I Tried All the Under-$150 Linen Maxi Skirts

I’m usually wary of tiered skirts, which tend to look zhlubby on my shorter frame, but something about the linen of this skirt offsets the more rugged silhouette. The skirttechnicallyisn’t 100 percent linen since it has a soft all-cotton lining, too, but that makes it all the more comfortable for linen skeptics who still want the coastal look without irritating sensitive skin. I tested the skirt in the gingham pattern —vichy, as the French say — and appreciated that the busy pattern hid any wrinkles when I didn’t have time to do a proper iron or steam. The ruching in the hem only adds to the more rugged effect that’s neutralized by the rather dainty (and functional) tie at the waist. The waistband itself is the thinnest of the skirts I tried — it’s a neat, inch-ish hem that keeps the elastic in place and the skirt from shifting too much throughout the day.

There’s also your classic A-line skirt, which is impressively wrinkle-resistant for an 100 percent linen skirt. Any wrinkles that arose from regular wear — say,waiting on lineat Caffè Panna or sitting on theNew Yorkoffice couch— blended into the floral pattern of the skirt I tested. When I shoved it in a terribly overpacked suitcase, it emerged with fewer wrinkles than many of the other skirts I tested (notably, the Quince and J.Crew slips). I imagine the wrinkles would be even more discreet in the black colorway. The waistband is longer and more cinched here, but I found it blended seamlessly into whatever tank top I styled the skirt with. You’ll find generous pockets on each side, and unlike the tiered skirt from Aritzia above, there’s no cotton lining. Expect a breezy linen that’s akin to well-loved linen sheets rather than a stiff, scratchy linen button-down.

In classic Aritzia style (see its lace-trimmed satinskirtsandshorts), this already-sleek linen slip is made even dressier with the addition of some subtle lace trim. Whereas I might reserve the other linen skirts I tested for more casual occasions, this one feels appropriate for rooftop dinners and trendy cocktail bars. The linen itself is rougher than the others from Aritzia, but it still feels soft and uncharacteristically smooth for a linen skirt. It pairs nicely with the more formfitting tank tops in my closet. Should you want to pair it with a bodysuit instead, the flat elastic waistband that’s concealed on the skirt’s interior helps the skirt sit flush against fabric or skin.

It’s hard to find a sleeker linen skirt for the price than this one from Quince. It has a slightly longer hidden elastic waistband compared to the Aritzia skirt above, but it’s still flexible enough that I can wear the skirt at both my hips and my waist. I felt like a magazine writer right out of a 2000s rom-com when I styled it with a black tank top, drapey sweater, and mary janes for a day at the office. While Quince also makes a lined version, I had no problems with panty outlines and shadows in the unlined version so long as I wore nude underwear underneath. Don’t expect it to resist wrinkles throughout a day of sitting — I typically cross my legs and found wrinkles were most prevalent near the top of the skirt — but I didn’t mind the lived-in look. I also appreciated the slit in the back that makes the skirt easier to walk in than other narrower skirts in my closet.

[Editor’s note: This skirt from Quince is currently sold out in the black colorway, but it’s still available in olive green.]

I’m five-foot-three, but my longer legs make it possible for me to fit in both regular and petite-length pieces. In this case, I went for the regular length, which flowed nicely around my ankles thanks to a generous side slit that gave the thick, soft linen leeway to move as I walked. I imagine the petite length, which is two and a half inches shorter, would fit more like a midi skirt. Despite the breezy slit, this skirt felt the most constricting of the bunch because the waistband was tight, bulky, and long (about two inches). Perhaps sizing up would have given me the wiggle room I craved while wearing it, but I ultimately preferred the skirts with thinner, more discreet waistbands either way.

This skirt fits snug around my hips like a slip, but it flares slightly at the bottom, giving it more flow than the more formfitting slips I tried. The linen itself is rougher than the others. Still, the waistband is stretchy, and the thick rope-esque drawstring that feels like something pulled from a sailboat allows the skirt to be worn both high on my waist and low on my hips. Like the Quince slip, I found this one wrinkled around my hips when I sat for prolonged periods of time. This contributed to the nautical, lived-in look, but if you’d prefer to hide the wrinkles, I’d recommend going for the black over the olive green.

When I tested the cotton-poplin version of this skirt last month, I had a bona fide Marilyn Monroe moment at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 31st Street because the lightweight, airy fabric was no match for gusty midtown winds. While I haven’t returned to that fateful spot, I’d guess this heavier linen fabric would fare better in the wind tunnel. Still, the skirt feels more breathable than the other skirts I tested because of the generous side slits on both sides. As my colleague Ambar Pardilla noted when she tooka bunch of Banana Republic’s linenfor a spin earlier this summer, the linen isn’t scratchy and feels “aseasy and breezy as a CoverGirl ad.” Since the tier at the top has some ruching, the skirt naturally looks more rumpled and lived-in than some of the others on this list, but that made it all the more easy to throw on in a pinch. Perhaps best of all: This one is one of the few I tested that has pockets, and both of them are generous and sturdy.

[Editor’s note: Banana Republic’s linen skirt is currently out of stock in black, but it’s still available in a few sizes in the white version.]

When I first took this skirt out of the bag, I was nervous that it might be see-through as light shone easily through the fabric. However, so long as I wore skin-colored underwear, I had no problem with any panty outlines or accidental flashings. The feminine, flouncy silhouette that pools around my calves in a flowery fashion almost makes me want to do a twirl whenever I wear it. The linen is some of the softest I tried, and it moves easily with my steps and the breeze — just as linen should. The waistband is elastic and concealed inside, similar to the lace number from Aritzia and the Quince slip, allowing it to sit flush against my waist.