Zebra Print Skirt Re-do

If this skirt looks familiar to you it's because I did a fashion post on it awhile back HERE.  In that post I shared how I only put the skirt on for blogging purposes and that I have never worn it outside the house.  I just could never find anything to go with it that I really liked.  Well, seven months later and guess what?  I found a top to go with my zebra print skirt, and I wore it outside the house!  

And boy, did I get the compliments on this outfit.  It made me wonder if I need to dress like this more often!  I normally dress very casually,  I just don't feel comfortable in dressy clothes.  They don't feel like "me".  But, I had this skirt hanging in my closet for a couple of years now feeling very neglected, so, it was time.  Time to step out of my comfort zone and wear something a little different than my usual garb.

I had tried so many different tops with this skirt but nothing felt "perfect".  And then one day I came to the conclusion that what I really needed with this style of skirt was a peplum top.  But I hate peplum tops!  Every peplum top I have ever tried on looked awful on me.  I have always found them very clingy and the extra material around the midsection seemed to expand my already wide middle more.  I would look at pictures of models wearing peplum tops, and they appeared loose around the waist, not clingy.  I just assumed it was because models actually had a waistline and I don't.  And then it dawned on me, what if I sized up?  Then, maybe the top  won't cling to my midsection and show every bump and bulge.  Now, I normally wear a size small in everything so this time I tried a medium.  And, it worked!  Instead of the top clinging to my midsection, it was slightly loose and there were no more bumps and bulges!  Yippee!  I could now wear peplum tops!  Why oh why didn't I think of sizing up in this style of top before?

I found my top at J.C. Penney.  It is by Liz Claiborne and has a nice texture to it.  It is a very sturdy, yet a flexible and comfortable top.  I liked it so much I bought it in cream as well.  It is also available in  Deep Ruby, and I'm thinking of getting that one too!

I wore my new peplum top with a multi-strand pearl and silver chain necklace and a bright silver bracelet.

I probably should have grabbed a colorful clutch to wear with this outfit, but it was Sunday morning and I was rushing out the door for church so I carried my usual black bucket bag.

For shoes, I wore black suede wedges by Fergalicious from Famous Footwear.  They are the same shoes I wore in my previous post and there are also much better pictures of them on that post as well. The sun was just not cooperating when these pictures were taken.  It looks like I am wearing white or opaque tights in the picture below, when in fact, I just have nude pantyhose on.

Ah yes, another fashion lesson learned:  when a style doesn't look good for your body type, try it in another size before giving up on it!  I only wish I learned this lesson years ago when peplum tops were all the rage.  However, they are a classic fashion staple that will never go out-of-style, so I'm sure I'll still get a lot of use out of mine!

Have a great day!  Amy

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