THE HEMLINE INDEX AND MINI SKIRTS

Have you ever heard of the Hemline Index?  The main idea behind this index that was created in 1926 is that the hemlines of women’s skirts reflected what state the economy was in.  This means that the shorter the hemline, the better the economy.  An example of this would be the booming economy during the 1960s and this was the same time mini skirts were making their presence felt.  Now, this may sound ridiculous to most people but if you look through the varying economic states during the 20^th century, you may be surprised by what you find. 

The 1920s saw the rise of stock prices as well as the emergence of flapper dresses which had rather short hemlines. When the Great Depression hit in 1929 and worked its way into the 1930s, the economy plummeted and skirt hemlines reached all the way down to floor, often covering even women’s shoes.  The 1940s saw the world engaging in its second global war and the 1950s were spent trying to get the economy back on its feet and the lengths of skirts were somewhere below the knee.  Then came the 1960s and the times were indeed swinging for both the economy and skirt hemlines because there was huge economic growth coinciding with the creation of attention grabbing mini skirts.  When the 1970s rolled in, the economy took a dip once again and skirts were lengthier than ever due to the hippie look that was very prevalent during that time.  The 1980s saw both prosperity and poverty and the hemlines reflected that with the introduction micro mini skirts in the first half and longer skirts in the second half while the 1990s were the complete opposite, having longer skirts during the first few years of that decade and the welcome return of shorter skirts in the years leading to the end of the 20^th century.

In the 21^st century, the Hemline Index still seems to have a firm grasp on the connection between hemlines and the state of the economy.  Remember when baby doll dresses were all the rage in 2006, the economy was doing quite well as evidenced by the flourishing housing market at that time.  Fast forward one year later, maxi dresses had taken the spotlight and the economy was gasping for air as shown by the dwindling housing market then.

So, does the Hemline Index actually carry weight?  Well, it would be rather interesting for people to keep their eyes on the hemlines of women’s skirts and dresses instead of the numbers in the stock market.  The best thing to do with the index is to take it with a grain of salt.  The parallelism between hemlines and the economy is fascinating but remember that the fashion industry also tends to make varying lengths for their dresses and skirts available for consumers.  Also, choosing mini skirts over the more bohemian looking skirts or fuller skirts may not guarantee a better economy but you cannot really go wrong with a classic piece of clothing.

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