There are a lot of mixed signals over Midis and Minis.
Don’t get us wrong, we love the midi and we’re happy to have left the mini behind us. (For anyone under 50 reading this, please remember that we Boomers were the generation that rocked the first mini-skirts in the 1960s. Respect, please!)
No, our issue is with the terms ‘Midi’ and ‘Mini’ which are being used (or misused) in a confusing way. A Midi dress or skirt should be a dress or skirt that falls to approximately mid-calf. And Midi also relates to a proportion and a silhouette as well as to the hemline. A Mini, of course, should finish well above the knee. It, too, is about proportion and silhouette as well as a short hemline.
But – and this is where confusion sets in – some brands (and we’re not naming names) are using the term ‘midi’ to signal all slightly longer hemlines and ‘mini’ to signal all slightly shorter hemlines but not necessarily actual mini-length. In other words, a ‘midi’ could be any garment with a hemline that covers the knee, and a ‘mini’ could be any garment with a hemline that stops at the knee, though sometimes ‘mini’ really does mean mini… so you see why we’re thinking of issuing a Hemline Health Warning for autumn/winter.
As a purist, Jan finds the misuse deeply annoying, but for all of us it’s very confusing. Adding to the confusion is the height of the model photographed in the dress or skirt. If the model is 178cm/5’ 10” (and models mostly have long legs and possibly shorter torso – unlike the rest of us!) then a shorter ‘midi’ dress may look like it is knee-length, while a knee-length could look as if it’s a ‘mini’. So, we applaud the brands which tell us the length of a garment instead of leaving us to guess based on how much taller than us the model is and whether she has longer legs…
A quick note to all you ladies over 50 with great legs who are thinking of sending a cross email to tell us you still love a mini. If you have great legs and like to show them off, go for it; we’re certainly not telling you not to!
Here are just a few gorgeous ‘Minis’ that in our view should not be ignored just because they’re labelled ‘mini’!… And, of course, we can style a ‘mini’ with leggings, 150-denier tights or over skinny jeans. And our petite sisters may find a ‘mini’ is her perfect knee length!
This gorgeous ESCADA grey check ‘mini’ is 52cm/20.5 ins. Styled with opaques and brogues or boots it is a great skirt for work and off-duty wear. This one from M&S is also described as a ‘mini’ but sits a fraction above the knee of a long-legged model.
What do you think about our thoughts on midis and minis? Tell us below!
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