I bought this skirt in gray as a casual summery bottom half, that was not shorts or capris. It turned out to be a lot nicer than I imagined. You can dress this skirt up, (I wore it to a military funeral service) or dress it down (I've worn it to multiple bbqs and running errands). My only complaint is that, at least on the gray, any wet shows up glaringly. When my dog runs up to say hello I invariably get a big 'ol smear on my skirt from his slobbery mouth. As soon as it dries the spots go away, but if you are at all embarrassed about that sort of thing (looking like you may have peed your pants), I would recommend the black.