Packing for a long trip is a challenge. You don’t want your bag to weigh 100 pounds, but if you’re like me, you also don’t want to have to wear the same outfit three times in a week. That’s where the wardrobe workhorses come in: dark jeans, nude heels, leopard flats, a navy blazer. But I think my favorite multi-purpose piece is a black pencil skirt.

The beauty of a black pencil skirt is that you can wear it to a job interview, a bar or the mall. It goes with almost everything, and — unlike jeans — it doesn’t take up a lot of room in a suitcase.

So, inspired by the lovely Audrey of Putting Me Together, I decided to put together 12 different outfits using one skirt. Obviously I wouldn’t wear the same skirt several days in a row (gross), but the point is that it can be used in a huge range of looks.

My black pencil skirt is from Banana Republic — their skirts fit me the best — but you can get one from any number of places. And something that I noticed as I was putting all of these outfits together is that nearly all of them would work with just a plain pair of black shoes and whatever black bag you have. And another solid color skirt (navy, red, whatever you like) would be almost as versatile.

Let me know what you think, and share your wardrobe workhorses below in the comments!

Outfit details

1. Frenchy

Jacket: J.Crew (old, but similar here, here, here and here). Sweater: J.Crew, also old (similar here and here). Bag: J.Crew (old, similar here and here) Shoes: Anthropologie (old, similar here, here and here)

2. Jailhouse stripes

Jacket: J.Crew (old, similarish), Top: Lilly Pulitzer (old), Shoes: J.Crew (old, similar here, Bag: Kate Spade

3. Pink and sparkly

Top: J.Crew (old, similar here and here) Necklace: Stella and Dot, Shoes: Betsey Johnson (old, similar here, also fun), Bag: Coach (old, but this, this and this are fun)

4. Game day casual

T-shirt: Madewell, Tank top: J.Crew Factory (old, similar here), Georgia cardigan: Victoria’s Secret (old, but this one is cute and I also love this), Bag: Kate Spade (old), Shoes: Kate Spade (old, this is current version, or similar here)

5. Alice inspired

Top: Boden, Headband: Scunci, Shoes: Kate Spade (similar), Bag: Kate Spade (old, similar here, heeled version here)

6. Suit with a twist

Jacket: J.Crew, Blouse: Madewell (old, similar here), Shoes: Kate Spade, Bag: Kate Spade (old, similar)

7. Job interview suit

(This is actually what I wore to the interview for my current job, minus the bag) Jacket: J.Crew, Shirt: J.Crew (old, similar here and here), Shoes: Cole Haan (old, similar here), Bag: Kate Spade (old), Necklace: Anniversary gift

8. Dressy sweatshirt

Sweatshirt: J.Crew (old, similar concept here), Boyfriend sweater: J.Crew, Necklace: Lord and Taylor (old, similar here and here), Shoes: Betsey Johnson (old, similar here), Bag: Coach (old)

9. Sequin zebra

Top: Mango (old, but this one, this one and this one would work), Shoes: Enzo Angiolini (old, similar here and here), Bag: Betsey Johnson (old, but this is cute), Earrings: Lord and Taylor (old)

10: Minty

Top: Kate Spade (old, similar here and here), Shoes: Kate Spade (old, similar here), Watch: Kate Spade (different color), Bag: Kate Spade (old)

11. Lots of dots

Jacket: J.Crew factory, Top: J.Crew (old, similar here, here and here), Shoes: Kate Spade (old), Bag: Kate Spade (old)

12: Day to night

Top: South Moon Under (old, similarish here and here, Cardigan: Old Navy, Shoes: Cole Haan (old), Bag: Coach (old), Earrings: Gift from grandmother

Looking for your own black pencil skirt? Check out these from Banana Republic, J.Crew, J.Crew factory, Gap, Target, Dorothy Perkins, Nordstrom, Macy’s and LOFT.