Follow Kate Middleton’s Lead and Take It to the Knee

April 08, 2014

For many women coming out of college, the thought of wearing knee-length skirts and dresses feels completely unnatural. You’ve just spent four years gallivanting around your respective school’s main green in denim cut-offs, and now you’re expected to dress like a lady? No thank you.

But once you enter the workplace, a few extra inches at the hemline make a big difference. Don’t think of this as what you’ll lose (visible thigh), but as what you’ll gain (gravitas).

Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage

Take Kate Middleton, for example, who was apparently recently ordered by the Queen to start lowering her hemlines. While I might be a bit miffed to have to follow style directives from my husband’s grandmother, I will say, the queen’s advice is paying off. Kate looks more elegant than ever.

On a recent visit to New Zealand, she wore a red dress that hit just above the knee and a structured coat that hit just below. Do we miss the few inches of leg she might have otherwise shown? Not a bit.

Then again, she’s probably regretting not sporting a giant butt tattoo like her Maori host, but there’s always next time.

– Tory Hoen