A Black and White Summer Print Mix Outfit with the Thrifty Six: Hemlines

sallyinstpaul
3 hours ago
7 min read

I have been welcomed into a wonderful group of fashion and lifestyle bloggers that focuses on styling preloved clothing and accessories in themed monthly posts (third Monday of the month). I hope that this showcase of secondhand items and outfits provides some shopping and style inspiration for anyone who is interested in creating great looks in a way that is sustainable for our planet and our pocketbooks.

Today's topic is my choice of Hemlines...I thought that the Necklines theme from March was so fun that I decided we should do something similar with skirt/dress hemlines.

It definitely helped that I knew which thrifted skirt I could use for this post: a black knit skirt with a hi-lo hemline that I actually greatly dislike! This was one of those purchases where the general category was met ("comfortable, casual black skirt") but there was a detail that was a deal-breaker...except I figured out in the Goodwill dressing room that I could spin the skirt around so that it had a dramatic diagonal asymmetric hemline instead!

Black hi-lo knit skirt on white background. Text details purchase from Goodwill, Rue21, cost $4.80, 10 wears, CPW $0.48.

I loved that at first it kind of looked like a basic knit maxi skirt, but then you could see the angular silhouette, which is interesting and fun. I am not a fan of long knit maxi skirts because, on me, they end up looking blobby from the lack of structure. (And having grown up in a small town with a noticeable presence of old-fashioned modest dress Pentecostal-type women in frumpy outfits and buns, I have weird mental associations with very long skirts that make me feel off when I wear them.) But with the diagonal hemline, the skirt is just above knee length on one side, and you can see my leg on that side. Since "bare skin equals structure," that is enough to take this long skirt from thumbs down to thumbs up for me.

I don't wear it often (10 total times so far in 6.5 years), but when it's the right thing for an outfit, I really do enjoy wearing it. And since this summer will be my first full summer not working, I might find it coming in handy more often than it has in the past (since it is so casual that I felt weird wearing it even to work from home).

A simple black skirt can be the basis for a gazillion different outfits, but I chose to stretch myself a bit by constructing a fully black and white achromatic outfit around the skirt. I am a die-hard color lover, so wearing only neutrals is a little out of my comfort zone! But I thought I could use print/pattern and texture mixing to create a look that had enough "feels like me" vibes to work (see #7 and #8 in this post).

To that end, I selected two other thrifted items that have been in my closet for over 6 years. First was a long-sleeved check print shirt that I like to wear as a lightweight jacket with the sleeves rolled up (once again, introducing more skin-as-structure to a look). Second was a black and white polka dot scarf with a wide white band around the edges that I thought would play nicely off the check pattern.

Black check shirt and polka dot scarf. Details: purchase date, price, wears, and cost per wear (CPW) are listed next to each item.

I was very happy with how these layers turned out! I added a black short-sleeved T under the check shirt for a simple column of color that looks like a dress. (The T was bought new in 12/2019 with a current CPW of $0.56, below both my <$1 CPW and $0.65 CPW targets.) A summer print mix outfit consisting of just a print top and print bottom is stellar for the hottest weather, but for early summer in Minnesota, layering is still on the sartorial agenda.

Plus size outfit idea for women over 40 — OOTD 5/10/26

When it was time to select my shoes, my wardrobe spreadsheet saved the day; somehow I had momentarily forgotten I have these knit smoking slippers from Skechers (current CPW: $0.68), but they were perfect for my geometric black and white print mix.

At the last minute, I decided the black area between the two edges of the layering shirt could use some decoration. This handmade white beaded chain necklace popped in contrast to the black background.

I have made two very similar beaded chain necklaces with large white beads (glass and stone) - one with silver and one with gold. They are surprisingly versatile, and I reach for them more than I thought I would.

White beaded chain necklaces on a blue background, one with a large pendant. Text reads DIY White Beaded Chain Necklaces and withinaWorldofMyOwn.com.

