Between Eva Franco and Cartonnier Anthropologie is brimming with beautiful fall skirts. I’d mostly associated Cartonnier with blazers, but this year they’re trying to corner the market on skirts at Anthropologie. I recently tried the Finishing School Skirt ($78, review here) and finally caved on the Acting Out Skirt ($88, review here). This review set has two more skirts from the brand, including one that is wasn’t online until this morning. I don’t know why it took so long but I had a sad. If this is a game Anthro is playing I’m not liking it. I want to call time out.
Before we get to Cartonnier, the first skirt I tried was the Lincolnshire Skirt ($168) from Eva Franco. The price induced a bit of sticker shock. Once I’d recovered from the price I was left admiring this beautiful skirt. It’s a thin wool/acrylic mix with a dark brown lining. The real star is the large ruffle down the front. It’s a detail you’ll either love or hate and I loved it!
The warm taupe color of the skirt combined with the rich florals make this skirt a true fall piece. I had visions of Thanksgiving in my head while trying the skirt on. (Anthro totally missed out on calling this the Cornucopia Skirt.) I love the back vent — it allows you to take longer strides but isn’t open to the world. Nice touch.
I have had sizing issues with Eva Franco this year. When I tried the Fine Line Skirt ($148, review here) I was left feeling sulky after not being able to fit into an 8 or a 10 and not feeling great in the 12. I usually size down in Eva Franco and with the Lincolnshire Skirt it was back to normal. I sized down to a 6 for the right fit. How annoying though. Should I really be that far apart in sizing in the same brand?!? It makes no sense. I’ve wishlisted this skirt; waiting for sale.
The top I tried with the skirt is C. Keer’s Tatting Tank ($58). I loved the lace neckline and shoulders on this top. And at least Anthro is being honest here — they disclose that the top is sheer right in their product description. It makes me feel an eensie bit better about the sheerness. I just happened to be wearing a white cami that day which is underneath the top in the shot above.
I went for my usual size medium which was a bit loose everywhere. But C. Keer’s smalls have been too close-fitting on me lately so I’d stick with my normal size medium. The main part of the shirt is a heathered cotton which feels light and airy. I think it worked well tucked into the skirt and it would also make a good intermediate layer for colder weather. I won’t pay full price for a sheer item and I’m tempted to boycott it altogether. For now, it’s wishlisted.
A skirt with horses on it? Count me in! Cartonnier’s Stable Skirt ($98) was a little girl’s delight all grown up. Besides the pretty horsies this skirt also has a castle on it. Not even kidding. I could not stop laughing as I tried this skirt on. I love the thick strips of brown down each side.
My usual size 8 was a close fit here. A 10 is probably in order to hide the thighs a bit better, though it will be loose at my waist. This skirt is soft to the touch and has a few equestrian touches on it at the waistline: two tabs and thick belt loops. I am enamored but this feels more like a crush than true love. I’m not really sure I could work this skirt into my wardrobe. For that reason I’ve wishlisted it for further consideration later. (Who am I kidding? I’m totally picking this up once it hits sale.)
In need of a top to try with the skirt, I grabbed Tiny’s Two Worlds Tee ($78) in beige. My sister had bought this in dark orange while in-town a few weeks ago. We own several of the same items (she is much tinier than me though) but the orange wasn’t quite working on me.
My usual size medium was pretty tight over my chest. And this top was sheer. Grrr. I can see wearing this top open and belted as a top layer. Not having the option to wear it on its own is annoying though. I like the embroidered lace panels down the front of the top as well as the defined waist. But I will most likely pass on this sheer top altogether. Back to the rack.
Another Cartonnier skirt caught my eye at the Soho Anthropologie. I tried this on a couple of weeks ago and have been holding my review back waiting for it to make its online debut. And finally today it showed up — it’s the Made To Measure Skirt ($138).
This skirt is a wool pencil in tartan plaid with a twist drape in the front. It feels like 100% wool with an acetate lining. There is a thick leather button on the side where the top of the side zip lands. It’s the perfect detail and gets my endorsement. My usual size 8 fit so well. I was very happy with how it sat at my waist and fell perfectly over my hips. The length was fantastic on my 5’8″ frame, just grazing my knees. A work skirt! Consider me happy. I wishlisted it.
Seeing Floreat’s Paisley Paths Skirt ($98, above) reminded me that the Presently, We’re Pheasantly mystery skirt ($158, review here) finally made it online today with a much less interesting name. That the Paisley Paths manages to check in under the triple-digit mark in an achievement these days. That alone makes me smile. I don’t know why but I was expecting this skirt to be velvet. I was happily surprised to discover that it’s cotton with cotton stitching. Yay!
The sizes available in-store were pretty limited. I ended up grabbing a 12, which was loose in the waist as expected. I think a 10 would be perfect for me; that is what I usually wear in Floreat’s skirts. I was very pleased with the straight fit of this skirt and if I may say so it was doing wonderful things for my bottom. The embroidery is a light brown that can look gold with the right pairings. Lots of great options for this skirt so it went straight to my wishlist. The sweater I’m wearing is the From-the-Poles Jacket ($128) which I will cover in an upcoming reviews set.
Sparrow’s White Noise Skirt ($98) looked very cool on the rack. I grabbed it for a shot in the fitting room. I picked out a medium to try and while this skirt stretches I felt like I was asking it to stretch a bit too far over my thighs. So I’d buy this in a large.
A couple of things I did not like about this skirt: it’s about two inches shorter than I’d like and it’s dry clean only. There were enough good qualities to override those negatives though. The multi-snap feature is a very trendy and cool touch. I love the marled look of the material and the color will pair well with almost anything you put up against it. Another skirt for the wishlist.
I tried the skirt with the Flight Of Fancy Top ($58) by C. Keer. My true size medium was a great fit for this top. I am really torn over this item. On the one hand, I have a weakness for ruffles and I love the top tier on this top. On the other hand the bottom tier of ruffles just looks weird. From the front it looked like the ruffles were trying to eat me! I may or may not have been making Cookie Monster-esque comments in the fitting room about the shirt nom nomm’ing on birds and ruffles. How can I take this top seriously? Pass.
Edme & Esyllte’s Norwegian Woods Skirt ($88) features an all-over brilliant floral print with a front lace-up detail. Sigh. Love! I love the gentle fullness of this skirt. It right at my knees — perfect in my book.
I wasn’t able to find a 10 so I tried a 12. It was loose enough that I know the 10 would be perfect. I like the idea of wearing this skirt on my hips. If I wanted it to sit at my waist I would stick with my normal size 8. Pair this skirt with a sleek top and you have a winner on your hands. Wishlisted!!
