The hemline index is a theory that was pitched by economist George Taylor in the year 1926 and it essentially states that the trending hemlines of women’s dresses and skirts fluctuates with the economy. Taylor says that the length aligns with the economy’s measure of gross domestic product (GDP) and stock prices. The theory suggests that the shorter a hemline is, the better the economy is doing, and the longer a hemline is, the more the economy declines. Before the hemline index was founded, skirts and dresses had a pretty common baseline of long and to the floor. The Roaring 20s came along and women started to gain a bit more independence. In the 1920s, the economy reached an incline and hemlines started rising.
In the 1920s, the flapper style gained ample popularity with hemlines hitting above the knee and drop waist styles. This new style was a contrast to the usual corseted and long dresses that were the norm before. The Roaring 20s came to a halt during the 1929 stock market crash, triggering The Great Depression. The joy and upbeat nature of the 20s faded, and people were not only financially modest but fashionably as well. Those hemlines went right back down as the economy hit a wall. The financial worry and labor uncertainty of the time showed through fashion.
The 1940s rolled around and the hemlines shortened by just a little due to women becoming more essential to the workforce during World War II. The economy became stronger, and concurrently the length of women’s skirts became shorter. Skirts and dresses began to sit at around knee length so that women could maneuver and partake in physical labor. By the year 1947, Christian Dior introduced the “New Look.” The New Look was the pinnacle of post war fashion, combining the previous 19th century cinch waist with voluminous skirts.
The 1960s arrived and so did the miniskirt rage. The “Chelsea Look” as they called it, was what popularized this new and bold style. Mary Quant was the pioneer for the Chelsea Look and promoted it towards a young, energetic audience. Quant got her inspiration from the dancers, musicians, and modernists of the time. The extra short length was an indicator of the boom in economic growth. There was a massive turn in economy and culture with the Chelsea Look.
Then, the 1990s was hit by a 3-year recession. There was a resurgence of the midi and maxi skirts. The 1990s is known for its amazing production of classic romcoms, and haven’t you noticed the costume design of the era? In movies like She’s All That and 10 Things I Hate About You we see the main characters in skirts that are longer in length. Kat Stratford from 10 Things I Hate About You is one of the most recognizable characters from the 1990s and her style consists of flowy midi skirts and slip dresses with more neutral and muted colors. The financial uncertainty during the recession brought in a more innocuous sense of style.
Today, I’m not sure if the hemline index can be applied considering how fast we cycle through trends now. In the past, a certain hemline could take precedence for almost an entire decade, but today things come and go a bit too fast. In contrast, the micro mini did begin to become very popular in 2021, which is when we saw a rise in the stock market by 27% after the initial Covid-19 crash. Although the hemline index could be a little shaky to apply today, it still could be used on a basis-by-basis case.