Midi skirts, with the hem length given in centimetres

There is no such thing as a midi length

This sounds like a quibble. It is the most useful thing on the page.

The dictionary defines midi only as a dress, skirt or coat that usually extends to the mid-calf. It defines maxi only as a long skirt, dress or coat, with no hemline position at all and no measurement. The standard clothing terminology reference lists the lengths, micro-mini, mini, tea length, ballerina length, full length, midi and maxi, and supplies no definitions and no measurements whatsoever.

So the only definition available is relative to your calf. Which means midi is height-dependent by definition, and the same skirt genuinely is a midi at five foot nine and nearly a maxi at five foot two.

That is why two of the biggest retailers in this market advertise midi in their page titles and neither gives a hem measurement anywhere on the page.

What to measure instead

Waist to hem, in centimetres, taken down the side of the skirt.

Here is roughly where a given hem lands, by height. These are our own figures based on the skirts on our rails rather than a published standard, so treat them as a guide.

At five foot two, a 70cm hem sits just below the knee, 78cm lands mid-calf, and 90cm is close to ankle length.

At five foot six, 70cm sits above the knee, 78cm just below it, and 90cm at mid-calf.

At five foot nine, 78cm is above the knee, 90cm lands below it, and you need roughly 100cm for a true mid-calf.

Ask us for the measurement of any skirt here and we will give you the actual number.

Pleats, and how they behave

Knife pleats are pressed in one direction and give a flat, sharp line. They hold their shape but they show a press mark if the skirt is stored folded.

Box pleats are folded away from each other and give more volume at the hip.

Sunray pleats radiate from the waist, narrow at the top and wide at the hem, and they move a great deal when you walk. They are usually set into a lightweight fabric and they are the ones most likely to drop out of shape if washed wrongly.

Pleated skirts in synthetic fabrics generally hold their pleats permanently because the pleats are heat-set. Pleats in natural fibres are pressed in and will soften with washing.

Fabric

Satin here is usually a weave rather than a fibre, so check whether it is silk, viscose or polyester, because they behave completely differently in the wash. Silk satin is typically dry clean. Viscose satin has the lowest elastic recovery of any fibre and low appearance retention when wet. Polyester satin is the most forgiving of the three and the least breathable.

Denim skirts follow denim rules: cold wash, inside out, and heat destroys any elastane in the blend.

For viscose generally we have not published a shrinkage percentage, because no credible source gives one.

Sizing

Three Danish brands here, Munthe, Stella Nova and Stine Goya, plus Italian Ottod'Ame and British Vivere, which despite the name was founded in 2023 by Savannah Miller.

Skall Studio puts Italian 40 at a UK 8. Baum und Pferdgarten, which you will find in other categories here, puts Italian 42 at a UK 8, a full size apart. Ottod'Ame publishes no chart we could retrieve. Convert from your waist in centimetres rather than trusting a label.

Skirts are more forgiving than trousers on the hip and less forgiving on the waist, so if you are between two sizes, size to your waist and have the hip taken in if it needs it.

On Rixo and rental

Rixo is stocked here to buy. We mention it because Rixo rental is a live search in Ireland, and if a one-wear occasion skirt is what you need, hire may genuinely be the better call.