BMI versus Skirt length

[beachlion]

My BMI is just a little under 23 but my preferred skirt length is 14" to 18". 23" would be just under the knee and I'm not sure if I would like the feeling of it. I have not tried anything longer than knee high so that would be a totally new experience for me.

[Big and Bashful]

Don't know about my BMI, but I have to admit I am a fat git! I like my skirts knee length or longer, down to floor length. This may have a lot to do with the fact that I haven't worn shorts since I was at school, anything above the knee just feels too short, also being a tall, bearded and corpulant person I think I would look very silly in a mini skirt! Traditional kilt length (halfway down the knee rather than top of) is about as high as I am comfortable with. I have a few shorter but not by much, in hot weather they are ok but I haven't tried wearing them in front of people yet, maybe one day! I still feel they are too short when seated.

[Jim]

BMI = 22 (5' 3", 125 lbs)
Skirt length 12" to 14" favorite. 16" goes to the top of my knee, and I have one 20" skirt I wear in cooler weather.

[bjones]

BMI is 30 according the link.

My favorites are between 13" and 17".

In my opinion we should all wear what we like and feel good wearing skirts. I'm sure someone out there will not like it.

[MrNaturalAZ]

I'm 5'10" 165# - according to the calculator linked to that's a BMI of 24.

I prefer knee-length-ish - anywhere from just touching the top of the kneecap to fully covering it. Sometimes even calf-length.

Interesting that the question is mostly being answered in terms of measured length of the garment. I'm sure that in reality people's preference is based more on where the hemline falls than the actual measure of the garment, as the same length skirt might end up different places for different people, regardless of BMI, and having more to do with where one wears the "waist" and the length of one's legs.

For me that ends up being somewhere in the 21" - 23" range for my usual knee-length, and about 29" for the occasional calf-length.

[Sinned]

As Carl and Tom have pointed out the BMI is a rather crude way of measuring body size. With it too many assumptions are made about the proportions of fat and muscle leading to the ridiculous conclusion that athletes ( who have very little body fat ) are considered obese! Consequently I don't use it at all and never have. I am overweight. I know that. I am 5'8" tall and at 21 I weighed 7st7lb ( 105lb ) but then I did a lot of running every day and had really good mile times of under 5 minutes. Had I the dedication I could have probably been an excellent athlete but I had other things to distract me, but that's another story. Since I now hover around 14st ( 196lb ) I am nearly double my weight at 21 ( that's what marriage does for you ). As for skirts I prefer ones just above the knee and I suppose those around 19" to 20" are about right, although I do have skirts from 14" to 36".

[dillon]

I don't know, but it seems leg length should have more influence on deciding yor preferred skirt length than would BMI. Of corse, personal preference is the main determinant. Some of us like only long skirts while others will wear things that can only be called miniskirts. I, myself, like skirts that fall just above my kneecaps, but also have some both shorter and longer.

[crfriend]

I don't know, but it seems leg length should have more influence on deciding yor preferred skirt length than would BMI.

Personally, I suspect it's more down the ratio of torso/head length to leg length being the main determinant of what might look "good" to an onlooker given a set length -- and the key here is not to think about absolute length, but rather relative length.

This is where a lot of women's sizing fails catastrophically. Take, for instance, a statement about a skirt: "Falls mid-knee". Great. How tall is the buyer? What is the ratio of upper/lower (torso-and-head/legs, with or without heels)? There's no information to go on really. If the absolute dimensions of the garment were published it'd be trivial, but they never are.

As far as where the hem falls, and looks good, that's going to be down to lots of factors. Many of these have been explored for the gals, because as we all know it's only the gals who wear skirts. Blokes are out in the cold and on their own in this regard. My own experimentation, and public commentary, seems to point up that I have the wrong body-type for miniskirts; this torques me off a bit because it's a style I'd like to explore, but if it's not something I can carry well, then perhaps it's best not to.

I know a fair number of guys who are long in the torso and quite short, relatively, in the legs -- and I cannot imagine how a skirt might work on them without looking comical (sometimes even shorts do).

[skirted_in_SF]

This is where a lot of women's sizing fails catastrophically. Take, for instance, a statement about a skirt: "Falls mid-knee". Great. How tall is the buyer? What is the ratio of upper/lower (torso-and-head/legs, with or without heels)? There's no information to go on really. If the absolute dimensions of the garment were published it'd be trivial, but they never are.

Frankly, that's why I buy my skirts at Lands' End. Sometimes they publish the exact lengths, if not I click on the assistance link on their site and ask the person who responds. It only takes a minute. If all else fails, I have a person who will shorten for under $10.

[pelmut]

I know a fair number of guys who are long in the torso and quite short, relatively, in the legs -- and I cannot imagine how a skirt might work on them without looking comical (sometimes even shorts do).

