When will super short dresses go out of style?
 

Seeing all of the bid day pictures makes me wonder when the super short dresses will go out of style. Anyone have a sense of when this trend will fade?

I, for one, will be glad to see this one go. The plunging on top and super short on the bottom just isn't very flattering on most women, even college women. :)

The skirt length echoes the economy. When we are doing well, the skirts tend to be longer. When the economy is in trouble, the skirts go up. Expect to see the skirts get longer when the economy improves.

In theory long dresses/tea length are "in" for spring/summer. I remember that the tea length was very in 20 plus years ago. But I think that many young ones, the ones with great legs, will be hard pressed to hide great assets.

Yes, I've seen that trend in history. Thin skirts with minimal fabric during the War and then big poofy skirts afterward.

I've heard trend forecasters saying that longer lengths are in this season! I love tea-length anything, and just-below-the-knee is always class. I'm so tired of the short, skanky dresses! I'm already tall, so the current trends make finding a cute dress really hard.

It's not like the dresses are shorter than they've ever been before. They're not, if you straight out measure them. It's just that:

1) Girls wear them with skanky stilettos (as opposed to clogs or chunky heels in the 1960s and 70s or flats in the 1980s).

2) They are (in general) waaaaaaaay tighter than they used to be.

3) They are made out of shiny clingy material (as opposed to my old fave, the stretch denim miniskirt).

4) They wear them without any hose or tights.

5) They aren't following the "skimpy on one half, covered on the other half" fashion rule.

6) There are too many girls with fat asses wearing them who either shouldn't wear them at all or should know to wear a slightly different style. But if you say that nowadays you're being a "mean girl." So women run around in things that make them look like crap.

Believe me, I wore some minis in my day that were just as short and tight as these...so did my cousins back in the 1960s...we just accessorized them differently.

No, it's the opposite...hemlines go up with the stock market. Short in the 20's, long in the 30's. Short again in the 80's.

Okay, it doesn't really work at all.

It always seemed the opposite to me.
Short skirts - good economy
Long skirts - not so good

I'm more concerned about the 4-inch and 5-inch and more heels. I can't wear them - ankle issues - but I'm astounded by them.

The only thing my mother always insisted on was that the clothes had to be flattering. We were never allowed to wear overalls (it was the 80s) since they make everyone look fat. I'd be saying the same thing to a teenager about low rise jeans that are so low they end up hitting below the fat line. eeewwww. I see that one WAY too often. And I suppose the looking like a hooker thing will pass one of these days too. But 33 is right. It's more obvious and more gross (grosser?) than in the past because of the growing (???) weight problem.

I have to say I'm happy as a clam to see the leggings and tunics back. It works so well in a hot climate when you still want to be covered.

You guys all sound like my mother. My skirts are too short. jeans too low. dresses too tight. etc. But I have seen pictures of her in micro mini skirts and pictures of her on her honeymoon with my dad wearing OMG string bikinis so skimpy that I am not sure that I would have the guts to wear.

I agree 100%.

Historically, yes, the hemlines went up during the war (WWII) because they were conserving fabric.

As for what's different "these days" than the minis that girls wore in the 60s and 80s, is just what 33 said - if you wore short on the bottom, you wore long on top. The ideal non-skank coverage rule - according to Cosmo - is 40% skin showing. So if you're showing your legs, no cleavage. If you're showing off the girls, wear a longer skirt, leggings/tights/opaque hose or pants!!

I personally can't do the tea-length look, or even below the knee for that matter, because I am super stumpy. At 5 1 3/4" and short legs, my waist isn't high enough to make the look work. So while the trends may be going towards flowy, tea-length dresses, I will have to stick with my tried and true shift dress silhouette.

I saw pictures of my mom in bikinis, crop tops, low rise pants, and short dresses when I was in junior high (and like all of my peers, in my I-desperately-want-to-look-skanky phase) and told her she wasn't being fair when she refused to let me wear short skirts. She then made all the points you just did, and that was one of my first my-mother-is-right-about-clothing memories. Yes, she wore those things but she wore them much differently.

