A black skirt has been the bedrock of my work and casual wardrobe for my entire adult life.
They work in every season of the year and for just about every occasion from casual to formal events.
Skirts are super versatile because they can be mixed and matched to make an endless number of different outfits. Choose from a wide variety of tops, tees, blouses, button-downs, and jackets. Pair one with sneakers, loafers, ballet flats, flip-flops, slides, or strappy sandals for completely different looks.
You can get more mileage out of a single skirt than a single dress.
In this post, I’ll talk about what looks good with a black skirt, the color tops that work with them, and the best black skirt styles by body type. And then we’ll look at 22 black skirt outfits!
What will look good with a black skirt?
Create a stylish look by pairing your black skirt with a Breton stripe top or sweater, an animal print blouse, polka dots, or a dark floral blouse in spring. For work, pair one with a structured button-up shirt for a smart look. For the evening, create a chic look by wearing a column of black with a black blouse, skirt, and strappy sandals.
What color top goes best with a black skirt?
Wear your black skirt with neutral colors like tan, white, light or dark gray, cream, camel, and even black. They’re also great with a pop of color, like light blue, olive green, raspberry, light or bright pink, vibrant green, fuchsia pink, and royal blue.
If you’re struggling to find a black skirt that you feel confident in, learning about the best black skirt styles for your body type can help.
Let’s go through the best black skirt styles by body shape.If you’re not sure what your body type is, read my post, How to Look Good in Your Clothes by Dressing for Your Body Type.
Best black skirt styles by body type
For the triangle who is larger on the bottom than the top, choose skirt styles that balance your proportions with your smaller top. A-line, straight, wrap skirts and flowy skirts that finish just below the knee at the slimmest part of the leg are great for you.
For the inverted triangle who is larger up top than on the bottom, black skirts are tricky since you want to wear black up top to minimize your upper half and lighter colors on the bottom to grab the eye. To make black work down below, choose skirts with a colorful black eye-catching pattern, a busy colorful black plaid, or black and white stripes. You want a skirt with fullness to counter the slimness of your rear. Try a modern pleated skirt, an a-line skirt with a gathered or elastic waistline, asymmetrical skirts, and full-tiered skirts.
For the rectangle body shape who is more straight up and down, choose skirts that define your waist and add curves to your hips. A-line skirts, box pleats, wrap skirts, and bias-cut skirts create lovely shapes on your lower half. With full skirts, wear a top with some presence like a flutter sleeve to maintain the balance between your upper and lower half.
For the hourglass body type with a defined waist and equal proportions up top and on the bottom, try skirts that keep your balanced proportions. Try pencil skirts, bias-cut skirts, straight skirts, and A-line skirts.
For the oval or round body shape with a curvy body and equal proportions up top and on the bottom with a little extra in the middle, a straight long pencil skirt that ends just below the knee, a-line skirts, and straight skirts elongate your body.
Learning about your body type can lead to a breakthrough. But it’s equally important to choose a skirt that works with your personal style. Whether you love a black short skirt, a black maxi skirt, or an edgy black leather skirt, wear a style that you feel great in and that feels like you.
Ready to look at some black skirt outfit ideas? Let’s see some new looks!
22 black skirt outfits
In this post, for most of these outfits, I’m wearing a slip skirt that hits just below my knee. This A-line skirt is made of a drapey fabric that is soft and flowy and subtly elongates.
1. With a striped tee and brown slides
I’ve had this linen striped white tee from Boden forever. It’s loose and casual so I paired it with casual knotted slide sandals and a similar tone shoulder bag for a laid-back vibe.
Bag | Shoes
2. With a cream and black Breton striped tank top and raffia slides
I am a sucker for cream Breton stripe. It’s a classic that’s trending and when I saw this tank top it immediately went into my shopping cart. My raffia slides with a metal buckle detail pull in that same color tone in an elevated way.
Top | Bag | Shoes
My nicest black Coach bag makes a simple tank top outfit feel sorta dressy and like something you can wear out to a nice dinner.
3. With a black and white blouse and nude strappy sandals
You can easily elevate a simple skirt outfit by wearing a low nude strappy kitten heel. I often pass over these strappy kitten heels for something more casual. But there are times when it’s worth the effort to put them on. Like for date night or a nice dinner out with friends.
Top | Shoes
Add a matching nude bag to tie the color into a second spot on your outfit.
4. With a striped tee and brown slides
Here’s a fun look with a black and white cap sleeve t-shirt and brown accessories. If you’re smaller up top than on the bottom like I am, wearing stripes up top draws the eye across and helps to create balanced proportions with the bottom half.
Top | Bag | Shoes
With an outfit that has just two colors like this one, add some visual interest by choosing brown accessories.
5. With a sage green flutter-sleeve tee and pointy-toe flats
This sage green flutter-sleeve top easily dresses up or down. I got this skirt on sale for $10 bucks. You would never know that when you pair it with some smart suede pointy-toe flats and a more elevated handbag.
Top | Bag | Shoes
Such an easy but elevated office look.
6. With a light blue flutter-sleeve blouse and cap-toe flats
Light blue is a great option with black. These Chanel-inspired cap-toe flats are classy and so good-looking with any and every outfit.
Bag | Shoes
This is a summer office outfit for sure.
7. With a white tank top, linen shirt, and platform flip-flops
Tank tops are a great option with a black skirt in the summer. Adding a linen shirt over top keeps your arms covered in cold air conditioning. Platform flip-flops create a laid-back vibe.
