I tried Darn Good Yarn Skirts

I saw a lot of adds for the recycled sari silk skirts from Darn Good Yarn on my Facebook and Instagram feeds. The skirts definitely caught my eye. The fabrics sparkle, the patterns are bold, the colors are fun, and the skirts are size inclusive! I like the mission statement of the company too (more on that later). I wanted to give the skirts a try, so I bought 5 skirts. This is what I think about the recycled sari silk skirts from Darn Good Yarn.

Disclosure: After I purchased the skirts with my own money and wore them for several months, I decided to join their affiliate program. Any Darn Good Yarn links I use on my site may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my link, I will receive a small commission from Darn Good Yarn at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

What is a recycled sari?

A sari is a garment often worn by women in South East Asia. It is made of a long rectangular piece of fabric measuring up to 9 yards by about a yard wide. Of course these measurements can vary. Saris are worn pleated and tied around the body rather than being cut, sewn and tailored to fit. When a sari is discarded, there is a lot of uncut and unstitched fabric available to reuse. That is where these skirts come in. The discarded saris are reused as fabric to create the upcycled skirts. 

Each skirt is handmade by our co-ops in India out of recycled saris and turned into the beautiful finished skirt you see. With your help, these artisans are able to sustain year-round employment.

Darn Good Yarn

What makes this clothing environmentally friendly – or not?

These skirts reuse materials, so new materials don’t have to be created to produce new clothing. This helps to keep textile waste out of landfills.

But…These skirts are shipped individually wrapped in plastic and of course they are produced across the globe from where I live in America so shipping is also a thing.

What Makes this clothing ethical?

Darn Good Yarn talks about partnering with providers who are aligned with their mission to use sourcing and distribution models that can provide safe employment to people who face issues of race, gender, race, and caste. They also provide employment for people with developmental disabilities.

Darn Good Yarn works with coops in India and Nepal to create jobs for people in under served areas who are then able to provide food, education, and healthcare for their families. This is a blog post I found on the Darn Good Yarn website talking about one of the organizations they work with to source their products. I really like that the coop is organized by an amazing woman who is working to create social change in Nepal.

According to their blog, Darn Good Yarn also gives a portion of their sales to the organization Start at Love which is a charity organization providing aid to orphans and abandoned children.

#DODARNGOOD SKIRT

Inclusive sizing!

Yes, the skirts come in plus sizes. I’m a size 20 so I ordered the plus size skirts and they fit great! They also have a larger size called “Goddess” so I can absolutely say they are size inclusive. The nature of the wraps make fitting the skirt so simple and I feel the plus size skirt fits very well. It will also shrink with me as I lose more weight on my journey to health, so it is a good option for my wardrobe.

Just In! – Sari Skirt for Kids

What did I get with my order?

I got 5 skirts total. Because they are reversable, it is like having options to wear 10 different skirts. The inside and outside fabric is different. Here are some pictures of my skirts and the various outfits I put together to wear with the skirts.

Sari Silk Wrap Skirts

How do I choose my skirt colors?

When I got these skirts, I asked that one of the skirts be purple but other than that the colors and fabrics were a surprise. That is how this works. You don’t get to choose what skirt you get because every skirt is different. If you want or don’t want a particular color, you can leave that information in the notes of the ordering form, but that is as much as you can customize. You still won’t see the patterns of the exact skirts you get. If you hate surprises, keep reading, there is an alternative to purchasing randomly.

What if I hate what I get?

Although I was happy with all my skirts, I know someone who hates wearing pink, didn’t specify a color on her order form, ordered 5 skirts, and got 5 pink skirts. What can she do? Darn Good Yarn has a Facebook group where you can go to swap or purchase skirts from other Darn Good Yarn customers. These skirts are sold by individuals, not the company and they have pictures so you can see what you are getting before you purchase. However it is a private sale so use reasonable caution as you would with any other online transaction.

Are the skirts actually silk?

Let’s talk about fabric content. I can feel by touching it that some of the fabric is made of silk, but I think most of these skirts are at minimum a blend with viscose rayon and perhaps some polyester. This is just an observation from the feel of the fabrics. Since the fabric is recycled there is no way to know exactly what the specific fabric content is.

Most saris do contain silk, but they tend to be a 60% silk 40% other blend.

How do you wash the fabric without knowing the content?

Silk will not be ruined from washing if you wash it correctly. I repeat, you can wash silk if you do it correctly. The care instructions are listed on the Darn Good Yarn website but this is how I wash my skirts.

Would I recommend them?

I would say go for it if…

Sari Silk Wrap Skirts

Bonus: you can purchase these skirts without the fear of getting the wrong size because of the nature of a wrap skirt and the fact they have inclusive sizing for fashionable goddesses!

Sari Silk Wrap Skirts