How to Pick the Right Hemline for a Skirt

By eHow Fashion, Style & Personal Care Editor

Rate: (2 Ratings)

Short and sassy or long and dramatic, the length of your skirt sends plenty of messages. Here's how to find the length that's right for you and right for the moment.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Step1
Identify your goal. Are you going for flat-out sexy? Businesslike? Elegant? Striking?
Step2
Perform a reality check. Do you have slender legs and a trim bottom? Unless you are one of the lucky few, rule out the micromini.
Step3
If you are micromini-safe, congratulations. Short skirts are fun and hip by nature, so you might go for a bold color or even leather, plastic or one of the new wearable papers.
Step4
Avoid tight minis. Short and clingy together are too much of a good thing.
Step5
Consider fabric and cut. In a long skirt, look for fluid movement to give a sense of your shape. Fabrics cut on the bias (with the grain of the fabric running diagonally) offer especially intriguing movement.
Step6
Avoid bright colors in a long skirt unless you want to make a very loud statement.
Step7
In a shorter skirt, firmer construction makes for nice, clean lines and a professional look.
Step8
Look for slits or an uneven hemline. Slits are a great way to break up the solid lines that can make a skirt dull or unflattering. Anything that creates movement, such as slits, asymmetry, sheer layers or flowy fabrics, will create drama and interest.
Step9
Make sure you can sit and walk comfortably. A skirt too short to sit in is a pain in the neck. Full-length skirts should just graze the floor.
Step10
Ask yourself or a friend if you are making the most of your figure. A skirt cut just below the knee will flatter slender calves, for example.

Tips & Warnings

  • The easy way out: black, cut 2 to 3 inches above the knee, with a back slit.
  • Only for the brave: midthigh. This sends all eyes to the thickest part of your leg.
  • Skip tea-length - a few inches above the floor - until further notice.

Comments

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Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 No matter what the hemline, A-line skirts are flattering on everyone.

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eHow Article: How to Pick the Right Hemline for a Skirt

eHow Fashion, Style & Personal Care Editor

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