Ace Your Fall Uniform with These 23 Sweater-and-Skirt Combos

By Andrea Cheng
Updated Sep 23, 2014 @ 3:33 pm
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Attention, all—we've found your fall uniform! Individually, sweaters and skirts are both closet staples, but when combined, the two are unstoppable as the perfect season-to-season transitional pairing. We took the duo to the next level with ideas from the fall/winter 2014 runway.

At Karen Walker, the designer charmed with a chunky turtleneck knit and a ladylike floral midi-length skirt (above). Conversely, designer Alexander Wanghit a futuristic note with a sporty textured sweater and an edgy leather mini. Meanwhile, Andrew Gninjected a dash of whimsy with robot-embroidered knit that he elevated with an elegant jacquard pencil skirt.

From girly-tough combos to white-on-whites, consider all 23 ways to wear sweaters and skirts for the rest of the season (and worn with tights, next season, too).

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Chunky Knit + Floral Midi

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Runway inspiration: Karen Walker

Let the city slickers have their sleek graphic lines. For a charming rustic vibe, seek out a chunky turtleneck sweater (Wilfred, $165; aritzia.com) and a ladylike rose texture midi (Topshop, $96; topshop.com).

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2 of 23

Prints + Prints

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Runway inspiration: Diane von Furstenberg

Master print mixology with abstract pieces (O'2nd sweater, $425; otteny.com)-as long as they both find commonality in the same color family. Still too dizzying? Keep one of them subdued for less of an impact (Helmut Lang, $265; helmutlang.com).

3 of 23

Fluoro Texture + Leather Accents

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Runway inspiration: Alexander Wang

Experiment with different textiles, from a sporty bubble-like textured sweatshirt (HampM, $60; hm.com) to an edgy leather-lined mini (Alice + Olivia, $330; aliceandolivia.com).

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4 of 23

Open-Weave Knit + Full A-Line

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Runway inspiration: Delpozo

An all-white look is, admittedly, a hard one to pull off. The key is to gravitate toward off-whites (think: cream, ivory, ecru) and pair them with textured pieces. We did that here with an open Rebecca Taylor sweater ($475; rebeccataylor.com) and a full ivory Whistles skirt ($255; whistles.com).

5 of 23

Sporty Sweats + Asymmetric Mini

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Runway inspiration: Isabel Marant

Nothing about this combo screams gym wear. For an edgy-chic take on the material, pair a graphic print (Sandro, $275; sandro-paris.com) with a cool cross-over skirt (Alice + Olivia, $253; saksfifthavenue.com).

6 of 23

Boucle Jumper + Marled Pleats

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Runway inspiration: Celine

Mix and match cool-weather materials, like a fuzzy knit topper (Topshop, $72; topshop.com) with a marled jersey bottom (Dorothy Perkins, $27; dorothyperkins.com).

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7 of 23

Chunky Sweater + Striped A-Line

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Runway inspiration: Elizabeth and James

We love this pairing for its laid-back ease and prep-inspired aesthetic. Couple a chunky knit (3.1 Phillip Lim, $660; farfetch.com) with a striped A-line skirt (To Be Adored, $327; bonadrag.com) and tie the two together with complementary colors.

8 of 23

Fanciful Print + Leather Patches

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Runway inspiration: Coach

We're starry-eyed for this look! Give a whimsical intarsia sweater a grown-up spin with a tough leather mini (Rag & Bone, $350; rag-bone.com). The Milly top ($172; revolveclothing.com) we picked out even boasts glow-in-the-dark graphics.

9 of 23

Neutral Top + Metallic Bottom

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Runway inspiration: Hugo Boss

Ground a high-impact, statement-making bottom, like this gilded crinkled lame Tome design ($755; saksfifthavenue.com) with a modest top (Equipment, $288; shoplesnouvelles.com).

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10 of 23

Soft & Sweet + Tough & Edgy

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Runway inspiration: Christopher Kane

Offset a cloyingly sweet knit, like this Tibi pullover ($295; tibi.com), with a sharp no-nonsense skirt (T by Alexander Wang, $595; saksfifthavenue.com).

