Skirt wearers- what happens at your waist?

[GiraffesAndButterflies]

I like skirts in theory but find them impossible to wear because I always feel my middle looks awful. Tucking things in means bunching and scrunching under the top of the skirt, leaving tops loose makes my stomach look huger . What is the solution please?

If you all say bodysuits I shall cry.

I would like to know the answer to this too; I haven't worn a skirt in years because I just can't work out the middle bit.

Mind you, I have the same issue with tucking tops into trousers as well - it just seems to make me look all bulgy in the wrong places. (Not that there's ever really a good place to look bulgy)

I wear skirts most days. Usually they sit on my hips, with a top over the top. If they have to sit at my waist then I tend to wear a looser top over the top. It depends on the shape of the skirt though. Sometimes I tuck the top in, and then pull most of it out IYSWIM

Like this.

Ah, those pics are handy, thank you. That looks like it would work with a shirt I love but can't seem to pair nicely with any trousers or skirts.

Top over the top. Tucked in makes my tummy and bum look bigger. Same with trousers, though. I saw a lady in Tesco's the other day wearing high-waisted leopard print trousers with either a tucked in top or a bodysuit, and it really drew attention to her bum. She had a great figure and was probably quite happy with that. I would look like Mr Blobby.

A shortish fitted ish top works for me. Not tucked in but stopping near the waist band.

I wear skirts most days for work.
If I'm wearing a jumper I don't tuck in, if I'm wearing a thin shirt or vest top I tuck in.
I wear pencil skirts because they flatter my figure better so you can see the outline of my top tucked in sometimes.. most of the time I have a jacket or cardigan which covers it.

Hmmm... just tried the tucked in and pulled out slightly technique - looks great from the front, but the side view is awful - the word "paunch" comes to mind. I think maybe tucked in just doesn't work for my shape.

I just wish I could find some simple shorter length fitted tops in the shops - there just seems to be nothing out there at the moment that isn't festooned with ruffles or big flappy bell-sleeves. I am starting a new job soon, so I just want conservative and classic stuff for my work wardrobe.

I don't wear skirts for the same reason OP.

I'm a pear shape with a much smaller waist than hips so skirts that fit my hips tend to be looser on my waist. Add a top loose over the top and I look huge. And I can't tuck the top in because that highlights my fat tummy. Dresses work much better for me.

I avoid skirts for exactly the same reason op. Have a few lovely ones in my wardrobe, and even bought one at the weekend - but no way of being able to wear any of them due to having a solid waist!

How is it different from trousers? I prefer skirts because I don't like my thighs. Maybe you need to try a different type of skirt that you can wear a top like you'd wear with trousers?

I don't really wear trousers! I have a few pairs of skinny black ones that are a bit like jeans but I can get away with for work, and I wear them with a looser top, nothing too fitted. The bottom of the top comes down to my bum, over the top of my trousers.
I'm too big to get away with wearing something like a shirt with them as I'm quite bulky up top (shoulders particularly!) and would end up billowy. With a skirt, if I wore similar tops to the ones I wear with my trousers, I wouldn't tuck them in because I'm fat and they would look bad!
Basically, I'm too bloody fat to wear them and I know it!

What about the 1950's fully tucked in look? No paunch there?

I wear skirts 90% of the time. Usually worn with a cami/vest top which ends about half way between waist and hips. Always over the top, never tucked in. I'm a classic pear shape and this is the most flattering outline I can achieve. Trousers just make me look fat.

Trousers seem to work because they taper down to my ankles so stop my middle looking so huge - or at least make it clear that I'm only larger round the hips.

Wide leg trousers have the same problem as skirts on me - I look enormous from the waist down.

I wear skirts with a boxy waist-length top in a light material like silk or viscose. Never ever ever tucked in, that makes me look very stumpy.

My waist is my only good feature, so I always have skirts that fit there. I usually wear a very fitted to shirt with a short cardigan with them so everything fits at the waist mark and there's no bunching. Or just the cardigan, but buttoned up fully.

I wear a lot of a-line skirts in winter, with fine knit crew neck jumpers mainly. I wear the jumper over, but I always look for jumpers which are short-ish, so they sit just on the waistband of the skirt, definitely no lower than my hip bones. In summer I wear dresses more, but have a few midi-skirts, which I wear with very neat t-shirts tucked in. (I'm 5ft 6 and a pear-shaped 10, so I need to be careful with not looking like a triangle. I think it's just about working out which shapes/lengths suit you, and going with those, tbh.)

I wear a lot of skirts. The trick is to be careful how you tuck tops in (pull down from under the skirt then smooth it out so the outline doesn't show through the skirt).

Also, certain types of tops only go with certain styles of skirts. For example with a 50's style full skirt, it has to be a very fitted top otherwise it doesn't look neat.

A pencil skirt can be paired with a boxier top, like a silk t-shirt.

The length of the top is also important. I am tall, and I find that tops from some shops always come up a bit too short on me and end up untucked all the time (Primark is especially bad).

And yes, sorry OP but bodysuits do work really well with skirts.

Skirts are tricky in this respect.
I also find mine seems to have a habit of rotating themselves when I walk so they end up back to front. It's very odd.

The position of the waistband of a skirt has a big impact on how well it suits your body shape. Followed closely by the length and then the silhouette e.g. pencil, a line etc. If the skirt is a flattering fit then you should be able to tuck in your top, whether a loose or tight top, and it should look good. If not tucking in the top then the top has to be a flattering length.

If you have time, go to a department store and try on lots of different styles to find what suits.

I tuck them in and put a large belt around my waist. Skirts tend to sit much higher on my waist than trousers do. I hardly ever look good in trousers. I think body shape has a lot to do with what looks good and what doesn't.