Fashion 87 : Designers Survey Up-and-Down Sides of Hemline Issue

Some stores are demanding “wearable lengths” for spring, say L.A. designers whose clothes are shown here. David Hayes, for example, is shipping many skirts at 25 inches long (which is mid-knee for a Size 8, he explains). “We’re sticking with a length that just grazes the knee. I think shorter skirts are peppy,” he adds.

Helga’s bright cotton flower-print dress also hits the knee, as do most of her spring outfits.

And Travilla’s denim strapless with petticoat and bolero jacket stops just above the kneecap.

Ruben Panis’ black-and-white taffeta party dress, with puff sleeves, hedges the hemline question. In front, the hemline hits the knee. In back, it swoops upward to let a fluff of black petticoats show.