Oh Bother! Help Me Find a ...

[lizzywednesday]

... knee-length or longer black skirt.

Fabric must have a matte finish.

I prefer a woven fabric to a knit.

Skirt must be A-line or similar in cut/fullness to not look bad on my hips/thighs. I am seriously pear-shaped!

If a tall/long length is available, that'd be an ideal world scenario. (I am 5'8" with long, heavy legs.)

I checked Land's End, LL Bean, Eddie Bauer, Boden, White House/Black Market and Anthropologie with no luck. (The one at Boden was promising, but it's sold out in my size.)

I'm going to try Lane Bryant & Avenue, but haven't seen any skirts there in the past so I'm not optimistic.

Where else should I try?

[TamiRuns]

JJill? They have tall and plus sizes......good luck!

[sariana]

When I needed a skirt like that, I went to JCPenney and found one. I am not tall, though, and it was years ago.

Good luck!

[happymom]

Macy's usually has a skirt like that.

[sweet_pea]

Talbots? They usually seem to have more skirts than other stores, but they're pricey.

[sadie427]

Do you have the time and money to go to Nordstroms or a similar dept store and have the salesperson find one for you? I think the half-yearly sale is now or soon.

[lizzywednesday]

I have a couple of weeks to shop, but absolutely must have it by December 4th for a concert December 5th.

I am near pretty much every department store imaginable - Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Sears (ew), Kohl's, JC Penney, etc. - in addition to having easy access to at least 6 malls of varying quality, 2 outlet malls and a measuring tape for shopping online.

I used to love JC Penney, but haven't found anything there in years. My last Macy's run for clothing ended with me near tears because none of the maxi-skirts I'd picked out were cut generously enough in the hip and thigh area to work for me. I'll try again, but I have my doubts.

I work full-time pulling a decent salary, so money isn't a huge issue (i.e. - Nordie's prices don't give me sticker shock). I'd like to spend less than $100, but the right skirt in a nice quality fabric would be money well-spent, IMO. I intend that it will get a lot of use, so I'm better off getting a quality piece than something cheapie-cheap.

Thanks for the J. Jill and Talbots suggestions. I've never shopped J. Jill and haven't had the greatest luck with Talbots in the past, but I'll give them another try.

[daniele_ut]

I'll be watching for replies and please update if you find something. I have 6 nights of rehearsals and performances as stage manager for a Christmas concert in mid December and I need to be wearing all black including a black skirt each night. I have 2 black skirts, but I really need one more.

[lizzywednesday]

OK, so I tried this skirt on at Nordstrom the other day:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3082135?origin=category&resultback=1338

And ... the size 16 is a hair too snug on my hips. I'm reluctant to go up to the 18 because the waist on the 16 was a bit loose, so I'm concerned the 18 will be noticeably loose ... and I haven't time to have it altered to fit correctly.

In a pinch, I saw one at Coldwater Creek that would work OK, but I'm concerned that the stretchy fabric will have the same problem as the skirt from Nordstrom.

Oh decisions, decisions!

[Swimfreak78]

I have this one from LL Bean and LOVE it

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/66161?from=SR&feat=sr - so nice and soft and wears so well.

[kwc]

This one from Athleta is knit but looks pretty structured and comes in tall and plus sizes:
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=46842&vid=1&pid=773798

[lizzywednesday]

This one from Athleta is knit but looks pretty structured and comes in tall and plus sizes:
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=46842&vid=1&pid=773798

That's the right shape, but the knit fabric will not work in this instance. (Totally aside from the fact that I already own an Athleta knit skirt, and it's lovely, but it fits too narrow at my hips.)

I really do need something a bit more formal, as it's for several musical concert performances where I will be part of an amateur ensemble with a professional attitude. It simply won't fly on stage at Carnegie Hall this Memorial Day!

[lizzywednesday]

I have this one from LL Bean and LOVE it

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/66161?from=SR&feat=sr - so nice and soft and wears so well.

I love the idea of that skirt, but the practice wouldn't work - it's simply cut too straight! (One of my friends described a curvy lower half as "ghetto booty" ... um, yeah, I've got that plus heavy legs, so it's getting tougher and tougher to find things appropriate to my body type!)

[sweet_pea]

Would one of these (from Macy's) work?

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=490993&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=510008&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=501738&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results

[lizzywednesday]

Would one of these (from Macy's) work?

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=490993&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=510008&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=501738&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results

I actually have the Charter Club one in my cart!

The only reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet is because I used my Macy's charge to spend $150 on Black Friday for new pillows for DH, blankets for our bed and some layering basics & fall-weight sleepers for DD and I don't like to spend more until I've paid my balance if I've spent more than $100. (The 25% interest rate scares me.)

[sunchip]

Have you tried sierra trading post? It's hit and miss sometimes, but they do carry nice stuff. Good luck!

[lizzywednesday]

Have you tried sierra trading post? It's hit and miss sometimes, but they do carry nice stuff. Good luck!

My mom uses that a lot, IIRC. I haven't tried it.

And I never got a confirmation for my Macy's order, so I just wore this black Shabby Apple dress I bought for a wedding this past summer:

http://www.shabbyapple.com/p-582-espina-bonita.aspx

I looked fine.

One of my fellow performers and I think it actually might make a nice "uniform" for future performances.

[lizzywednesday]

Wahoo! The Macy's Charter Club skirt arrived via UPS yesterday.

It was on sale, plus I had an additional 25% off coupon, plus free shipping (and there is no sales tax on clothing in my state) and it came out to be about $30.

For a polyester skirt, it's fairly nice and the fit is generous enough that, after I lose the last 6 or so lbs of baby weight, I think I'll need to have it altered. Assuming it lasts that long.

THANK YOU everyone for the help!!!