Tank Top | Similar Linen Shirt | Bag | Shoes
8. With a black tank top, Breton stripe sweater, and tan slides
For this look, create a column of black. I’m using a black tank top. Add a light brown slide and a bag and throw your Breton stripe sweater over your shoulders.
Top | Bag | Sweater
Wow, I definitely have a pattern developing here and have a minor obsession with Breton stripe! It’s just such an easy way to add visual interest to a look.
9. With a graphic tee and thong Birkenstocks
You can totally dress down your black skirt by pairing it with a graphic tee and thong Birkenstocks. I like thong Birkenstocks in black because they’re a bit more elevated than two-strap Birkenstocks.
Bag | Shoes
A black belt bag gives this an athletic and dressed-down vibe.
10. With a black and white blouse, and nude ballet flats
You’ve seen this blouse before, but this time I’m wearing it with a gauze A-line skirt that’s casual. Notice how the ties hanging down the front of the open neckline draw the eye up and down. Leaving them untied is a subtle way to elongate the body. Nude ballet flats also extend the look of the legs.
11. With a gray sweatshirt and black Adidas sneakers
Here’s another casual outfit. Pair your black skirt with a gray sweatshirt. Push up the sleeves on your sweatshirt to create a laid-back look and fold under the hem of the sweatshirt to define the waistline. The Adidas sneakers give this a cool look and sporty vibe, as does the belt bag.
Top | Bag | Shoes
12. With an oversized cream V-neck cardigan and cap-toe flats
When I pulled out this bulky sweater, I thought there was no way it would work with this skirt. When wearing oversized sweaters, folding under the hem and pushing up the sleeves does wonders for defining the waistline and keeping a look from being frumpy.
Sweater | Bag | Shoes
Cap-toe flats and a crossbody bag make this a work-ready look.
13. With a white and black Breton stripe shirt and black patent leather loafers
This look combines two of my favorite things, a striped boatneck shirt, and black patent leather loafers. Using the crossbody strap on this tote bag makes this a perfect work look that’s so smart.
Top | Bag | Shoes
If you’re wearing simple outfits, little details like a patent leather finish on your loafers add some extra pop to an outfit. You want to wear accessories that keep the eye moving up and down the body. That’s the key to making an interesting outfit.
14. With a gray cardigan and nude ballet flats
I have a prediction. As fall approaches, we’re going to see crewneck cardigans being worn buttoned up like a shirt. And I’m all for embracing this styling trend. We’ve been doing it with v-neck cardigans and it’s a great look. Plus, it’s a great way to extend their use. You can wear them like a top or layered over a shirt or dress.
Bag | Shoes
Add nude ballet flats and you have another work look that’s understated elegance.
15. With a black V-neck cardigan and black pointy-toe flats
Okay, clearly I have a thing for wearing cardigans as tops. Here I’m wearing a thicker black V-neck cardigan. Pair black on top and bottom for a monochrome outfit that works like a little black dress.
Similar Cardigan | Bag | Shoes
Pointy suede black flats dress up the look when you don’t feel like wearing heels.
16. With a cream V-neck cardigan and cream pointy-toe flats
Here’s my final cardigan as a top look, I promise. This cream cardigan is short but not as short as a crop top, so you can easily leave it out with a high-waisted skirt. Tan pointy-toe suede flats dress up this look for the office.
Cardigan | Shoes
17. With an olive green silk blouse and black pointy-toe flats
You can’t go wrong with olive green and black. It’s such a good color combination. Here’s a perfect fall work look. Those pointy-toe flats are saving the day again for a more formal look.
Bag | Shoes
18. With a cable-knit sweater and taupe ankle boots
Here’s a great way to wear a sweater with a skirt in cold weather. If you’re wearing a high-waisted skirt, a shorter sweater like this one makes it easy to front-tuck without adding bulk to your midsection. Classic taupe ankle boots that hug the ankle extend the leg line and make for a sharp and classic skirt and sweater look.
Bag | Similar Ankle Boots
19. With a black top, oversized denim jacket, and black flip-flops
The key to making an oversized jean jacket work here is to make a straight and fitted column of black. I’m wearing a rib knit tank top. That way, a slightly relaxed denim jacket doesn’t look frumpy.
Similar Jacket | Top|Bag|Shoes
Platform flip-flops are a great way to keep this look laid back. Wear this out for a casual Friday night.
20. With a black top, cap-toe flats, and a classic trench coat
I used the same base top as above. But this outfit has an entirely different classic vibe thanks to Chanel-inspired cap-toe flats, a classic trench coat, and my Coach tote bag. This coat works with this skirt because the skirt is only a few inches longer than the coat. Any more than that and it starts to look strange.
Top | Bag | Shoes
21. With a gray top, black bomber jacket, and black flip-flops
I picked up this black bomber jacket the other day. If you’re a minimalist dresser, jackets allow you to change up your looks. This one is a very thin nylon-like material and is a fun twist on a traditional bomber jacket. I still have fond memories of the one I had back in 1988. I’ll wear this one with jeans as the temperatures cool.
Top | Shoes | Jacket
22. With a black mock-neck top, leather jacket, and black Adidas
Here’s a look that’s a bit edgy with a black mock turtleneck. A regular fitted turtleneck works too. Add a brown leather jacket. Then I’m wearing black Adidas for a fun and edgy twist.
Top | Bag | Shoes
What’s your favorite way to wear a black skirt? Leave a comment below and let me know!
