This Italian inspired ruffle skirt is basically what happens when late summer meets early fall and neither one is ready to leave the party. The lightweight cotton keeps it easy enough for warm days, while the pink, rust, olive and cream print has a very Italian countryside in September vibe. You know, the kind where I should be drinking an Aperol spritz somewhere in Tuscany instead of standing in my sewing room.
The faux wrap gives it plenty of movement, and then there is one big, long ruffle. When I make a skirt with a little drama, I fully commit. It is colorful, feminine, slightly over the top and exactly the kind of transition piece I want to wear right now.
fabric
I have a friend who throws a Caftan Party every year, which is already a good reason to make something new. This year’s theme was the Italian Riviera, so obviously I took that as permission to go big on color, print and a little vacation fantasy. I narrowed it down to two fabric options: the print I ultimately used for this skirt and this pink Pucci inspired fabric, which ended up becoming this dress.
disappear the second you decide you need more. I did find a few alternatives that have the same colorful, slightly glamorous Italian Riviera feel, though. You can find them here, here, and here. Think Positano, oversized sunglasses, a spritz in hand and absolutely no interest in being subtle.
The bad news is that I was a no show at the party because of a work trip. The good news is I still ended up with a very fun skirt that feels like a little piece of the Italian Riviera, even if the closest I got to Positano was some pasta and a glass of red wine.
pattern
I revisited McCall’s M7606, View C for this project. It is similar to the botanical ruffled skirt I made last month, but I changed a few things this time around.
First, I went with one ruffle instead of two, mostly because I was working with limited fabric and apparently ruffles are very greedy. I also turned the wrap skirt into a faux wrap. I love the look of a wrap skirt, but the actual wrapping part? Not so much. Especially when there is a tie involved. It never seems to stay quite as secure as I want it to, and I inevitably spend half the day tugging, tightening and checking to make sure everything is still where it belongs.
The faux wrap gives me the same look without all the maintenance, which is a trade I will happily make.
how to style an Italian Inspired ruffle skirt
Italian Inspired Ruffle Skirt shopping Links
Shopping links from left to right.
More styling tips
If you are looking for more ruffled outfit inspiration I have you covered.
Final Thoughts
In the end, this skirt turned out to be exactly what I wanted, even if it never actually made it to the Caftan Party. The print is bold, the ruffles bring just the right amount of drama, and the faux wrap means I can wear it without spending the day checking whether anything has come untied. I also love that it works so well for this in between season. It still feels light enough for warm September days, but the richer colors make it easy to carry straight into fall. Not quite Positano, but with the right shoes and a spritz, I am willing to pretend.
