I owned several slip skirts in the late '90s, including one from Dolce & Gabbana that I luckily dug out of storage recently, and while the most logical thing to do would be to wear something vintage, what makes The Row's and Doen's version so modern is that they have a wider band of lace around the hem and they come in more substantial fabrics—The Row's is silk charmeuse; Doen's current version is cotton poplin although their Giuletta skirt, which is sadly sold out, is also 100% silk. I combed vintage fairs and resale sites (as well as my own closet) for awhile in search of something similar, thinking that secondhand was the ideal place to find a good dupe, but ran into a little Goldilocks syndrome: everything was either too long, too sheer, and/or didn't have the right amount of lace at the hem. I'm sure I could have kept looking, but when I popped into J.Crew recently with my mom and saw the Gwen skirt, I knew she was The One. 

I tend to harp on The Row a bit; I don't think what they're doing is super original—which is taking classic items and making the best possible version of them, at obscene prices—however you can't deny how influential they are on fashion at the moment. (Yeah, I'll admit I'm eyeing those flip-flops too, but I'll be ordering the Amazon dupe instead.) We can thank their Gala pant for the proliferation of pajama pants on the market the last few years; I was resistant to this silhouette at first because thin elastic waistbands usually don't sit right on me (I am a little thicker through the middle and also in my 40s) and call me old-fashioned, but to me an elastic waistband plus wide-leg pant equals pajamas. And while the teenagers who attend the high school on my block are not shy about wearing pajama pants in public, again, I am in my 40s, which means I'm either trying too hard or not trying hard enough. Then again, the upside of being in your 40s is that you don't care as much what people think about you, so I decided to give the pajama pant silhouette a try. Of course, I don't have $1,090 in my budget, so I set out to find a good dupe of the Row's Gala pant. 

Recommended reading
I will fully admit that I love the Olsen twins. I own several pieces from their Elizabeth and James line, and one The Row top, and if I could afford more from The Row, I would gladly buy it. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this gushing article about the sisters in today's Thursday Styles section in the Times. Written by Cathy Horyn, no less, who is one tough bitch (I mean that as an utmost compliment--Cathy Horyn is my idol). But be careful: After reading this, I wanted to march my ass over to Barneys and plunk down $1,700 for a pair of The Row's leather leggings.