I made a sleek pencil skirt from black ponte knit fabric. The fabric has good body and wrinkle resistance. I also lined it with some remants of polyester lining I had on hand. I used a pattern with a faced waistline (no waistband, just a grosgrain ribbon behind the top line for stability) and side zipper. I did not like the look of the darts on my body, so I ripped out the darts and changed them to tucks. This looked fine once I pressed the tucks firmly.
This second skirt is from fabric I fell in love with. It is a lightweight stretch twill that will work for winter with a jacket and tights or for summer with a tee or blouse. This is a simple elastic waist skirt cut in a half circle. I based it on a Harriet Selwyn pattern from the late 70's. Hooray for my vintage pattern collection.
There was enough plaid left over for the front of a tunic from that same pattern, but I had to cut the back from a plain black batiste I had in my stash. A further complication is that the finished tunic was too tight over my butt, so I decided to add a design element--an exposed zipper in center back I can unzip from the bottom. If it works I will share it soon.