Hemline

The hemline is the line formed by the lower edge of a garment, such as a skirt, dress or coat, measured from the floor.

The hemline is perhaps the most variable style line in fashion, changing shape and ranging in height from hip-high to floor-length. What is a fashionable style and height of hemline has varied considerably throughout the years, and has also depended on a number of factors such as the age of the wearer, the occasion for which the garment is worn and the choice of the individual.

Types

Similar to necklines and waistlines, hemlines can be grouped by their height and shape:

• floor-length hemlines
• ankle hemlines
• midcalf hemlines
• below-knee hemlines
• above-knee hemlines
• mid-thigh hemlines
• hip-high hemlines
• handkerchief hemlines
• diagonal or asymmetric hemlines
• high-low hemlines, usually short in front and dipping behind
• other hemlines, such as modern-cut hemlines

Dresses and skirts are also classified in terms of their length:

• mini
• ballerina length
• tea length
• full length
• maxi
• Intermission length

History

Overview chart of changes in hemline height (skirt length), 1805-2005

In the history of Western fashion, the ordinary public clothes of upper- and middle-class women varied only between floor-length and slightly above ankle-length for many centuries before World War I. Skirts of lower-calf or mid-calf length were associated with the practical working garments of lower-class or pioneer women, while even shorter skirt lengths were seen only in certain specialized and restricted contexts (e.g. sea-bathing costumes, or outfits worn by ballerinas on stage). It was not until the mid-1910s that hemlines began to rise significantly (with many variations in height thereafter). Skirts rose all the way from floor-length to near knee-length in little more than fifteen years (from late in the decade of the 1900s to the mid-1920s). From World War I to roughly 1970, a woman had to wear skirts near their currently-fashionable length or be considered almost hopelessly unstylish, but since the 1970s, women's options have widened, and there is no longer really only one single fashionable skirt-length at a time.

Another influence on the length of a woman's skirt is the Hemline index, which, oversimplified, states that hemlines rise and fall in sync with the stock market.

Gallery

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  Mini dress

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  Above-knee cocktail dress

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  Below-knee hemlines

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  Ankle length evening dress

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  Prom dresses, varying from above-the-ankle to floor length

See also

• Waistline
• Neckline
• Hemline index