My biggest pet peeves are #s 5&6. Why does sexy mean nothing but less-is-more these days? And the buy-for-your-size issue drives me nuts. It's not just your numerical size, it's also body type. My numerical size falls into the you-can-wear-that category, but my lack of toned muscles and high body fat percentage doesn't. I know this, so I dress accordingly. And at least on my campus I'm in the minority. IMO on college campuses it's a fear of the freshman 15. Most of us gain some weight at some point, and the logical thing to do is to then buy new clothes that fit. Instead of attempting to squeeze into something 2 sizes too small for fear off accepting that freshman 15. Know your body, try things on, and buy what fits. That's all there is to it.

And lastly, just because it's trendy doesn't mean you should wear it. Not all styles look good on all body types. I feel like everyone who shows muffin top should have to watch What Not to Wear.

I'm 5'4" and LOVE those heels. I'm a master at walking in them (ironically because I have weak ankles...apparently that's a thing and I was born with it). But what they shouldn't be worn with is super-small-and-tight dresses. As much as I love Kim Kardashian, she is no style icon.

I don't know how you walk in heels. I have terrible ankles from dancing and from several injuries. I CAN walk in wedges, but skinny heels turn my ankles out after just a few steps.

Yeah, sizes definitely aren't universal, especially brand to brand. You're right, it comes down to trying it on. My closet has pants in 2, 4, and 6 right now and they all fit. I don't care what the tag says, I'm buying the jeans that fit me best. And I'm a huge tailoring advocate. IMO it's better to buy fewer, high quality pieces and then have them tailored to fit perfectly than to buy a bunch of cheaper pieces that fit funky. Quality over quantity.

I guess I've always known to buy the style that's right for me and not what's in the magazine because of my shape. I'm 5'4", short waist-ed, and bottom heavy. Things that look bangin' on 5'9" models with long torsos and skinny thighs usually do not translate well to my body type. At all. So I've been finding the best alternatives to model-wear my whole life.

As for the shoes, I was apparently born with funky ankles...my mom had to do some sort of exercises with my feet when I was a baby to avoid my having braces on my legs as a child. But when I was serious about riding and started to compete I had to find exercises to help my ankles stay in position and I use them now to help me with the heels. I still can't ice skate or rollerblade (my ankles turn out completely) and I'm prone to ankle injury, but I've developed my own way of walking in heels over the years. Though to be honest if I'm going to be wearing heels all day I go for wedges. I can handle stillettos for a couple of hours. 8 hour days, not so much. The key is to walk on the balls of my feet, leaving almost no weight on my ankles. It's probably exactly what you're not supposed to do, but it keeps my calves toned and my stilletto wearing abilities in check.

Frankly, if actives are wearing this type of stuff now, I could care less, and I'm a little envious of them that so many of them are able to pull it off.

You bet your ass if I were leggy in addition to how buxom I am I would TOTALLY wear a lot of what they're wearing (well, if it were age and work appropriate).

And you'll have to pry my 4 and 5 inch heels out of my cold, dead hands.

Ditto. LoveLoveLove my heels. And I too wish I had the gams for some of the short stuff...although my husband would throw a prude-hissy.

Hey, if I were leggy I'd be all about mini dresses. That's the problem..about 2% of the population looks good in that stuff, and more power to that 2%. The rest of us should be realistic. IMO there are exactly 5 actives my old chapter currently has that look on fire in tight mini dresses. But more than 5 actives are wearing those types of outfits to the bar on Thursday night. I won't. Why show up in something like that when I know perfectly well the girl next to me can pull it off a million times better than myself? I find outfits that show the body I have off to its advantage...that don't incite a comparison to the Heidi Klum standing next to me.

