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Liz Jones: Midi skirts aren't just for supermodels with legs like flamingos and they'll be autumn's biggest trend

The midi skirt is the sleeper hit of the summer. Net-a-Porter has revealed it is selling 10 per cent faster than any other skirt shape and Asos has just reported a 200 per cent rise in midi sales on this time last year.

Yet the exact length of the midi skirt has confused some designers — and wearers. Below-the-knee is not a midi. Nor is something that skims the ankle.

A true midi — which I predict will be even more popular this autumn — reaches at least four inches below the knee, stopping just below the fattest part of the calf.

The true midi can be seen on the catwalk of Victoria Beckham: for summer, in an orange drop waist skirt, and for autumn, with a brown wool and velvet dress.

A true midi - which I predict will be even more popular this autumn - reaches at least four inches below the knee, stopping just below the fattest part of the calf as seen at Victoria Beckham (L) and Dries Van Noten (R)

In fact, barely one garment was sent out by the Twiglet for next autumn that was not a midi, and very sexy and sophisticated it all looked, too.

It can be a wonderful length. But it can also be dowdy, if styled in the wrong way.

While a flowing maxi skirt can look wonderful and laid-back with flats for summer (please show some toe cleavage, as otherwise it can all look a little too covered up), a midi looks wrong with flats.A mistake, too, is a pair of shoe boots: unless you are a supermodel with the legs of a flamingo, the effect of both worn at once only serves to shorten your legs.

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I think an A-line midi (as seen at Stella McCartney) or one with box pleats, or a very Fifties voluminous skirt nipped into a tiny waist (as at Emilia Wickstead) has just too much fabric going on. Modern women, habituated to wearing skinny jeans and bodycon dresses for the past few years, will feel swamped, and fat.

A split in the skirt is good, as this gives a hint of flesh. The fabric of a midi is super important: anything too thick and stiff will not sit well. If you go for something tweedy, it has to be super soft. A fluid jersey is better. No broderie anglaise, no tiered gypsy skirts, no linen.

A soft pencil shape is best, as seen on the catwalk at Derek Lam — he made this length sexy, pairing his sleek skirts with stomach-revealing crop tops. Whatever you do, and this is important, do not choose a midi skirt that sits high on your waist: it will be overpowering, with too much fabric.

The modern way to wear a midi is low on your hips: if you find a skirt you love, buy it one size too big, so it sits low-slung.

Avoid too much print, as again, all this fabric will only make people want to draw you across a nearby window, or sit on you.

So who is buying the midi? Well, according to Net-a-Porter, My Theresa, Whistles, and M&S, it is not just those among us who want to avoid showing our ageing knees when we sit down, but  20-somethings, too. They tend to favour dramatic A-line shapes in bright colours.

Topshop has lots of what it calls ‘ankle-grazing’ skirts: if you are not ready for this  longer length, try one of its knee-length skirts with an added sheer panel at the hem, for less than £40.

Whistles has a black, split skirt midi dress for just £65, which is perfect for work, while Miss Selfridge has a black halter neck with peep hole for evening, just £26.

My favourite is a pink print dress in stretch jersey, with long sleeves and boat neck by Lipsy, £45: very Mary Katrantzou.

Or why not go vintage? The heyday for the midi skirt was the early Seventies, when it was produced as a backlash to the mini (I had a brown PVC midi mackintosh, and still have a pale  pink Jean Muir midi coat, which is perfect for weddings).

Visit oxfam.org.uk for budget options, or atelier-mayer.com if you have more cash to splash.

I doubt this look will ever catch on with petite women, who will just look overwhelmed, or with the sort of bronzed young strumpets who attended Essex Fashion Week a few days ago.

But for the rest of us, the midi is a sexy cover up that is making a comeback.

Come autumn, your knees will well and truly be history.

LIZ JONES SPIES ON: GAP, KNIGHTSBRIDGE, LONDON

I used to love Gap. Sixteen years ago, and for the next ten years, I bought my nephew many

understated, well-made, durable outfits from here.

But now it is a sea of stripes, and maxi T-shirt dresses, and drawstring sack dresses, and too-short jackets. The only item I vaguely wanted was a canvas beach bag with sequin detail, £34.95.

While there are myriad styles and colours of jean, including a skinny jegging for £44.95, if you are going for budget denim, you can find it much cheaper elsewhere.

And the service is appalling. I was carrying three dog beds and a laptop, and when I asked the sales assistant if she could hold the beds while I browsed, or place them behind the counter, she refused, saying: ‘You have to keep them with you.’ ‘Well, I won’t be able to try things on,’ I said, and she  shrugged.

I chose a pair of denim jeggings, and slung them over my arm while I looked around. The childrenswear seems too twiddly, the menswear is tired, and the shoes awful.

I left the shop in despair, unsure why I set all the alarms off. I continued down the street, and only when I changed arms with my loads did I discover I still had the jeans. No one had chased me.

I returned to the store, to place the jeans in the arms of another sales assistant, explaining my mistake. She didn’t even smile, or say thank you.

Only earns points for the beach bag and for the fact I am not currently residing in a police cell.



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