14 DAY TRIAL // There is a very thin line between looking stunning and coming off as trashy or, at best, completely uninspired. As it happens, there still are many women who often miss the mark on this one and end up looking just like they never even imagined they would, only because they give in to trends without proper consideration. One such trend that will spare women this humiliation is the short skirt, which is making a strong comeback this season, a new piece in the Daily Mail informs.
Skirts have often been considered a woman’s best ally when it came to looking elegant but, at the same time, as feminine as possible. Spring and summer 2009 are bringing them back, with stylists shunning pants and replacing them with skirts – the shorter the better, one might as well add. What stylists are also doing with this revival of sorts, the Mail says, is placing emphasis again on the Lower Thigh Zone or LTZ for short.
“This is the sassy piece of leg which ranges from just above the knee and upwards for three or four inches. This zone has, of course, long been a centre of attention. […] As you will already have noticed, spring fashion this year takes the LTZ very seriously. The catwalks were overrun with endless legs: hugely high heels, wild hosiery, pencil skirts that stop an inch or three above the knee to send your legs out into the waiting world simmering with promise. It’s a slap in the face for hemline theory, which suggests that we recessionistas ought to be schlepping about in maxi skirts and bemoaning the state of our pension pots. The message was that, this spring, you really need a skirt. Quite a short skirt, hovering above the knee and making a play of your LTZ.” the Mail says of the advent of the new trend.
Of course, as noted above, such freedom in terms of the length of the skirt does not mean the abolition of all rules, since there still are plenty of factors we should take into account before slipping into one such item. Considerations such as age, the shape and condition of the legs, the shoes, the occasion and the company around us must all be weighed in the balance when it comes to choosing a mini skirt that leaves little room to imagination or a pencil skirt that might send off the message of business-like attitude and rigidity.
In order to make the above decision easier to take, the Mail has also come up with several guidelines, after studying the cases of many female celebrities who have shined or failed, respectively, on the red carpet. “For early 20s: If your underwear shows when you walk upstairs, you’ve gone too short. Your dad will already have told you this. For under 30s: Stand up straight, arms at your sides. Your helm shouldn’t stop higher than your fingertips. For over 40s: Try the bend-over rule. Pick something from the floor: Anything. If your skirt reveals your cellulite, ditch it. For prudes: Kneel. If your skirt touches the floor, you’re fine, really.” the Mail piece says.
