Women's Midi Dresses

A midi hem is decided by the calf. Anywhere between the knee and the ankle qualifies, but the flattering zone sits an inch or two below the widest part of the calf muscle, because a hem cutting straight across the fullest point makes the leg look shorter than it is. On an average frame that usually means 40 to 44 inches from shoulder to hem, a few inches less on a petite one, which is why the same dress reads differently on two people.

The shape carrying that hem changes everything about it. Slip and bias cuts fall narrow and fluid, pleated and A-line skirts move away from the body, sheaths hold a straight line, and tiered or shirred bodies build weight low. Fabric does the rest: silk satin and jersey swing at that length where poplin and denim hold their own shape, so the same hem reads soft on one dress and architectural on the next. Side splits and button-through fronts restore the stride a narrow midi takes away.