The predicament of having nothing to wear (and a fully loaded closet) is an issue we’ve all dealt with, malheureusement. With the advent of PARTYSKIRTS by Skot, brought to you by the Canadian sister duo of Lauren and Mariel Armstrong, party-related wardrobe issues will be a thing of the past. A prototype of the skirt was originally created by the siblings’ mother and the line has grown to include a mini version and a “lady” length. What else does the skirt label have in the works? A soon-to-be released line of T shirts which will compliment the high-waisted skirts (and whatever else you have hanging in your wardrobe). We sat down with Mariel during her short stay in New York to see what else the label has in store.
Before venturing into skirt design, what were you doing?
I was going to school in L.A. for product development and Lauren went to Parsons for marketing. After I graduated, I worked for Brian Lichtenberg for production and design while Lauren worked for Hermès in New York, doing PR and social events.
Did Lauren tell you any tales from her time at Hermès?
She was a master scarf tier over there! She made up one style called the ‘Knotty Girl’, which was a necklace made out of a knotted scarves; it was crazy!
What are the fabrics of the skirts?
Most of the designs are 100 percent silk. We did one style for a Teen Vogue collaboration that is made of umbrella fabric. You could pop champagne on it and it wouldn’t be a big deal! I’ve had PARTY SKIRTS made in potato sacks, a vinyl table cloth, basically everything you could imagine!
What kind of favorite parties do you like to wear these flouncy, fun numbers to?
I love wearing PARTYSKIRTS to Coachella. I usually wear my skirt with a bikini top and Converse.
Where in the States can we buy your skirts?
We’re now sold on Shopbop.com and in Canada you can find us at Holt Renfrew. But we do have an upcoming meeting with Bergdorf Goodman!
Tell us more about this T shirt line!
We created a more relaxed fit, because we wanted people to be able to wear them even when they aren’t wearing PARTYSKIRTS. We’re going to do one with a little bowtie and one with little eye lashes on it.
How do you and Lauren style your skirts?
Lauren is a lot more preppy and wears hers with a white collared shirt. I’m a bit edgier, so I like to wear my skirts with a little crop top and a jacket.
Any unconventional uses for your skirts?
We had a girl buy six skirts for her bridesmaids; all the girls said that they would be wearing theirs again. I mean, are you really ever going to wear a mint green dress again? Probably not!
