Q.
"I am tall, 5’10” to be exact, and I am wondering if there is a limit on the length of skirts I should be wearing. I see in fashion magazines all the time of these tall, slender women wearing short almost “babydoll” or “mini” dresses and I think they are adorable, but when I buy something similar and get it home, I feel like I am a 32 year old woman trying to be 22. When is it okay to be sexy and show some leg and when is it too much? I guess my question is a 2 part question…1) Am I too old to wear a mini dress and 2) How short is too short for someone tall like me?"
- Shiloh, Dallas, TX
A.
Full disclosure: Shiloh, the writer of the above question, is my sister and, unlike me, has a very tall, slender, leggy figure. Since I'm the first-born and 5-foot-4 on a good day, I always joke that I saved all the nutrients in our moms womb for her! Also, one of my very favorite people on the planet, my niece Madeline (Shiloh's daughter), took the picture. Great job, Madeline!!!
ON SKIRT LENGTH:
Funny enough, this exact dilemma was covered yesterday morning on the Today show at the end of a segment featuring the Editor-at-Large from Glamour magazine Suze Yalof Schwartz. Her 'rule of thumb' (pun intended) is that a mini skirt's hem should not be any shorter than a wearer's thumb when the hands are at the side. I actually think, however, that you have to see the wearer and the garment and that rules like that don't always apply across the board. Plus, the thumb line can be pretty short.
For example, the wearer's legs make a huge difference in whether a mini dress or skirt makes you look fabulous or half-naked. Take Real Housewife of New York City Kelly Bensimon, for instance (I can hear your eyes rolling now -- c'mon bear with me here, we're talking about LEGS). As a tan, statuesque former model, her style is synonymous with mini skirts. Are her skirts, shorts, and dresses a tad too short sometimes? Sure. But does she have great legs and all the business in the world rocking a style that shows off her inherent gam glory: Absolutely!
Take a gander yourself (I'm not crazy about the T-shirt/skirt combo, but this is a good example for legs):
On the flipside, for someone whose legs aren't their best feature (yes, I unfortunately fall into this category, but so did Jackie Kennedy and she knew how to make the most of it), I would forgo mini styles and make the just-above-the-knee length your shortest point and do not pair with chunky boots-- ever. That style is only for the lithe!
Want proof?
In Shiloh's case (the very top photo of this post), the dress that she is calling "mini" really is a pretty modest mini dress. The length looks good on her, her legs look fantastic, and it looks completely age appropriate. Well done, Shiloh!
I'd like to point out that the seam above the bust, is an especially good style for people who have a long torso because the seam and the belted empire waist give the illusion of a shorter torso. This feature can also help lengthen the leg line (which does not need to apply to Shiloh, but can be helpful for those of us who have shorter stems).
ON AGE & MINI SKIRTS:
To use her as an example yet again, Kelly Bensimon is 40 years old and not slowing down when it comes to donning miniskirts. I don't think there should be any hard and fast rule about not wearing something after a certain age. The key is being honest with yourself about how you look in it (and if you don't know for sure, to have the savvy to ask Instant Stylist, of course).
Let's go over some very obvious (but perhaps easy to forget) points:
- Miniskirts and obvious varicose and/or spider veins are not a good combination
- Ditto for cellulite (speaking from experience)
- When your legs are pale or not in the best shape, you're more likely to look half-naked when wearing very short styles.
- Looking really young from the back and then turning around and looking markedly older from the front scares people (but this is not likely to be a problem in someone's 30's and early to mid 40's; more like in someone's 50's and 60's -- and I see examples of this on Madison Avenue almost daily. Freaks me out!)
When you're wearing a style that could possibly be construed as 'young,' it's important to pair it with elements (any of these: shoes/bag/earrings/necklace) that are more mature. In other words, if you're 32 and wearing a babydoll dress, choose smart platform sandals or strappy heels or very smart flats rather than converse or round-toed mary janes (which would be more appropriate for someone 22 than 32).
And if you ever feel too self-conscious about a short style, you can always modest it up by running out to American Apparel and grabbing a pair of little cotton shorts to put underneath. That way, if your style is very short, you don't have to worry about your cooch making an uninvited cameo!
So, for Shiloh, 32 years old with long legs that are in great shape, I would say that when it comes to mini skirt styles, knock yourself out and stop some traffic while you're at it, too!
Hope this helps answer your question, Shiloh. Feel free to comment on my answer or to ask follow up questions by clicking on 'comments.' In fact, anyone can post comments.
FOLLOW UP COMMENTS/UPDATE:
Just wanted to add a follow-up comment to this mini skirt post because there is an interesting article on the front page of The New York Times Thursday Styles section today (5/27/10) by Ruth La Ferla titled, "A Long, Lean Backlash To the Mini" that says "Young women are turning away from the frivolity and calculated provocation of a thigh-high skirt." Hmmmmm.
