Bohemian skirts for grown-ups

Full, feminine skirts with a hippie vibe reminiscent of the Summer of Love seem to be everywhere right now. For many women, they have become the new slacks: a wardrobe staple easily paired with a T-shirt and sandals or dressed up with a sexy top and heels.

But for women of a certain age, it’s hard not to look silly traipsing around in some of today’s gauzy, nearly transparent skirts.

In some popular styles, such as the long pre-wrinkled silk that looks like it’s been slept in and crinkly cotton that resembles a wrung-out dish towel, you can look downright disheveled.

The solution: Pleated or slightly flared skirts in cotton or linen blends, fully lined and fitted through the hips, look feminine and fashionable.

Here are some skirt-buying tips:

-- Unless you’re a 5-foot-10 Prada model with no hips, pleats that start at the waist can make you look heavier, and they bunch up unattractively when you sit down. Look instead for pleats to start at the bottom of the hip/top of the thigh.

Another alternative: a skirt with vertical panels sewn to flare slightly at the hem for added swing and shape.

-- Few women can pull off an ankle-length full skirt that isn’t an evening gown. Just below the knee is ideal, and mid-calf is OK, as are some “handkerchief” hemlines whose points fall at different lengths.

But don’t go overboard: When I saw photos of myself in a handkerchief-hem chiffon skirt I wore to a wedding, it looked as if someone had put my outfit through a shredder.

-- Many skirts now on the market have multiple tiers, often trimmed with lace or ruffles. Unless you want to look like Bo-Peep, stick to one ruffle at the hem, or try one of the new “bubble” hems, which fall in soft gathers and can give a skirt more fullness without too much frilliness.

-- If you can’t find a skirt with a lining, invest in a slip. Many of today’s lighter-weight materials are nearly transparent, which hardly conveys an elegant image.

-- Flat sandals and flip-flops might be fine with simple cotton skirts, but most women look better with a strappy high-heeled sandal — or a wedge to avoid sinking into the lawn at summer parties.

-- Pair full skirts with slim-fitting tops rather than blousy ones, or you risk looking like a fortune teller. While flirty skirts are being shown with skimpy lace-trimmed camisoles, I can’t go out publicly in something I think of as underwear.

If you must wear a cami, try covering it with a lightweight, slim-fitting cashmere cardigan in a bolero style that hits mid-rib so you can still show off your waistline. Better yet are sleeveless tops or sweater sets in either lightweight cotton or a silk and Lycra blend.