Like a T-Shirt

Okay, I have to tell you about something that happened at the Prada show in Milan last month because I cannot stop thinking about it.

Sixty-three looks came down the runway. SIXTY-THREE. And every single one of them had a skirt.

Not a pair of pants in sight.

And these weren’t just any skirts. Oh my gosh. There were gorgeous sheer pleated skirts in the prettiest shades of pink and butter yellow, pencil skirts covered in sparkling flowers, beautiful wool kilts, and one dramatic pleated skirt so long that the model actually had to carry the hem as she walked.

I mean, heaven.

Photo: Iuliia Pilipeichenko on Unsplash

But here’s the part I loved most.

Years ago, Miuccia Prada said something that I think is absolutely brilliant.

“For me, the skirt is like a T-shirt.”

A T-SHIRT!

Think about that for a second.

Because if you’re like me, somewhere along the way, you decided that a skirt was something you had to have an occasion for.

A wedding. Church. A nice dinner. A meeting where you want to look like you have your life together.

But how about a rushed morning? Running to get nails done? Watching the kids soccer game? Oh no, we better put on our jeans.

And I get it. I love jeans. But I started thinking about how many beautiful things we have hanging in our closets that we’ve assigned to a life we aren’t currently living.

We’re waiting for the invitation. The perfect shoes. The right weather. The right body. The right SOMETHING.

Meanwhile, the skirt is just hanging there, waiting to be worn.

And here comes Miuccia Prada, one of the most influential designers in the world, essentially saying, It’s a skirt, for goodness’ sake. Put it on!

I love this.

And if you look at how she styled these incredible runway skirts, you’ll see exactly what she means. Simple sweaters. Button-down shirts. Pieces you probably already own.

That’s the magic.

You don’t have to make the whole outfit an event just because one piece feels special.

In fact, I think that’s where some of the very best style happens. When you take something extraordinary and wear it like it’s the most ordinary thing in the world.

So here’s what I want you to try this week.

Find a skirt in your closet. Maybe it’s the satin one you bought two years ago. Maybe it’s a pleated midi or a fun printed skirt you absolutely loved when you bought it but have worn exactly once.

Now, forget everything you think you’re supposed to wear with it.

Put on your favorite sweater. Your everyday sneakers or boots. Maybe a little half tuck.

And go live your one beautiful life.

You don’t need heels. You don’t need a fancy handbag. And you most certainly don’t need an invitation.

We don’t need to save our beautiful things for our beautiful lives. Wearing them is part of what makes an ordinary life beautiful.

And that, my friends, is a fashion lesson worth stealing from Prada.

PUT ON Today, wear a skirt like you’d wear your favorite jeans. Same shoes. Same sweater. Same errands.

No special occasion required.

And now I have to know. Are you a skirt person or a pants person? And if you have a closet full of skirts you’re not wearing, what exactly are you waiting for?