A long skirt worn with the waistband fairly high will give the impression of longer legs; the question is how to keep it there if the wearer doesn't have a concave waist at the right height.

A dress solves this problem very neatly by taking the weight of the garment on the shoulders; that allows the waist to be drawn in at any height that gives the desired appearance, regardless of the actual position of the hips (underlying corpulence permitting). One possible solution with a skirt would be braces [Am: suspenders], but they would need to be well hidden or the effect would be even more comical.

[Big and Bashful]

I don't know, but it seems leg length should have more influence on deciding yor preferred skirt length than would BMI.

Personally, I suspect it's more down the ratio of torso/head length to leg length being the main determinant of what might look "good" to an onlooker given a set length -- and the key here is not to think about absolute length, but rather relative length.

This is where a lot of women's sizing fails catastrophically. Take, for instance, a statement about a skirt: "Falls mid-knee". Great. How tall is the buyer? What is the ratio of upper/lower (torso-and-head/legs, with or without heels)? There's no information to go on really. If the absolute dimensions of the garment were published it'd be trivial, but they never are.

As far as where the hem falls, and looks good, that's going to be down to lots of factors. Many of these have been explored for the gals, because as we all know it's only the gals who wear skirts. Blokes are out in the cold and on their own in this regard. My own experimentation, and public commentary, seems to point up that I have the wrong body-type for miniskirts; this torques me off a bit because it's a style I'd like to explore, but if it's not something I can carry well, then perhaps it's best not to.

I know a fair number of guys who are long in the torso and quite short, relatively, in the legs -- and I cannot imagine how a skirt might work on them without looking comical (sometimes even shorts do).

Carl, you have seen photos of me skirted, I am long in the torso, mounted on fairly ordinary legs. My 6 foot 3 is on legs which are not excessive. A 40" skirt on me is around floor length, depending on how high up my "beer gut" I have the waist. OK I don't do the mini skirt thing, I am a bit corpulant for that! I've never thought I looked comical, but then again I wouldn't. Do I? Honestly, do I?

[crfriend]

Carl, you have seen photos of me skirted, I am long in the torso, mounted on fairly ordinary legs. [...] I've never thought I looked comical, but then again I wouldn't. Do I? Honestly, do I?

Absolutely not. You look perfectly fine. Kilts tend to override this sort of problem, and as far as outright skirts go, we seem to share a geometry that favours longer ones over shorter.

I suppose I'm just a wee bit envious of those who can pull off short looks with aplomb. But as I can't really change my own geometry (save by fiddling around with heels) all I can say is, "More power to those that can!" and to everybody else, "More power to you for having the guts to conqueror your fears, put on something different, and have it work well!"

[Big and Bashful]

I have to admit that over the years I have been on this forum, I am not convinced of the look of a mini skirt on a male, that is one reason I wouldn't wear one, aside from the fact that I am the wrong shape. However, a few here have posted pictures with mini skirts who make them look really good, it seems women haven't quite got a monopoly on shapely legs.

Personally I don't put a skirt on because I look good in it, I don't really think about appearances as long as I don't look too outlandish. On the other hand, If a man likes the feel of a mini skirt, why not go and wear the things! It takes a bit of courage to wear any skirt in a lot of places, might as well wear one that you enjoy wearing!

[Sinned]

I wear above knee skirts and don't give a hoot about what other people think. Funnily, MOH says that I have good legs and feet and she loves looking at them ( but not enough to like me wearing skirts that show them off )!!!! So, even though I am not particularly tall, my "good looking" legs mean that perhaps I suit a shorter skirt. Had MOH not been so antagonistic about my skirts I would have posted some pictures on the site a long time ago, so until I can you'll have to take my word for it. I don't think I look vastly overweight as my waist measurement is in the 34/36" region and I don't have an overhanging gut. I suppose that now that I'm getting used to wearing a skirt and learning to be a bit more savvy about them then I'm favouring one that is just above the knee rather than nearer to a belt. And plmt as far as getting the skirt to stay in place, at whatever point on my torso that I hang it, I use a radical invention called a belt, irrespective of whether the skirt has belt loops of not. As my weight has increased over the years I'm used to wearing trousers that are a bit tight around the waist so having a tight belt to keep a skirt in place is no different, only the skirt is more comfortable.

[Big and Bashful]

I completely agree with the tight belt, not that I have much choice. I have a few exceptions, my long skirt from the Historical Emporium (or whatever they call their site) has great elastic and holds on really well. I have another couple with decent elastic, but most of the elasticated waists are pathetic, if you are convex rather than concave at the waist a belt is a necessity. (Is there a spelling checker on this site? I am not sure of a couple of spellingks, that answers that, there isn't!)