Shop the Red A Line Skirts We'd Actually Wear Handpicked by Claire

Red does most of the work in an A line skirt, which is precisely why the cut and the fabric need to earn their place too. The shape itself is forgiving by design, narrow at the waist and easing out over the hip without clinging, which means it sits well on a genuine range of bodies without needing to be tailored within an inch of its life. What separates a good one from a forgettable one is how the fabric falls from that waist seam. A skirt in a stiffer cotton or a wool blend will hold its shape and swing cleanly with each step, while anything too soft or too thin tends to cling in the wrong places and lose the line by midday. Look for a proper waistband rather than an elasticated pull on, a lining if the fabric has any weight to it, and a hem that has been finished rather than left to curl.

The colour changes how the skirt behaves in an outfit.

Red is not a shade that recedes, so it works best when the rest of the look is kept quiet. A plain white shirt tucked in, a fine knit in cream or navy, or a simple black roll neck all let the skirt do the talking rather than competing with it. For daytime, flat boots or loafers keep the whole thing practical and stop it tipping into costume territory, while a heeled loafer or a slim boot in black or tan sharpens it for the evening. Denim jackets and tailored blazers both sit surprisingly well against the red, one for a more casual take and one for something closer to office appropriate.

Occasion wise, this is a skirt that suits moments with a bit of intention behind them rather than the most casual days. Think client lunches, a party where you want to look considered without appearing to have tried too hard, or the kind of fixed date, a lunch, a matinee, a dinner, where a plain trouser feels underdressed. It photographs well, which is worth admitting plainly, and it moves in a way that jeans simply do not. The best ones earn a second and third wear precisely because the shape stays useful even when the initial impact of the colour has settled into something more familiar.