Goodbye Navy Pencil Skirt

Today I'm continuing with my summer closet edit...

-Grey tipped blazer post is here;

-Navy short-sleeved jacket post is here;

-Light blue Henley t-shirt post is here;

-Slate blue skirt post is here.

The fifth item leaving my closet is this navy pencil skirt from Walmart that I purchased 8 years ago for $10.50 (on sale). Just like with the slate blue skirt, I last wore this skirt in 2024 because in the summer of 2025, when I'd just left my job, I didn't feel like wearing skirts and wore a lot of pants and skimmer shorts instead. I got most of my wear from the skirt in the first 3 years I owned it, but since the start of the pandemic, when I started working from home, I would typically reach for a pair of navy pants or a different navy-based skirt instead of this one. When I tried this skirt on earlier this summer, it felt a little tight, a little short, and a little too structured, so it was easy to bid this one farewell from my closet. I didn't reach my 30 wears goal with this one, but despite that, I did meet both my under $1 CPW and under $0.65 CPW targets because the purchase price was low.

Although I have worn this skirt in all seasons, I am sharing 8 ways that I styled it for summer from my OOTD archives...starting with an in-depth look at a favorite outfit.

#1: Boxy Stand-Alone Top & Layered Necklace

I bought this loose linen top in December 2022, so the summer of 2023 was my first chance to wear it, and I wasted no time pairing it with the navy pencil skirt. The boxy fit of the top made it look best with a slimmer fitting silhouette on the bottom, so the pencil skirt worked out quite well.

OOTD 7/10/2023

I matched my red leather flats with the buckle detail to the dominant color of the top, creating a bit of an "opposite of a Zoom look" vibe: party on the top, business at the bottom.

I had fun putting a layered necklace together:

(1) Red 3-strand oval and seed bead necklace (Fire Mountain Gems);

(2) Gold/crystal stone necklace (from my mom);

(3) White bead/gold chain strand (premade beaded chain to which I added a clasp);

(4) Red knotted glass bead double strand necklace (Fire Mountain Gems);

(5) White glass pearl tassel necklace (DIY) for a pop against the dark background.

My all-DIY daily bracelet stack started with a paper bead bracelet set in navy and red with gold metallics that I'd made for a different blouse but looked great with this one. I finished out the stack with three 8mm bead bracelets in white glass, red bamboo coral, and gold-tone metal. {stretch bracelet tutorial} {bicone paper bead tutorial} {tube paper bead tutorial}

I don't have page to bead photos for the top paper bead bracelet, but because it's made with tube beads, it's very easy to see that I used a catalog image of plaid shirts (from Lands End) in navy, red, and white. For the bottom paper bead bracelet, I used an image of an art installation from an alumni magazine that cut up into strips like this. I added a bit of gold Sharpie to cover the extraneous bits of off-palette color and to cover the white core of the paper on the edges. For once I took my rolled bead photo after the beads had been glazed so you can see how glossy the final product is.

My earrings are an old DIY pair from Winter 2021-22 that I have shared before - triangle shaped beads from lapis lazuli strung with spacers on premade hoops.

#2: Top & Statement Necklace

One of my common in-office work outfit formulas was Top + Pencil Skirt + Statement Necklace + Flats, and here are two summer-time iterations of that theme with the navy pencil skirt and a colorful necklace that coordinates with but doesn't match the top. The red crochet top (30 wears post here) and navy skirt look was my work Fourth of July outfit for that year, livened up with a multi-strand statement necklace from Target. The cream and green jackrabbit blouse (30 wears post here) with the navy skirt made for a bit of a dark overall look, so I brightened it up for summer with my "wild ball necklace" from Macy's (currently standing at 36 wears and $1.01 CPW...almost time for its own post!).

OOTD Left: 7/3/2018; Right: 6/1/2017--I think this must have been a different but seemingly identical skirt!

#3: White Top & "Red" Jacket

The red, white, and blue color combination can be a bit more "patriotic holiday" than you're looking for, even in summer, but I love it. In these two outfits, I paired a white-based top, the navy skirt, and a "red" jacket that wasn't a true red:

(1) The one on the left is a dark orange that matched beautifully with the accent color in the floral top (both pieces long since gone from my closet), and

(2) The one on the right is a linen jacket in strawberry red (that has survived this summer's closet edit!) styled in a WFH look with a summery seed bead-based neck mess.

