Somehow as I approached 40, my hemlines got closer to my ankles. I turned 39 in November and I can’t remember the last time I wore a dress or skirt that showed my knees. In the summer I wear flowy A-line cotton dresses that reach mid-calf, in the fall and winter pencil skirts that reach my knees or below. I have short skirts in my wardrobe, was there a reason I never wore them anymore? Age is definitely a factor. I’m obviously elderly and I never want people to think that I woke up one morning with the intention of playing a Gracie Abrams-loving Gen-Z queen. And yet, why can’t a woman of about 40 wear a short skirt?
When I asked a fashion editor friend if my mid-calf houndstooth skirt would work with kitten heels, I considered it. She looked down doubtfully, then definitively: “No. The longer the hem, the higher the heel should be. I don’t really like wearing heels for more than a few hours, so I wondered if the reverse would be true: the shorter the skirt, the lower the heels? I thought it was worth a try. And why not experiment with a different silhouette? For some reason, a short hem conveyed celebration to me and felt holiday party appropriate. We left.
In 2013 I purchased a mini dress from Marc Jacobs’ Fall 2012 Goth Victoriana collection, one of my favoritesOn sale at Moda Operandi. Still, it touched too high on my thighs for comfort, especially on days with sticky bare feet. But for an evening featuring two holiday stops I braved a tropical print shift with velvet and pom pom trim, a pair of opaque black tights, and Tabitha Simmons pointy toe Mary Janes for two seasonal celebrations: Derek at Banana Republic and Caitlin Blasberg’s wreath laying ceremony. Phillips’ Chinatown Bacchanal. The trial, however, began with pre-school drop-off, where I was harshly reminded that bowing out required a deliberate act. The cardboard gingerbread man they were making in my son Arthur’s classroom was displayed on the floor – I was almost certainly more attracted to poor Lenka, Arthur’s unsuspecting teacher, than my hem. Once in the office I remembered some concerns about short skirts: The quality of the stockings is extremely important. Tights move from an ensemble to almost top billing, with a high hemline revealing much of the stocking. I tend to gravitate toward cheaper tights because I often go on runs in them, but my opaque J.Crew pair were a little too shiny for this occasion and I regret not wearing my more matte Wolford or Swedish stockings. I also realized that you can’t wear tights with a deep waistband (as many couples do) because this change can be visible when you sit. Sitting in a short skirt was an extra consideration that I didn’t appreciate. I sit next to coworkers in many meetings and the constant fear of showing them too much of my thighs distracts me.
For circulation To the holiday party I wore a red and navy crewel work Tory Burch skirt that has been in my closet for years. This effort was more successful because the skirt is a little longer than the Mark Mini Dress and that extra inch or two meant I didn’t have to constantly fuss with the hem when sitting. But with mini skirts proportion seems important. The equation that worked for me was: small earring, small heel, big sweater. I wore a moss-colored V-neck sweater I borrowed from my stepfather long ago with a Tory Burch skirt. Its looseness went well with the narrow, short shape of the skirt. I broke my flats rule by wearing a chunky heeled loafer and I thought it worked in this rare scenario, but if tried again I might switch back to flat loafers.