I have no issue with short dresses on people who have the goods to pull them off...though I do object to the short, tight mini dresses with copious amounts of cleavage. No matter how hot you are, it's skanky. Pick one section to flaunt at a time. Have a rotation! Cleavage Thursday night, legs Friday night, butt Saturday night... ;)

But frankly, it's not our place to judge. We judge the actives enough, without body shaming them all over the place, too. Besides, even the ones that don't pull it off 100% are still pulling it off to some degree (I will never get over how much hotter I was in college than I am now, and it's only been 5 years since I graduated). They're having fun with their clothes, and college is really the only place where short short skirts are anywhere near being age appropriate.

Besides, when minis were popular in the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, there were still way more women trying them than the ones that actually looked good in them. We just have a selective memory OR inflated enough egos to think we pulled them off ourselves.

I mean, I kindof always dressed like a frigid bitch so my current style is pretty in line with that, but every once in a while I'd wear short shorts or a mini skirt and I would have worn them a lot more often had I been more confident. When my bust size was smaller I intentionally showed a lot more cleavage, too. It's just the way a lot of women are when they're in their late teens/early 20s and I really don't think there's anything wrong with it, especially if it's not something they're wearing to say, job interviews, or something.

Sorry, I just disagree. Some things do not look good on some people. It isn't about body shaming. Every body type out there can be sexy with confidence and the right presentation. I am personally confident and happy with my body. Sure, it could look better, but that requires work. However-just because I'm confident doesn't mean I look good in something super tight or that my cellulite magically disappears or that I won't have a roll over my pants if I buy them too small. It isn't about being skinny or having itty legs. Kim Kardashian has led the way in showing that those of us with thighs and hips are hot...but her curves are tight and toned so those itty bitty shrink wrapped dresses worked on her. (Though again, no matter how Kim-tastic you are, I still think showing all the goodies at once is not classy. I feel like I have to say that because I use her as an example so often in daily conversation.) For the rest of us, there are other ways to show off. I've never felt I'm missing out because I don't wear super tight mini dresses.

And if I do show up in something that makes me look like a 10 pound sausage in a 5 pound casing, someone sure as hell better tell me to go home and reconsider. No amount of confidence will make that situation sexy. Though I'd prefer they find a gentler way of saying it. ;)

You don't have to say sorry to me, it's not my body or clothing choices you're judging.

Airbrushing works wonders (not saying she looks bad, though).

/my only contribution to this thread

It's not judging, it's common sense. Like I said, I think What Not to Wear should be required viewing. Every woman in the world can be sexy, but not every woman in the world is the same shape/size/skin tone/height/etc.. Therefore not every woman in the world should attempt to conform to one single definition of sexy.

True story. Not saying the lay person is going to look like KK since we don't have Photoshop to hide our cellulite, but I appreciate the fact that she flaunts what she's got and works hard. If you've spent hours upon hours getting toned, might as well let the world know.

I know a man commenting on women's attire but here goes anyway.

The quoted above is where I agree. You have to realize college has always been the melting pot of trends, with a pinch of style. I believe many are arguing trends like they are style, and not putting it in the place of where it truly is...a trend. I'm sure once they graduate (prayfully) they will begin to pull away from what is trendy and start gravitating to establishing their own sense of style.

Besides it cost money (what they really don't have) to be stylish. Trendy is just a trip to H&M.

Heck I still remember during my college years it was all about being a billboard advertisement. Even if the clothes didn't warrant such attention.

Heck I knew more women with Bebe T-shirts than actual Bebe clothes (actual being clothes that they sale that didn't say Bebe).

LMDAO at Cosmo advocating a "non-skank" rule of any sort. :p

It's not body shaming. It's wearing what looks best on you. For example...I'm tall. I looked ridiculous when I tried to "peg" my jeans - as if I was waiting for a flood. So even when it was the biggest thing around, I didn't do it. I had enough sense by then (early 20s) to know what looked good and what didn't. Following the pack blindly is for junior high and high school, not college. If you're in college and have a group of friends that makes you feel that you have to dress a certain way, well, maybe it's time to find new friends.

