Sometimes the difference between an ordinary garment and a designer’s ready-to-wear is a few well-chosen but simple details. This is the case with a Calvin Klein skirt I recently purchased. At first glance the skirt didn’t seem exceptional in either design or construction, and I wondered whether its high price tag simply reflected its label. But a closer look revealed that, while no single element of the skirt was extraordinary by itself, the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. I have come to love the skirt’s simple, classic lines and the way it flatters my less-than-perfect figure.

To understand thoroughly the skirt’s details-among them, its angled doublewelt pockets and free-hanging lining secured at the waistband-I made a copy of the skirt in a fabric (see the facing page) that was as close to the original as possible. Below you’ll find information on how to incorporate the details of this skirt into garments you make. Find out how to make the perfect pocket in this article from Threads #56.