This is, of course, not to say that mini skirts are 'out of style' or should be donated in short little mountains, but it is interesting to read about nonetheless. And if you can't really carry a mini skirt, like me, there's a little bit of schadenfreude there for the 'graceful of gams' set. (Enter evil laugh, "bwa haha haha hahaha" here).
Funny enough, this exact dilemma was covered yesterday morning on the Today show at the end of a segment featuring the Editor-at-Large from Glamour magazine Suze Yalof Schwartz. Her 'rule of thumb' (pun intended) is that a mini skirt's hem should not be any shorter than a wearer's thumb when the hands are at the side. I actually think, however, that you have to see the wearer and the garment and that rules like that don't always apply across the board. Plus, the thumb line can be pretty short.
For example, the wearer's legs make a huge difference in whether a mini dress or skirt makes you look fabulous or half-naked. Take Real Housewife of New York City Kelly Bensimon, for instance (I can hear your eyes rolling now -- c'mon bear with me here, we're talking about LEGS). As a tan, statuesque former model, her style is synonymous with mini skirts. Are her skirts, shorts, and dresses a tad too short sometimes? Sure. But does she have great legs and all the business in the world rocking a style that shows off her inherent gam glory: Absolutely!
Take a gander yourself (I'm not crazy about the T-shirt/skirt combo, but this is a good example for legs):
On the flipside, for someone whose legs aren't their best feature (yes, I unfortunately fall into this category, but so did Jackie Kennedy and she knew how to make the most of it), I would forgo mini styles and make the just-above-the-knee length your shortest point and do not pair with chunky boots-- ever. That style is only for the lithe!
Want proof?
I'd like to point out that the seam above the bust, is an especially good style for people who have a long torso because the seam and the belted empire waist give the illusion of a shorter torso. This feature can also help lengthen the leg line (which does not need to apply to Shiloh, but can be helpful for those of us who have shorter stems).
ON AGE & MINI SKIRTS:
To use her as an example yet again, Kelly Bensimon is 40 years old and not slowing down when it comes to donning miniskirts. I don't think there should be any hard and fast rule about not wearing something after a certain age. The key is being honest with yourself about how you look in it (and if you don't know for sure, to have the savvy to ask Instant Stylist, of course).
Let's go over some very obvious (but perhaps easy to forget) points:
- Miniskirts and obvious varicose and/or spider veins are not a good combination
- Ditto for cellulite (speaking from experience)
- When your legs are pale or not in the best shape, you're more likely to look half-naked when wearing very short styles.
- Looking really young from the back and then turning around and looking markedly older from the front scares people (but this is not likely to be a problem in someone's 30's and early to mid 40's; more like in someone's 50's and 60's -- and I see examples of this on Madison Avenue almost daily. Freaks me out!)
When you're wearing a style that could possibly be construed as 'young,' it's important to pair it with elements (any of these: shoes/bag/earrings/necklace) that are more mature. In other words, if you're 32 and wearing a babydoll dress, choose smart platform sandals or strappy heels or very smart flats rather than converse or round-toed mary janes (which would be more appropriate for someone 22 than 32).
And if you ever feel too self-conscious about a short style, you can always modest it up by running out to American Apparel and grabbing a pair of little cotton shorts to put underneath. That way, if your style is very short, you don't have to worry about your cooch making an uninvited cameo!
So, for Shiloh, 32 years old with long legs that are in great shape, I would say that when it comes to mini skirt styles, knock yourself out and stop some traffic while you're at it, too!
FOLLOW UP COMMENTS/UPDATE:
Just wanted to add a follow-up comment to this mini skirt post because there is an interesting article on the front page of The New York Times Thursday Styles section today (5/27/10) by Ruth La Ferla titled, "A Long, Lean Backlash To the Mini" that says "Young women are turning away from the frivolity and calculated provocation of a thigh-high skirt." Hmmmmm.
This is, of course, not to say that mini skirts are 'out of style' or should be donated in short little mountains, but it is interesting to read about nonetheless. And if you can't really carry a mini skirt, like me, there's a little bit of schadenfreude there for the 'graceful of gams' set. (Enter evil laugh, "bwa haha haha hahaha" here).
2 comments:
hahah kelly, she has legs for sure.
I just stumbled upon your blog, and as a guy, I have to say there are exceptions to every rule. The girl in your "Want Proof?" picture of this post looks (to me at least)to have very sexy legs and curves. I'm not crazy about the boots, but the miniskirt does make her thighs look strong and shapely! (Yum!)
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