Midi

A midi lands on the calf, anywhere from just below the knee to above the ankle. The older name tea length covers its longer, dressier end. Of the named bands this one moved from dowdy to directional most recently, and it now anchors fashion-led dressing in a way knee-length does not.

The calf is treacherous ground for a hem. Stop the fabric at the widest point of the muscle and the line cuts the leg where it is thickest. That visually shortens it. Stop just below the knee or down near the ankle taper and the length reads elegant. That is what matters most with a midi: two inches of hem placement decide the outcome. So this length depends more on your specific leg than any other.

Compensations exist and work. A heel lifts the calf and restores the vertical line, and a front or side slit reopens the leg the hem closed. The bias cut, fabric cut diagonally so it drapes close and fluid, keeps the volume from adding width. Flat shoes ask the most of a midi, so if you live in flats, favor the longer end of the band and lighter, moving fabric.

Find the widest point of your calf before you shop. Stand in flats, run a tape around the calf to locate it, then measure how far that point sits from the floor. A hem landing within an inch of that number is the one to skip. A maxi covers the ankle and shortens your stride, while the midi keeps both free, and where knee-length reads correct, this length reads current. Hem facing is the strip of cloth turned up and stitched inside the hem. It fails first on cheap midis, curling after two or three washes and pulling the line crooked.