How to make a dress by layering skirts, according to fashion writer Maggie Zhou

“Some people say I look like a tiered cake, which I love.”

It’s an age-old question: what do I have in my wardrobe that I can wear? Well, if you own multiple skirts that are desperate to be worn, then fashion writer, content creator and FJ contributor Maggie Zhou knows exactly what you can do with them.

At various local fashion weeks and events, Maggie’s worn what she calls a ‘skirt dress,’ a multi-layered dress made entirely from wearing skirts of varying lengths. Taking the term ‘layering up’ to a new level, her sustainable approach to fashion acquires a more-is-more touch here.

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Layering skirts that are different sizes and textures is key, allowing fabrics to sit nicely together. Below, I asked Maggie for some styling tips, as well as her label recommendations and the inspiration behind the iconic outfit.

What inspired you to wear multiple skirts as a dress?

The first time I wore multiple skirts as a dress was for Melbourne Fashion Festival earlier this year. After a long week of planning outfits, I opened up my overflowing wardrobe and my eyes gravitated to some of my favourite skirts. 

Photography by Liz Sunshine

I don’t really know what came over me but I grabbed one of them and I was like, ‘Hey, I wonder if it will sit up here [on my upper bust]?’, and lo and behold, it did. A lot of my skirts are of varying lengths as well, so I continued putting them on my body and seeing what would happen. That’s literally how it came about.

Do you have any tips for other people for styling multiple skirts?

There are a few important factors to consider. Number one, for the skirt that is worn as a top, like a bandeau, I acknowledge that for people with larger breasts, it might not work as well because it can be quite tight depending on your proportions.

I would also say to experiment with skirts of different weights and different lengths and see how they comfortably fit on you. I’m not sure about other people’s wardrobes, but a lot of my clothes fluctuate in size which can be very beneficial in something like this, where you want something a little bit more oversized, or you want something to be tighter to sort of sit at different points for your waist and hips.

Are there any types of skirts that work best for layering?

I love my first two pieces – the ‘top’ and what goes on top of my waist – to be mini skirts. And I think pleated mini skirts work really well. As one of the final bottom layers, I do love a maxi denim skirt thrown in there. Silk lightweight skirts might not work as well because they can get lost in the layers, but I would suggest looking inside your wardrobe and simply chucking skirts on to see how it goes.

Another consideration for me was mixing colours and patterns. I think it looks more effective when you have different textures, colours and patterns. I think it’s more visually interesting but at the same time, you need to work out that balance. So for me, it was spacing out some darker materials with some lighter ones and playing with the visual balance of it all.

What’s the response been to your skirt layering outfit?

This sounds so wild, and I guess this is a product of being on social media for so long, but I’m so shocked that I haven’t got hate for it. I’m pleasantly surprised that people have been flattering about it. They’ve spoken about how it’s quite experimental and how it’s cool to see people re-wear their clothes in certain ways. I’ve also had a few people tag me in videos where they’re wearing it for themselves. That’s such a compliment.

Genuinely, people have been so nice. Some people say I look like a tiered cake, which I love. Another amazing compliment was that it’s giving Vivienne Westwood, which is the highest of high compliments, although not one I’m sure I can take.

Are there any go-to labels you recommend for people who want to try the same style?

I would say the op shop is best. I know that isn’t a specific label, but I would say almost 80 per cent of the skirts I wore were sourced from op-shops. It allows you to play with different styles and different fabrics, which is great. I will also shout out Project Bowman for its pinstripe pleated mini skirt; it’s a wardrobe staple of mine and it has made repeat occurrences in my skirt-dress ensembles. 

For more on styling skirts, head here.