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Fitted Turtleneck + Leopard Print Pencil

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Runway inspiration: Carven

Take a walk on the wild side with an animal print, but err on the side of conservatism with a pencil silhouette (Boden, $71; bodenusa.com) and a neutral top (Mango, $40; mango.com).

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Chunky Stripes + Pencil Thin Lines

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Runway inspiration: Balmain

Strike a graphic note with directional lines. While Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing added interest with a chevron-like pattern, we chose to layer stripes on stripes for higher wearability. But be sure to diversify-pair chunky stripes (Nicholas, $298; intermixonline.com) with pencil-thin ones (Apt. 9, $20; kohls.com).

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13 of 23

Cozy Knit + Floral Mini

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Runway inspiration: Tory Burch

The designer took inspiration from the medieval times for her fall 2014 collection. Follow suit and arm yourself with a tapestry-like floral print mini (Forever 21, $15; forever21.com) with a soft relaxed turtleneck (La Garconne Moderne, $450; lagarconne.com).

14 of 23

Graphic Top + Sweet Maxi

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Runway inspiration: Creatures of the Wind

Counter a too-harsh all-over graphic print (Cos, $89; cosstores.com) with a soft, flowing maxi (Oasis, $49; oasis.andotherbrands.com), ideally in a pastel color palette.

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Playful Sweater + Jacquard Pencil

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Runway inspiration: Andrew Gn

Inject a dash of whimsy to your look with a fun knit, like this doe deer jumper from French Connection ($118; frenchconnection.com). Elevate it with a dressy jacquard pencil (Jonathan Simkhai, $395; net-a-porter.com).

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16 of 23

Gym Sweatshirt + Textured Skirt

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Runway inspiration: Reed Krakoff

Lend some edge to your casual gym-inspired sweatshirt (J. Crew, $40; jcrew.com) with a tough-girl skirt with an asymmetric cut and texture-like print (Rebecca Taylor, $325; rebeccataylor.com).

17 of 23

Color-block Cable + Draped Skirt

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Runway inspiration: Prabal Gurung

A fluid asymmetric piece, like this one by Zara ($40; zara.com) blends sexiness and comfort. Dial down the drama with a resilient top, like this chunky color-block cable-knit from Vince ($345; vince.com).

18 of 23

Cowl Neck Sweater + Jacquard Peplum

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Runway inspiration: Oscar de la Renta

Make the tried-and-true skirt-and-sweater combo work for an upscale evening event with a cowl neck silhouette (Alice + Olivia, $330; aliceandolivia.com) and jacquard flared pencil (Topshop, $76; topshop.com).

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19 of 23

Waffle Sweater + Fringe

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Runway Inspiration: Michael Kors

Unite two unlikely textures with one look: a chunky waffle knit (Hope, $375; lagarconne.com) and a playful fringe skirt (Moschino Jeans Vintage, $275; farfetch.com).

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Sequins + Feathery Ruffle

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Runway inspiration: Jenny Packham

Got an event on the horizon? Upgrade your pairing with sparkle and fancy detailing. Our pick? These two party-ready pieces: Reiss sequin jumper ($180; reiss.com) and tiered chiffon Isabel Marant Etoile mini ($435; lagarconne.com).

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Graphic Accent + Graphic Accent

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Runway inspiration: Dries Van Noten

Streamline your look by carrying the same color accent from your top to your bottom. In this case, it's the yellow found in the geometric Kenzo pullover ($565; otteny.com) and the asymmetric panels from the Cut25 by Yigal Azrouel skirt ($275; saksfifthavenue.com).

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22 of 23

Cozy Knit + Slip Skirt

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Runway Inspiration: Chloe

To fashion a substantial look out of a delicate slip skirt (La Garconne Moderne, $195; lagarconne.com), a rich counterpart is needed. Enter this porcelain Joie sweater ($258; joie.com).

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Oversize Pullover + Sheer Skirt

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Runway inspiration: Wes Gordon

Break out of your comfort zone with a semi-sheer knit and a semi-sheer skirt. The key to pulling it off? Wearing a slip underneath. We chose an oversize mohair knit by Acne Studios ($570; lagarconne.com) and a sweet poplin skirt by Cos ($115; cosstores.com).

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By Andrea Cheng