Girl Pleats World

I take your tennis sweater and up the ante with this preppy pleated kilt.

the Banana Republic BR athletics pleated wool skirt

Banana Republic released an athletic line earlier this year. Rather than activewear worn for half marathon training or even athleisure as a low risk brunch style, BR Athletics is more of a take on what I imagine I would wear to the preppiest of athletic pursuits.

This two-pattern pleated kilt takes your tennis sweater and ups the ante. It is the type of skirt that makes me wish I played field hockey in secondary school. To quote a friend on the sport, “You get a stick and wear a skirt. What’s not to like?”

I am wearing a size medium in the skirt. I did not buy the tall size range version because BR athletics was not offered in it. Moot point because quite frankly, the regular size fit just fine for my comfort; such is the life after one retires mini skirts.

While I am wearing a size that is on my smaller side, I was surprised as how large the skirt looks in the image. Such is the issue with pleated skirts. The upside is that this skirt is adjustable. Not only do the double leather buckles have three options to adjust the size, but the internal buttons do too. This is how I plan to adjust the skirt for future weight fluctuations.

the Banana Republic driving gloves

I have a distinct memory of perusing the Banana Republic website circa spring 2003 and discovering a pair of pale pink leather driving gloves. They were striking. Delicious. As an elder teenager, it was the type of accessory that I imagined transforming a wardrobe. Upgrading a wardrobe. I did not buy them, but clearly as I am talking about it two decades later, I never forgot them.

So when a pair of gunmetal leather driving gloves from the same retailer wandered across my computer monitor in 2012, I ordered them. As a metallic hue, it transcends being a neutral but goes with more than either gold or silver.