My all-DIY daily bracelet stack is also in black and white with a combination of glass beads, tube paper beads, and pearls. The different sizes, shapes, and materials in this stack make it interesting despite the very limited color palette. {stretch bracelet tutorial} {bicone paper bead tutorial} {tube paper bead tutorial}

I was in the mood for a pair of simple drop earrings, so I put on a pair in black and silver that I bought so long ago that I don't even remember what store it was! (With old accessories like this, I figure it's reasonable to consider them fully depreciated.)

The cost per wear for this outfit (excluding the earrings and bracelets, which I do not track) was $2.90! Using secondhand pieces and things you've owned (and worn) for a while can make for a quite low CPW! I think this summer print mix look nailed the "thrifty" theme of this series.

Now let's review the outfits with interesting hemlines that my thrifty friends have styled...

The Thrifty Six:

Emma of Style Splash

"I was completely stumped as to how to approach this theme; my immediate thought was asymmetric hemlines, but I couldn't think of anything preloved that fit that criteria. Then I remembered this Iris Apfel x H&M skirt that I bought on Vinted a few years ago. It's a heavy layered maxi, that looks and feels like two skirts. A while after I bought it, I managed to find the blouse in the same print too...you know I love a matching set!"

Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

“I totally fell for this Japanese inspired dress, adorned with golden flowers – shame it was too tight and too short, but I don’t let stuff like that bother me…

I’ve replaced the back zip with a fantastically chunky and oversized statement zipper that runs the entire length of the dress. Now the zip’s a feature to be exposed allowing for two extra inches of width – enough to fit me perfectly plus a bit of shimmy space.

To add length, I’ve attached a pleated trim to the hemline – it’s giving Issey Miyake Pleats Please vibes so totally in-keeping with the Japanese aesthetic – I loved it so much I added some to the cuffs too…

With these simple alterations, this dress is party-perfect and I’m doing a little hemline shimmy for Sally from T6 – Sally chose ‘Hemlines’ as our theme for May – such a fun theme!”

Jodie of Jodie's Touch of Style

“I cut 2 of the tiers off this skirt to make it a hi-low version. The skirt under it is thrifted and so is the sequin tube top under the vest. I figured DIYing my clothing is a great sustainable option, and that vest is over 12 years old. The brooches on the vest are all thrifted also.”

Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style

“I bought this skirt twice. The first time was when I had just started working in the fashion store, in 2007. We sold a lot of skirts like this. With ruffles and petticoats. All just a little bit different from the norm. And super feminine. The second time was sometime in 2019 via Vinted. Because I thought the skirt was amazing back then. The second time wasn't. The length didn't suit me anymore and this style didn't fit me anymore. But it was beautiful, and tweed! Which is a plus!”

Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge

"I had no idea how to approach this hemline theme so I decided to see how many different hemlines I could combine into one outfit. From the bottom up: Layer 1 is a yellow lace super maxi dress. Layer 2 is the maxi dress I wore for last month's Belt It theme. Layer 3 is the patchwork midi skirt I wore for our Crochet Revival theme. Layer 4 is a Kantha Bae apron/smock/tunic/dress thingie. I topped those 4 layers with a yellow paisley kimono tied at the waist, a hip length patchwork print coat, and a floral scarf. Other than my hat, everything was preloved including my jewelry and moccasins. I was really pleased with this look but there are A LOT of layers to contend with!"

And me...

“I celebrated an unusual hemline by styling a black-and-white outfit around this thrifted knit skirt: it has a hi-low hemline that I don't care for so I always wear it sideways to create a diagonal hemline instead. I topped off a black column with a thrifted check shirt and thrifted polka dot scarf for some easy print mixing. I finished my look with handmade beaded bracelets and necklace for a simple, fun, and comfortable summer outfit. I am a real color lover, but I thought the mix of geometric prints and multiple textures with the asymmetric hemline kept this achromatic look interesting.”

Next month's topic is Fringe...and I don't think I have any fringe in my wardrobe. Time to get creative, right?

In the meantime, visit these lovely bloggers for the details of their thrifted hemline outfits and more style inspiration:

Do you like to wear skirts/dresses in the warm weather seasons? Do you own any with interesting hemlines? Do you own any tops with unusual hemlines (I hadn't thought of that options until just now actually)?

Blogs I link up with are listed here.