Mini skirts? For summer?

You know what comes next

Smithsonian Magazine

I was not of mini skirt experience prior to the last couple of years. I am a mini skirt ingenue. When I went to Flynn-O’Hara to get my skirts for school, my parents made me get the Tall size despite being a very average 5’6”. My dresses for school dances always had to come halfway down my kneecaps. In college, fingertip length was mini enough in my eyes, based on what I was used to. However, in the past four years, my relationship with my body has changed a lot — through the pandemic (sink or swim, babe), through illness, through cross-country moves and marriage. I’m probably reinventing the wheel a little bit in my personal discovery of mini skirts, but they remain a symbol of sexual liberation for a reason. For me, one thing that has stuck with me is that oft-quoted Nora Ephron line from I feel bad about my neck:

“Oh, how I regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year I was twenty-six. If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini, and don't take it off until you're thirty-four.”

There are some criticisms you could make of this line of thinking,¹ but on the whole it has been helpful in my body neutrality journey. I’ve been agonizing over my body for what?? So that when I have lived a full life, when I am wrinkly and floppy and sun damaged, I can feel remorse for having wasted my youth when I was young? I don’t think so! It’s completely possible that I will continue wearing short skirts into my old age, but it’s going to be much harder to convince myself to start the later I wait. If there’s ever a time to wear a mini skirt, it’s yesterday. Today is the second best day, people! Look at my legs!!

My grandma’s scarf, vintage peasant top (I just got this one from Poshmark), Everlane white denim mini skirt (ThredUp), Nisolo sandals, and the Breeze bag by PetiteKnit which, as you can see, I haven’t quite finished yet lol. Freddie.

I decided to do 9 outfits with the three mini skirts I have, going from shortest to longest. I was also kind of in a rush as it’s 80 degrees in my house and I needed to lay down, so I won’t claim this as my best work. I’m working with a basic white denim skirt from Everlane, a plain black silk skirt, and a slightly longer silk skirt with more of a flounce. Since I’m more or less just starting out wearing skirts this short, these basic options feel versatile enough that I can experiment with them, and allow that experimentation to inform the items that I add to my closet in the future.

The Cloud Top by Petiteknit, Bestie Bag by Blackbird Fabrics, Calzedonia socks, ALOHAS tennis shoes. Do you say sneakers or tennis shoes??

Kind of too hot for this one right now, but I can’t wait to pair this skirt with a navy or black long sleeve sweater in the fall.

Ah yes… the “effortless but I did have to put on sticky boobs for this which undercuts the effortlessness” summer outfit, we know it well.

Upcycled top from some shirt of my mom’s… black target flip flops 👍 tucked or untucked?

Like I said, I was in a rush, and I didn’t steam this shirt, sorry! Shirt is thrifted, skirt was a thrifted Josephine Chaus silk pencil skirt that I hemmed. Shoes are WeeJuns, bag is Fossil from high school. Ice water in my water bottle is my real indispensable summer accessory

Tank is from Target, socks are HUE, Nike Bauhaus Airmaxes

In my head I wanted to convey “dinner reservations on vacation” with this outfit. I realized I kind of don’t like the combination of a form fitting skirt with a form fitting top — it’s too reminiscent of a frat party or being a waitress at a restaurant that doesn’t respect waitresses for me. Top is unsteamed Levi’s, shoes are vintage, clutch is Prada (gasp!!)

I usually find this black skirt pretty versatile but today no inspiration was coming that I particularly liked. All good!

Fixed it! The nice thing about doing these posts is that I can try more adventurous combinations without the pressure of any particular event in mind. In this instance, I made a second attempt at an outfit and liked the evolution much better. Had to take a side pic so you can see that the flounce is a little longer and flouncier in the back.

A hat?? Why the hell not I guess

The outfit I actually decided to stay in for the day because I liked it better than all the other ones. This aeropostale shirt I got as a literal hand-me-down has been a staple for a long time, as evidenced by the elbow hole. And I’m keeping it!!

The impetus for this post was a New York Times article asking the question, how short is too short for a mini skirt, particularly in the workplace? Kind of a dumb question imo, but I can give my two cents. I have worn this last skirt^^ to two work holiday parties (this year we are getting serious about the “holiday” category of dressing, mark my words), with sheer tights and I felt like it was probably the shortest length I would be comfortable wearing for work, which is about 2-3 inches above fingertip length. Ultimately, that’s a personal decision. My coworker and I have constant conversations about what the hell to wear on work trips — for men, the formula hasn’t changed for 100 years, and for us the goalposts of looking “put together” change seasonally. This isn’t an everyday office skirt for me, but I felt like it was fine for a party. And you may recall the dress I made from the shitty Etsy pattern? Well I wore it and I think, for my comfort level of not wanting my ass showing as I walk down the street, it was a little short. I wouldn’t have known that if I didn’t try it though! People are going to fit differently on the comfort-appearance spectrum with their clothes, and for where I fall, having to think too much about my skirt that barely covers my butt is going to make me less comfortable, even if I still think it’s a cute length. The Miu Miu micro mini skirt is gonna be too short for me, but if you want to wear it, go for it.

Jenny Walton in the (infamous) Miu Miu micro mini

1. I’m thinking about the idea in feminist theory of men having two stages that they can be considered attractive, the young man and the silver fox, while women only get the one — as close to Lolita as possible, after which they expire as sexually viable. Please someone tell me what author it is I’m thinking of so I can edit this footnote, google was not helping me out!