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I’ll be the first to admit, that I did not see this trend staying around for long. For the past two years, British designers such as Christopher Kane and Erdem have been trying to get us all wearing a midi skirt. However, as much as we praised them for daring to be different, high street designers were reluctant to replicate the trend, which is why the midi skirt failed to feature in people’s wardrobes, until now.
Victoria Beckham AW13
One of the biggest issues the midi skirt faces is history. When a 21st Century woman thinks of the midi skirt, they automatically picture a 1940’s housewife who lacks independence and who is physically constrained to the four walls of her house. Whereas, one of the reasons why we are naturally drawn to the shorter hemline of the 60’s is because it has always been associated with liberty.
If you still remain unconvinced, you are not alone. Even in the 1970’s, women were reluctant to except the lowering of the hemlines of their skirts. In fact a poll by New York’s Daily News found that 83% of their readers deliberately wore skirts that were shorter in defiance of this trend. Men were also displeased and viewed the midi skirt as a ‘threat to the golden days of mini ogling’.
This is why we must look beyond the prudish stigmas that have attached themselves to the midi skirt. Your first thoughts when looking at pictures of women in the 1940’s are not that they look unfashionable or restricted; instead their skirts radiate femininity, elegance and grace. They are also extremely flattering. Worn with a belt or with a risqué cropped top, a midi skirt will clinch you in at the waist whilst still showcasing your pretty pins. Additionally, your red-soled Louboutin’s may get unnoticed when wearing something short, or get hidden in something long, whereas the midi skirt allows your shoes to do the talking.
Now that we are in the midst London Fashion Week, it will be interesting to see what our hemlines are going to look like this upcoming winter. In the meantime, whilst it will all take us a while to get used to wearing the midi skirt after years of figure hugging, thigh skimming pieces of material, if we all get behind this trend and embrace it, we can reinvent its tainted history.
By Hattie Lee
