Why a skirt should be your first purchase for autumn

I have been severely worried about the state of the skirt these past couple of years.Admittedly there are a few other problems out there worthy of concern, but none with such immediate repercussions on my wardrobe.The skirt has been slipping down the style agenda, almost to the point of dropping off it altogether.

This is bad news for variety.I can get dozens of different looks froma single unassuming little kilt.This is important in a small wardrobe (OK mine???s huge, but in my head it???s a tiny, ruthlessly edited cupboard) where every piece has to work like Beyonc?? on a world tour.

Iris and Ink sateen midi skirt, ??100, The Outnet; Sacai chiffon and wool skirt, ??925, Net-a-Porter)

Yes, dresses are more straightforward, provide clean outlines without you having to do any of the hard work, and are much cooler when it???s 30C-plus.But it???s not 30C-plus asI write.And if all goes as expected with the climate ??? granted there are no guarantees ??? it will not be for months to come.

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Skirt sceptics ??? and they are numerous ??? will counter that you can pop a jumper over a dress and turn it into a 365-day-a-year number.Won???t argue with that either.But what you can???t do is get that Hitchcock look by going with a jumper and dress.Throw on a sweater and a pair of slingbacks with a neat, just-below-the-knee straight or semi-pencil and voil??.Practically Kim Novak.

Then there are the other teaming options: prim silk blouses and headmistressy striped cotton shirts, boob tubes and halternecks ??? you can turn a skirt into anything.Librarian, femme fatale, Old Mother Hubbard.

Check tailored skirt, ??189,Me + Em;Flared long skirt, ??59.99, Mango

My dream skirt this year is Balenciaga???s tweed.It is an insane price (since when did skirts cost more than my first car?) so I will turn my attentions instead to Me+Em???s version.It???ll do the same job: chic at work, it will scrub up nicely in the evenings with velvet blazers or a lurex knit and mock-croc heels.If you???re after a basic skirt repertoire, go for one like this, plus some silky pleats and a bias-cut maxi.They will open up your wardrobe more than any dress could.

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