OOTD Left: 5/21/2018; Right: 8/16/2021

#4: Navy Print Top & White Cardigan

When worn with a navy bottom piece, a print top on a navy background gives you a variant of the inner column of color that can then be topped in many different ways. For these looks, I popped on a white short-sleeved cardigan from Loft that picked up the bits of white in the prints. In the navy rabbit blouse (30 wears post here) outfit, I used Road Map Styling to pull yellow from the print, repeated in the mustard ballet flats. In the floral print tank look, I created a low-key print mix with the leopard flats. (Yes, the leopard print has black instead of navy, providing further evidence that leopard print is a neutral that goes with just about anything.)

OOTD Left: 5/23/2024; Right: 5/17/2023

#5: Navy Print Top & Green Cardigan

I completely don't get the "blue and green should never be seen" idea because I love these colors together...perhaps especially when the blue color is a chambray/denim or navy piece. This cheerful spring green cardigan is a summer favorite of mine, and it looks fabulous with a navy print top, navy skirt, and bright necklace. Note: the green of the cardigan doesn't match either print, but it's close enough to blend to it.

OOTD Left: 7/10/2018; Right: 8/29/2019

#6: Shades of Blue (Monochromatic)

A navy skirt (or pants or shorts or...) is a great starting point for creating a monochromatic outfit. While you certainly could wear navy head to toe, I enjoy putting together a variety of shades of a color for a more interesting and nuanced look...which also means you don't have to try to match any particular shade exactly throughout your look. Here I topped the navy pencil skirt with a truly beloved light chambray blue floral T-shirt (that recently moved from my wardrobe to my mom's), a dark grey-blue crochet cardigan, and a capital-S Statement Necklace in clear crystal and blue (that I bought for my mother-in-law's wedding). Instead of continuing with blue shoes, I chose the nude-to-me option with a pair of pale grey wedges that blend well with my light, pinkish skin.

OOTD 6/18/2019

#7: Print Top & Print Scarf (Print Mix)

I love a good print mix, but I know some people are leery to try it, in fear that it will be "too much." This outfit shows that a print mix can be interesting without visually overwhelming anyone by using neutral colors and classic patterns for the mix. This base outfit of navy and white striped top, navy pencil skirt, and nude-to-me wedges makes for a nice starting point, but it's a little dull on its own (to me, for my own style - for you, it may be perfect). But it's definitely a solid foundation for creating many different looks, including this office-compatible version with a paisley silk scarf in shades of dark green and blue. I repeated the green tones in my earrings and brought all the colors together in my bracelet stack for a highly integrated effect.

OOTD Left: 8/24/2022

#8: Navy Print Top & Pink Vest

I am going to finish off this post with my last outfit featuring the navy pencil skirt, in which I wore the same floral top from the green cardigan outfit above but changed the look completely by substituting a pink open weave vest. Lightweight vests are an under-appreciated summer layering option!

OOTD 5/14/2024

How will my wardrobe fare without this navy pencil skirt? Very well, I think! I have a full corduroy skirt in navy that I like wearing in winter, so I'm set there. For the warmer seasons, I have a dark wash denim skirt that is a great substitute for more casual occasions (i.e., almost every occasion I have for the foreseeable future). I also have two navy striped skirts I could substitute in at least some outfits: one is a very casual style made from t-shirt knit material, and the other is a more "business-y" skirt that is made from woven fabric and is lined (but is still quite comfortable enough that I am happy to wear it in my daily life). Navy is also well-represented in my summer trouser collection: in addition to denim, I have navy knit knee-length shorts, slim fit crop pants, and full length pants. So even though a navy skirt can be considered a wardrobe staple, I have no need to replace mine.

This navy pencil skirt is my least preferred of all my navy pants/skirts options, and has been for a while, so I guess it's no surprise that (1) I only wore it it 19 times and (2) I am happy to edit it from my wardrobe. I have no regrets buying this skirt, though, since it got quite a bit of wear to my business casual office during the 2017-2019 period and was a reasonable quality for the low sale price.

Do you have a navy skirt in your wardrobe? Do you prefer to wear skirts or pants/shorts in summer...or do you switch between the two? Have you edited anything out of your closet that is often considered a "wardrobe staple"? Do you feel that you have other substitutes for that item or do you think you want to replace it?

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