Summer Fashion Trend: Short Skirts & Mini Dresses
Sasha Pivarova in a D&G mini dress.
If you’ve been keeping up with the posts here on CF, you might think that I have a serious case of memory loss after reading this one. That’s because I just talked about the long dress trend a few weeks ago, and now I’m going to talk about another equally hot summer trend – super-short skirts and minidresses.
This isn’t a case of forgetfulness on my part – it’s just a taste of the fashion industry’s sense of humor. Yes, it’s true: two completely contradictory looks can both be “in style” at the same time.
While the above might be a little frustrating, here’s the good news: you don’t have to pick a side on the hem-length debate. To me it’s like choosing between chocolate and vanilla ice cream – you don’t have to pick when you can just get twist!
Hem lengths are a perfect example of fashion indecision that’s fun to play with. This summer, whether mini is your thing, or you’d rather wear a long dress, fashion is offering you options. I recommend taking advantage of them all!
Short Skirts & Mini Dresses
You’ve already heard all about long dresses for summer if you read CF on a regular basis, but now it’s time to learn why short skirts and dresses are just as fabulous, if you aren’t already loving them.
Short dresses and mini skirts are the perfect clothing for summer. You can throw a mini dress on over a bikini with flip flops for day, or wear one with layers of necklaces and heels for night. Short skirts are great too – you can wear them with longer sleeved tops to cover up your shoulders without feeling too hot, or rock them with a simple tank and jewelry for an effortlessly cute outfit.
My favorite part: leg-baring styles allow you to show off your great (hopefully faux) summer tan!
Runway Inspiration
While bare legs are always a mainstay of summer fashion, they’re especially fashionable this year. That’s because they were all over the Spring 2008 Ready-To-Wear runways. Here are a few examples of the designer looks (photos courtesy of Style.com):
Roberto Cavalli:
Givenchy:
Luella:
Marc Jacobs:
Proenza Schouler:
How To Wear Short Skirts & Minidresses
While this trend is super-hot, it also has the potential to look super-slutty and super-unflattering if worn wrong, which is never cute or fashionable. Keep your look high-fashion and classy with these easy tips:
- Know your body type. The mini skirt’s greatest strength and weakness is that it shows off your legs. If you have great legs, why not flaunt them? If that’s one body part you’d rather not bare all the way, wear a skirt or mini dress with tights or decide not to wear them at all. It’s better to feel confident in your clothes than wear something you know doesn’t flatter you.
- Apply self-tanner. Even ladies with legs that resemble Heidi Klum’s can still benefit from this step. Tanned legs automatically look slimmer and more toned, which is essential if you’re wearing a mini dress or short skirt. My favorite self-tanner is Tan Towel brand.
- Balance the skirt out. Wear something baggy up top if your skirt is tight. This is a fashion proportion basic, and a good way to safeguard against looking slutty as opposed to fashion forward. If the skirt is tiny and tight, wear something loose that covers you up a little more on top. I like loose racerback tanks from American Apparel for this purpose, but any loose top will do.
- Get high – with your footwear. Wear some type of heel or open sandal, not a sneaker or ballet flat. A flat shoe with a short skirt makes your legs look shorter and wider than they normally would, which is not what most girls want to do to themselves. Heels lengthen your legs and make you look skinnier and more modelesque. For a really trendy look, rock a short skirt with a gladiator heel.
Trendy Mini Skirts and Dresses Under $50
If you’re loving this summer trend, here are some cute mini dresses and short skirts to fit a college student budget. Yes, that’s right – all are under fifty dollars. Who says fashion can’t be affordable?
Mini Dresses Under Fifty Dollars
From Left: Tweed Tube Dress – $26.99 at Charlotte Russe, Single Shoulder Minidress – $24.80 at Forever 21, Mesh High-Neck Dress – $32.50 at Wet Seal, Elena Floral Dress – $22.80 at Forever 21, Chiffon Tier Dress – $27.80 at Forever 21
Short Skirts Under Fifty Dollars
From Left: Floral Mini Swing Skirt – 19.80 at Forever 21, Plaid Mini Skirt – $16.99 at Charlotte Russe, Animal Print Miniskirt – $17.50 at Wet Seal, Ditsy Tiered Skirt – $22.99 at Charlotte Russe
What Do You Think?
Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, tiny skirts and mini dresses are definitely here to stay in fashion.
Are you liking these super-short pieces, or would you rather not show so much leg this summer? Do you think long dresses or short dresses look better?
Let me know your thoughts by taking the poll below or, as always, discussing in the comments.
[poll id="19"]
Posted on on July 7, 2008 / Filed Under: Trends / Tags: D&G, Dresses, Givenchy, Luella, Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, Roberto Cavalli, Summer 2008, Trends
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Stephanie
Fabulous!
Thank god you’re back with another article…I was beginning to experience symptoms of CF withdrawl! = )
Monique
I love leg bearing looks. I find myself straying away from mini skirts this year and favoring the short dresses instead. I have found an endless amount of many dresses that I love.
Emma
I’ve been loving being able to find so many great dresses this year! It’s hard not to buy them all!
I didn’t realize short skirts with ballet flats would make you look wider – I’ve definitely been doing that! Oops?
M
Love both looks. I think short dresses are a little more feminine though and it’s easier to stay away from the trashy look.
Unfortunately, I don’t have great legs. :(
Zephyr
Stephanie – I know! I’m glad to be back too – I’ve been working so much over the past few weeks that I haven’t had any free time! My dad started a new business and has been guilting me into working there, but thankfully he hired someone else so I’m free again to work on CF (what I really wanted to do anyway.)
