There Comes a Time: Hemlines

By Karen and Erica 

We had an animated discussion recently about hemlines, and whether there comes a time when hemlines that fall way above the knee look incongruous. For us, that time has come. Now that we are over 60, we have lost our affinity for really short skirts. Longer ones feel much more chic and elegant. It has nothing to do with how toned our legs may or may not be. It’s that our sex appeal no longer depends on our legs. 

For sure, when we were young, short skirts were a wardrobe staple. They reflected our confident and sassy selves. They showed off our young legs, which were an integral part of our young selves. The rule in the 60’s was that the shortest you should go was the end of your fingertips. We followed that rule. But we made sure those skirts didn’t trip the line into cocktail attire. They were never an excuse not to take us seriously.

That was a while ago. Things are different now. Though we try to keep fit, our faces tells our age. We're OK with that, and we are OK with dressing our age. Sometimes, when we see women wearing clothes more suitable for much younger women, we wonder what they are saying. That they need to be forever young in order to be relevant? That youth is the only image they have of sexual allure? That they cannot reimagine how they might wish to look, now that they have lived a while?

Clothes do convey an image. We want them to project how we feel--confident, secure, comfortable, in command of our circumstances. Sexy too. But not the same sexy as when we were young. Now, it is our confidence and our laugh lines that make us sexy. So we want clothes that show off our faces. Clothes that let us move, but don't reveal too much. Clothes that allow us to walk, and sit, easily. Clothes that are chic and elegant. We still like neon and spangles. But we wear them strategically--not to take off years, but to highlight them.

For us, very short skirts are over. Hemlines are still relevant, but at a different level--longer. Not really really long. We're not hippies, and we don't want to look as if we are at the beach. We want to look urbane. Longer skirts that are fitted, colorful, and ready for fun. We still have bodies. But they have changed and we show them differently.