There is no pleasing some people. I should know, I'm one of them. I spent most of this year being cross about how stupid it is that while only a minority of women like putting their thighs on display, most smart, pretty, fashionable dresses and skirts on sale seemed to end at least four inches above the knee.
Well, I may have to stop moaning. Fashion's new buzzword is BTK, for Below-The-Knee — the hemline that made headlines at the recent catwalk shows. The change is already filtering through to the high street, so longer skirts will be in a store near you soon.
So am I satisfied? Nope. Turns out a skirt that is much longer than knee-length is almost as difficult for a non-model to pull off as a skirt that is much shorter than knee-length. I had high hopes for a calf-length full skirt, for instance, the look being so beguiling on models and on clothes hangers and, indeed, on Betty Draper.
So I tried one on and it turns out it makes actual human beings look like giant toadstools. The longer-length pencil skirt I have ended up wearing here at least has the advantage of a flattering shape — in a knee-length, a straight skirt on me is more square than pencil and the extra inches do help.
But walking speed is seriously impaired. Having your legs bound together down to the calf feels a bit like a sports-day sack race. So the grass is not greener on the other side of the kneecap, after all. Be careful what you wish for, because it turns out you can't walk in it.