And yeah, I had some sisters who were far from slim who wore mini skirts. BUT. They wore minis that 1) were in heavier fabrics and didn't show every lump and roll and 2) that were length appropriate. They also wore hose or tights and didn't have their Bensons hanging out.

This ho-style is KK and her ilk + remainder backlash from the grunge era which took about 5 years longer to go away than it should have. I think it's already starting to turn around. The last time I went into Delia's, the shirts and stuff seemed a LOT more conservative than what's been in the stores in previous years. You can look sexy, cute and young without putting it all out on display.

Not only that, when your dad came off the beach he was probably wearing pants that were tight enough to make him sing soprano. :D

Snaps for this post. :)

And though Cosmo isn't the pinnacle of covering up, I agree with 40%.

We're talking about dressing for your body. It absolutely doesn't cost a lot of money to dress yourself appropriately and stylishly. I'm betting if I went through my closet right now 80% of it is from Target, TJMaxx, or department store clearance sales. And the other 20% consists of gifts from my mother and aunt (and to be clear, none of that 20% is "designer", it's just not Target). I don't buy myself expensive clothing because I don't have my own income most of the time, but I do dress appropriately and stylishly. You don't need a designer name (or a lot of money) to look good.

True it doesn't. Still doesn't take away from the point that most high school and college folks are more trendy than stylish. And yes buying your clothes from Marshalls or TJ Maxx is an inexpensive way to become stylish, stylish doesn't always equal trendy which means the trendy minded person will not take "risks" (with their finances) with dressing appropriately for their body type, especially if it doesn't fall in line with what is trendy.

And that's where you get people wearing things they shouldn't. Like I said, there are a million different body types and shapes and therefore a myriad of ways to look sexy. Women shouldn't confine themselves to ONE version of sexy that is unflattering just because someone on tv does.

If you ladies really want to get your noses out of joint you should see what the girls wear at some of the dance clubs I have been to. Braless under sheer tops, going commando with short dresses/skirts, etc. A skank factor of around 100%. Just unreal.

Ew. But then what can we expect from today's youth when Paris Hilton leads the way in vag flashing.

Not directly related, but what is with the no undies and short skirts thing? And really, it isn't that hard to sit/get out of a car/stand/dance without flashing. But at least have on some panties in case there's an accident...

Oh believe me, I see that too. On the streets of the South Side of Pittsburgh. In the middle of winter. That's another thing that kills me - yeah, Paris and Lindsay and whoever can wear hardly anything in zero degree temps in NYC because they're driven from place to place in limos and don't have to wait in lines for clubs. But if you have to park your car in BFE and walk - and you still do this - you're a few cards short of a deck.

If there's a chance that tripping and falling could result in you accidentally getting some, maybe it's time to reconsider the wardrobe.

Maybe if we make the hemlines longer the economy will come back? :D

Personally I'm pretty careful about covering my lady bits (another pet peeve: close your legs when you sit if you're wearing a skirt, and if you can't get out of a car correctly, practice), but I can understand a wardrobe malfunction in a mini. That's why PANTIES are so important. I am perpetually flummoxed by mini skirts/dresses and going commando.


I say if you're going somewhere where it isn't practical to carry a big warm coat with you, wear some damn clothes. I've been seeing girls in practically nothing walking into the bar the past couple of weeks and I don't understand how they're not losing limbs to frostbite. Maybe I'm just a pansy, but there's no way I could handle that.

What I see a lot more of in girls my age is the micro mini/thong panty combo. Not quite as bad as commando but close. What really gets my mom going is if I sit down in a mini and cross my legs at the knee, which I do as a matter of habit. She just hates that.

*Shudder*. I'm not a prude, but I hate seeing others' naughty bits just because I know everyone else in the room can, too. And it's awkward. No one says granny panties are necessary, but there are options between that and thong...

The reason they're dressing that way is so that you will see their parts. Time was you only let that special someone (even if it was that special someone just for Friday night) see your parts. Unless you're on the clock, I'm not a fan.