I Wore a $5 Skirt as a Top and Have Never Gotten More Compliments

A few Sundays ago, I was perusing the racks at my local Goodwill. It might sound like an unlikely place to go for fashion finds, but I’ve had spontaneous luck over the years and have found a certain talent in sifting through an overwhelming assortment of tired sweaters and graphic tees to find a gem. On this particular trip, I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. But right as I was about to admit defeat and go home empty-handed, I turned around and instantly spotted a piece of tiered black satin with a delicate feather-trimmed hem and I knew it needed to be mine instantly. The fact that it was technically a skirt and size XS didn’t discourage me, though.

Had I not just seen this amazing Kendall Jenner outfit just days prior, I might not have even given the skirt a second glance. KJ aside, the feather trend has been quietly gaining ground on its own. While plastic and PVC are having their moments right now, it’s only a matter of time until this textural trend becomes just as big. Let’s face it—feather-trimmed anything is fun and whimsical and it just makes us really happy for no apparent reason.

Do you ever have those moments where you put something on that you’re personally really excited about but you’re not sure others will share your passion for it? That’s precisely how I felt the morning I decided to wear my cute little feather skirt as a top to the Who What Wear offices. Sure enough, though, my co-workers were all over the top, asking where I found it and which brand it was from. You can imagine how proud I felt declaring that it wasn’t store-bought in the traditional sense and that I grabbed for less than $5 and lightly tailored into a cropped top. And by “lightly tailored”, I mean that I simply cut off a few extra layers of the original material that went past the first layer of feathers so that it consisted of just one panel of the plain black material and one layer of the feathers to embellish the bottom hem.

Being a rather short crop top, I simply layered it over a plain white T-shirt to make it more office-friendly and dressed it down with my favorite pair of vintage Levi’s. Once the weather warms up, though, I’m excited to wear it as a going-out top with strappy sandals and something high-waisted.

Shop the prettiest feather-embellished pieces

Word to the wise: Feathery pieces look extra good with strappy heels. See our complete guide to the spring shoe trend right here.