The trouble with ankle length skirts
February 19th, 2008When a model looks fab in an ankle length skirt, chances are high she’s almost six foot tall. Women of average height and shorter somehow look as if they have been swallowed up by the skirt. This is not a flattering look.
Skirt lengths around the knee tend to work for all body types. Visually, a hemline that cuts the legs somewhere in the middle is where your legs will look their longest and slimmest. Extra-petite women tend to look better with their hemlines raised a little shorter. If you do prefer to go longer, a structured skirt to the mid-calf with a fab pair of shoes or boots can also look great.
Ankle length is a much better look when it comes to dresses that create an unbroken line from head to toe. You’ll see ever-so-petite Eva Longoria sport a long dress on the red carpet with style. National costumes like the Indian Sari or Malaysian Sarong work on petite, small framed women because they look more like dresses than the separates that they are.
For more on this topic, join the discussion in the YLF forum.
February 19th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I’ve been waiting for some thing on long skirts… and finally, yes ! Here it is !
But…
boo hoo hoo… isn’t there any way I can wear long skirts ?
And isn’t the mid-calf supposed to be the worst lenght of all ?
PS Saris are not separates. It’s one piece of fabric from top to toe !
February 19th, 2008 at 11:15 am
You’re right eternalvoyageur, the actual “sari” is one piece of fabric from head to toe. (I was lucky enough to have worn a pukka one for an exotic evening). But there is a tiny short sleeved scooped neck ultra fitted cropped top which is worn with the sari that bares the mid riff and is separate. The sari exposes parts of your sides as you walk (especially when it keeps on slipping which mine did), and therefore gives me the impression that the outfit is made of separates. But it’s debatable that a sari can be referred to as a revealing long dress!
I’m sorry to say that I find it hard to recommend a flattering way for an ankle length skirt to be worn unless you are tall, or unless it’s part of a dress. I am an absolute stickler when it comes to the right garment lengths.
It’s all about the right cut on a skirt when it comes to mid calf lengths. You’ll want to keep it structured, preferably paneled, streamlined and stick to some type of heel. And it’s not a length that everybody can wear, but certainly a great look if worn the correct way. Those mid calf, straight pencil skirts that were around in the ’90’s are not a good look - frumpy and dumpy and this might be what you are referring to. But there were loads of new funky Winter mid calf skirts around in London last year and I indulged in a few. Fab look with boots and a tailored short jacket.
February 19th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I like the mid-calf length that’s tight and well-defined, but generally, knee-length is what I stick at
ankle-length only works like the way you’ve said - if it’s an unbroken line (one pattern or colour) from the shoulders to the bottom
And it can’t be too covered up at the top either, skinny straps or something eyecatching and open at the top is required for some skin to show
February 19th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Music to my ears fabulously broke. Thanks for the validation.
February 19th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I was just thinking the other day about how Indian garments seem to break all the rules of western dress, yet continue to be so admired. Colors that would never “go”, lengths and looser fits, and ornamentation that would look cheap or tacky on western clothes somehow work in another cultural context. I am 1/2 Indian and I always prefer Indian women in their native garb–Indo-western fashions are really terrible.
February 19th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
This is an interesting point Maya. I always admire how beautiful Indian women look in Indian attire. The look just doesn’t seem to work as well on anyone who isn’t Indian or as exotic looking as an Indian lady. I looked a little silly wearing a sari but it was loads of fun and very educational. As for the colours, I’m adventurous when it comes to mixing and wearing bright colours that are “supposed” to clash. Odd thing is that clashing colours are often harmonious and I try to encourage this point daily.
February 19th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Hmm I doubt you looked as silly as you think. My friend Kate showed me a picture of herself wearing one and I thought she looked adorable, and she’s white as snow
I also love to mix colors, but I guess it’s how they’re mixed that’s different. Red and turquoise happens to be one of my favorite color combinations, but I would do it in much smaller doses than most Indians would (like a turquoise bag and red shoes…as opposed to a turquoise tunic and red pants). Most people I know don’t understand the concept of colors going together as opposed to matching, and I didn’t either until I took a color theory class, so I won’t pretend it’s obvious.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:13 am
You’re right Angie, a sari is somewhere in between separates and one-piece. One of the reasons that it’s so flattering is the fact that it is assymetric.
But I still don’t like tea-lenght skirts, legs are just not my strong point. Well, maybe I’d wear them with boots, they’s make my calves look better.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:46 am
How does a long skirt differ from long pants visually? They are both long and cover the legs. Long pants don’t swallow up a person. How can a long skirt be any different? I love my long skirts. I think they give the illusion of length, not width. With a pair shape, I’m always striving for the look of length. Plus they cover up my fat knees and calves. I am 5′8″ so I can only speak for this height.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Good point about the asymmetrical aspect of saris eternal voyageur. And legs aren’t my strong point either, but a fab pair of knee-high boots goes a long to giving my shapeless calves a spot of shape!
Thanks for the validation Maya. I thoroughly enjoyed wearing my sari the entire evening and got lots of interesting comments because it’s odd to see a girl with Nordic features sport an exotic look.
You’ve hit the nail on the head with respect to how Indian attire mixes colours differently to Western attire. Somehow it never matches but it always works - not an easy concept to understand which is to your point.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
This is an interesting question Joey. You look good in long skirts because you’re quite tall and you wear heels - fact. But you look really good in knee length skirts and you know I think that! Pants give the illusion of fabric that is “broken up” because your legs separate. Each leg becomes like a thinner and longer shape when you wear pants - much like when someone tall is wearing a long skirt. Does that make sense? The same way shorter women do not look good in wide leg pants. It’s the same effect as an ankle length skirt. The shape becomes shorter and wider.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Angelina Jolie is wearing long dresses during the day per photos. So, I think long is coming back now I need to know how to not look dowdy.
August 11th, 2008 at 8:07 am
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