It's not often that any class of clothing gets the better of me, but I'm on the verge of admitting defeat when it comes to retro-style wiggle skirts and dresses.
These are similar in cut to pencil skirts, nipping in at the waist and hugging curves as they skim over hips and thighs, but their defining characteristic is that the silhouette is very tapered, with the width of the hem being significantly narrower than that of the hips.
This keeps the legs close together, putting the eponymous wiggle in your walk when you wear them.
Now, while I fancy meself as a wiggle wearer and find them flattering to my figure without being overtly sexy (hey, I'm no Joan) my problem is that they only look good while I'm standing still.
As soon as I take more than two steps in any direction, they begin to shimmy up along my legs, bunching attractively under the arse and around the crotch, and the only solution is to physically yank them down again every two seconds.
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Himself maintains that this fix actually looks worse than the original problem, but I can't be doing with a skirt that feels like its hemline might creep up above my knickers at any moment.
I can't imagine Joan, or any of these very elegant looking illustrated pattern ladies, having to put up with that shizz.
Apparently sizing up to give a roomier fit through the hips and thighs and then having the waist altered to fit can do away with the issue altogether (not very useful for the stuff I already own, which isn't too tight to begin with) while wearing a slinky slip, swiping a tumble dryer sheet between the offending garment and the legs, taking smaller steps, or opting for hold-ups rather than full tights are also reputed to help.
So far, the Bounce trick hasn't worked for me; I can't see how I could shorten my stride beyond the restrictions the wiggle puts on it and still be mobile; and I've yet to wear hold-ups without being convinced that everyone can see them when I move. I guess I'll be picking up a slip on my next trip to Marks & Sparks and crossing everything that it does the trick.
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Have you found a foolproof way to prevent skirts and dresses like these from sneaking up your thighs?
Vintage pattern images via 1. Male Pattern Boldness // 2. Linbot1 & The Eclectic Resurrection on Etsy