Monique – I agree actually. Mini dresses are so cute! I’m getting back into skirts now though. I bought a few from American Apparel that are so basic that they go with everything.
Emma – Well, it really depends on your body type. In general, it makes you look wider, but if you’re tall and thin anyway and have skinny legs, then I wouldn’t worry about it.
M – I agree. Worn wrong, skirts can look trashy very easily. Also, if you don’t have the best legs, don’t worry – knee length skirts are really cute and classy as well. Also, self tanner really does work wonders – I speak from experience!
lauren
i also think it’s funny how the fashion industry loves to choose two extremes for its trends.
I think this trend takes a little more “guts” to pull off than a maxi dress, but it can really be quite flattering. & not wearing ballet flats is a good point, i’m already short & i like the extra leg & length of wearing a mini and heels.
xoxo
Cory
I love that D&G dress at the top.
I like the dresses better than skirts, too. They seem fun and sexy but less trashy.
However, I’m probably going to steer away from this trend and lean toward knee-length skirts and dresses instead. My thighs aren’t the greatest, sadly.
Zephyr
Lauren – I totally agree that it takes guts to wear this trend, but on the right person it can look so great. And yeah, I think Kate Moss is really the only person who looks great wearing a mini and ballet flats. At least sandals show some of your foot so they don’t cut your leg line off so much.
Cory – That D&G dress is fab, huh? I’m sure Forever 21 will knock it off soon, though, so we can pick it up at a real-person price :)
Flüge Australien
I love the models:) The blue dress by Marc Jacobs is very sexy.
Always In Style
That lavender Cavalli dress on the right is so gorgeous – kind of reminds me of Marchesa. Very romantic and flirty – hope Forever 21 knocks that one off!
Kate
I’ve always been a fan of mini things, probably because I had a doll house growing up…but is there a way I could wear a mini dress year round?
angie
i love all the short dresses! lately i’ve been shopping around online a lot and i found this site shopgoldyn.com they have such great stuff i got the cutest short dress that i’m in love with and best part is i got free ground shipping which is always a plus!
Zephyr
Kate – Haha, I had a dollhouse too! Maybe that’s why I like mini stuff as well. And to wear a mini dress year round (depending on where you live, of course), I recommend layering it under tights and a cardigan. If you want to have fun with it, you can go with colored tights or glittery ones! American Apparel makes great tights.
R.
I have to disagree with the bit about not wearing flats with short skirts. Yes, heels lengthen your legs more but honestly, they can get a little slutty for some (wedges tone down the skank factor though). I think flats are so chic with minis, as are flat embellished sandals.
Lyd
This article is great, i have different styles of mini dresses, and i like to put then under opaque tights (since its winter in my area) or under knee length leggings (if its hot). Pointed flats are the better, since they elongate the legs and look more stylish in my opinion (it works for me), as opposed to heels.
Angelica
I’m all about flaunting your legs, but those models in the pictures do not have great legs. Are they encouraging starvation diets?
daniela
i love the short dresses and i have to agree tights and leggings underneath look great like i just bought this adorable strapless short floral print dress that i found on shopgoldyn.com and i can totally see myself wearing it with some colrful tights to make it more funky.
Zephyr
R. – You know, I actually hear ya on the skank factor. While those of us who follow the runways don’t see heels and tiny skirts as skanky, I know a lot of older people do. I think it really depends on the shoe you wear though. If it’s a stripper heel, prepare for mean looks in your direction. If it’s a cute peep-toe pump, I don’t see why it would be skanky. And it makes your legs look a lot better than a flat shoe would.
Lyd – Hmm, I like your idea about the pointy toe flats! I don’t have any but might need to pick some up.
Angelica – Aw, be nice to the models. They’re not encouraging anything, they’re just wearing the clothes. I put them on here to show examples of runway looks, not to encourage anyone to starve themselves! The readers here are way smarter than that.
Daniela – Yes, yes! Colorful tights are my favorite thing ever right now, along with some glittery silver/black ones I got from American Apparel. They make even the most basic dress so much better!
Jay
I love, love, love that marc jacobs dress! those beads go really cute with the dress. if youre looking to accessorize, check out premiumpearl.com. They have some really awesome pearl jewelry and we all know pearls go great with anything!
Scott
I think honestly this is too much these women are not really role miodels. How can people be this thin. Its not reasonably puls their pearls are probably not real.
Zephyr
Jay – I agree, it’s really cute.
Scott – Umm, no one claimed that “those women” were role models. They were just photos of the clothes. That’s what this article was about, in case you decided to just skip over it without reading (which it looks like you did.) Also, I have no idea what you’re even referring to about pearls.
Eddie
How about actually paying for an advertisement premiumpearl.com?!
Who would trust a pearl company whose marketing plan is spam? Comment spam – that is what they do. Do a search for their name on Google. You see it over and over again.
PremiumPearl.com Sucks! PremiumPearl.com, a company that spams will usually scam.
candice
I love this look! I just have long legs so I have to be extremely careful with this look, cause I easily end up looking like a slut. :D I want to try the maxi dresses too, but aren’t they kinda hot?
amber
Is this look still okay for ‘09?
Grace
Ok, its going into fall now, and I’m so glad you posted the how not to look like you are a…..err…you know what i mean. And how to look fashion forward. That tip rocks. Because that was a main concern with this look. AT least for me.
Jenny
I wear flats quite a lot with short skirts, because I’m not really a jeans person. However, I think that dark flats with dark, opaque tights can actually work quite well. It’s rather modest and the dark works to slim down your legs a fair bit.
The self tanner thing does strike me as a good idea, but what would you do if the rest of you is, well, incredibly pale? Would it look out of place?