A Knights Tulle…..

Lou Caston
Feb 5, 2020
6 min read

Back in the day Tulle was most commonly known for being used to make veils, wedding gowns and of course the most iconic item the ballet tutu skirt. I remember when I was very little being literally mesmerized by the beauty and delicate dance moves of a young ballerina, almost gliding across the stage on her tip toes in all her pink & sparkly tutu glory. She was like a real life goddess to me, tall, elegant and covered in diamonds. Though I'm sure at some point maybe every young girl has wanted or wished to be dressed up just like that, there is also something almost quite princess like about it all. Or maybe it's just the fascination with how amazing they move across the stage and how disciplined they are. All in all the fabric has been labelled with quite a title of excellence and glamour...... I mean ballerina tutus and wedding gowns, you can't really get much more glamorous than that can you?!?!?

So to see this fabric take on such a fashionable and urban cool chic look is almost quite bizarre. I mean you can literally dress it up or down to any shape or style, be it maxi, midi, mini...layered, tiered, singular...the list is endless, which is obviously another reason to simply love it & embrace it.

So I decided to do just that and embrace this new look by becoming my own adjudicator in deciding if it was an on-point fashion win or a sartorial faux pas. To do this I had to seek a selection of tulle skirt styles and try my best to be as liberating and differing as possible. So in order to get the most out of it I tried my best to make them all a little different by choosing a couple of midi styles and a couple of maxi versions. I thought the mini version was perhaps best left to the ballerinas of this world....... ;-)

1. First up was a black spotted midi tulle skirt.

Now this one I immediately loved as black of course goes with anything & everything, so it meant I could team this one up with literally any colour top of any style, along with pretty much any shoe / boot / trainer, so in that respect it was definitely versatile. However not really having the time to try it on with my entire wardrobe I decided to listen to the weather on this occasion and go for a chunky leopard print jumper, this look was pretty casual but uber comfy and I liked the fact that it could be a day or night kind of look.

Black also being well known it's flattering appeal and slimming enhancing meant it pretty much ticked all the right boxes, so far so good I think. It also had the added element of spots, which is pretty on trend at the moment. I liked the fact that the waistband was elasticated so you could position it anywhere you wanted. I also liked the unfinished edges at the bottom, which meant the dress down and funky edge was all that little more real.

FABRIC FEEL: 9/10

OUTFIT COMFORT / FIT: 8/10

URBAN / COOL CHIC EDGE: 7/10

OVERALL: 8/10

NB. Alternative white spot version from ASOS:

https://www.asos.com/little-mistress/little-mistress-embellished-tulle-skirt-in-black/prd/13387508?clr=&colourWayId=16473534&SearchQuery=little%20mistress%20tuelle%20midi%20skirt

2. Second up was a subtle coloured midi skirt with a cute paneling detail.

It was a more structured finish than the first which gave it a slightly more serious feel, which I think also gave the skirt fabric an ever so slightly coarse feel to it. I liked it because the attention was taken down to the hemline, which also meant that you could focus more of the footwear rather than the top perhaps, and because of that it gave me a feel that either some clean fresh funky trainers or alternatively some sexy heels would work better. A pair of Louboutin's would definitely smash this outfit.......Hmmmmmmm if only I had a pair!!! ;-)

I decided again to go for a chunky knit, this time trying a more subtle overall colour scheme. The skirt was also elasticated at the waist which was a great bonus, but ever so slightly shorter than my previous choice, so even more of an excuse to get some flashy footwear on, maybe something gold would give this outfit a little something extra.

FABRIC FEEL: 7/10

OUTFIT COMFORT / FIT: 7/10

URBAN / COOL CHIC EDGE: 6/10

OVERALL: 7/10

NB. Link to skirt:

https://www.asos.com/little-mistress/little-mistress-tulle-midi-skirt/prd/13355927?clr=&colourWayId=16538709&SearchQuery=little%20mistress%20tuelle%20midi%20skirt

3. My next two choices were both maxi styled and I decided this time, to not remain transfixed and confined within the same 'small brown box' as my previous collaborations of a skirt / plain jumper combo, but to creep (or maybe dive!) outside this cosy / casual look and find some other visual elements to this look.

First up was a black / grey tiered number which I teamed up with a few alternative tops, a leopard print cosy knit jumper, a Cinderella slogan t-shirt and finally a fitted body. My favourite part of this skirt was the tiered detailing, I think it's particularly flattering and can look good with a baggy or bodycon top. The leopard print jumper I must admit I really liked, I felt that it looked trendy / fresh as well as being comfortable. A rather funky daytime dress attire while still having a little wow factor.

My next top was a Cinderella slogan t-shirt, which I must admit I just love regardless of what I wear it with, but I thought it teamed up nicely with my white pumps and was a slightly cooler look for the spring / summer time.

Last up was my River Island body (styled previously in my 'Get Shorty' blog) which I really liked with this skirt, the colour collaboration really went well together I think and I loved the fact that it looked super chic even with the dressed down trainers.

To be honest I think my favourite outfit choices were either the body or the leopard print jumper, both styles were versatile enough to be dressed up or down for different occasions.

FABRIC FEEL: 9/10

OUTFIT COMFORT / FIT: 8/10

URBAN / COOL CHIC EDGE: 8/10

OVERALL: 8.5/10

NB. Link to skirt:

https://www.asos.com/angeleye/angeleye-tiered-tulle-maxi-skirt/prd/13474541?clr=&colourWayId=16544089&SearchQuery=tierred%20maxi%20skirt%20tiered

4. My forth choice was in contrast probably the most vivid in colour of them all, a maxi length bright green skirt which I teamed up with a few alternative tops.

I decided to try and explore both subtle and contrasting combinations, including a dark green backless jumper, a white slogan t-shirt, a leopard print high neck body and last but not least a green strappy body.

The chunky knit I chose was cool and comfortable with an added backless detail, which I think made it a little different to my other knit collaborations...and different I like. This was definitely the most casual look for this green skirt and although maybe not quite as flattering as the bodies I still think it looked pretty good. Maybe I should try this one with a neon pink jumper to see how well it clashes.

The t-shirt combo is again a cooler more summer time vibe creation and I think can be styled tucked in or left loose. I also think you could team this look up with a statement belt and really put a little pizazz into the look.

My favourite pattern again and I must admit that this collaboration looked better than I anticipated it would. I thought the colours worked really well together and perhaps the boldness of the top took away some of the attention from the vividness of the skirt...although who am I kidding with that green, I could probably direct traffic in it!!!

With my previous clarification in mind I decided to through caution to the wind and go neon green crazy. I was perhaps a little concerned that a lime green body (styled previously in my 'Get Shorty' blog) wouldn't really work with such a bright skirt and would be a clashing catastrophe, but I actually thought it really complimented it. I think styling this skirt with a few bodycon style tops really accentuated the elasticated waistband and would indeed emphasize and flatter any female figure. Another idea would be to again add a wide waisted belt, which would glamourize this detailing even further and really add a statement factor to the outfit.