Advertisement

How old is too old to wear a mini skirt?

Diane Kruger louis vuitton Jodie Foster Charlotte Gainsbourg - Getty Images
Diane Kruger louis vuitton Jodie Foster Charlotte Gainsbourg - Getty Images

Can we talk about legs? Specifically getting them out in mini skirts and dresses, which, after years of modest, tasteful midis, are back in style again.

Personally, I’m delighted. There’s something so youthful and flirty and rebellious about them and I can’t wait to revive my old minis. I have a black silk shirt-minidress in particular that’s at least a decade old and a very low-key piece, yet probably the sexiest thing I own. It was my go-to first date dress when I was single and living in New York.

Actress Diane Kruger shares my enthusiasm. She wore an ultra-short Louis Vuitton dress (or maybe it was a top - even she wasn’t sure) for a dinner hosted by the label during Paris Couture Week on Tuesday. Her mother wasn’t so keen though: “My mother told me tonight that I’m probably too old to wear this short of a dress [sic]” she wrote on Instagram. “F… THAT!!!”

At 44, Kruger is hardly old - and in any case, this is a woman who once played Helen of Troy; she’s no ordinary 44-year-old. But we should all take inspiration from that attitude, because, in 2021, there is no such thing as being too old to wear anything anymore.

Take multi-Academy Award winner Jodie Foster, 58, who wore an above-the-knee A-line skirt to receive her honorary Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday. Or supermodel Amber Valletta, 47, walking the Off White runway show in Paris on Monday. Or Gwen Stefani, 51, in her Vera Wang bridal minidress for her wedding to Blake Shelton on Saturday. As for director and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, 49, miniskirts are practically a uniform.

I realise all of these women are very slender, and that some may be put off of trying the trend because they don’t love their legs. Most people who have hang-ups about their legs (or arms, or any part of their body) will find that their ‘weird knees’ or ‘cankles’ or ‘cellulite thighs’ often go unnoticed by everyone except themselves. Worse still, these insecurities are so deep-rooted, they will stubbornly dismiss any suggestion to the contrary as false flattery.

That’s not to say wearing a miniskirt is easy: In winter, I rely on black opaque tights not just for warmth but for their leg-lengthening and slimming properties. Black ankle boots with a low-to-mid heel add to this effect. In summer, high hemlines are a little more labour-intensive, requiring depilation and some kind of tanning product (again, it makes the legs appear slimmer and more toned). I’m happy to wear my minidresses with Birkenstocks or Converse trainers, but a low block-heel slingback or mule can do wonders if you’re not sold on baring your legs.

Confidence is the real essential ingredient in successfully wearing a mini though. It’s never going to look good on someone who is yanking at the hem all day, anxious that they are showing too much leg - you’d never catch Kruger, Valletta and co at it.

That brings me to my next critical piece of advice. Take your mini to dinner, out dancing or on holiday, but leave it at home if your workplace is quite formal - you don’t want to spend the day feeling overexposed every time you get a cup of tea.

Those caveats aside, I urge you to give it a try - whatever your age or body shape. The summer of 2021 is all about liberation, and what could feel more liberating than a flippy, thigh-skimming skirt? If in doubt, just ask yourself WWDKD (What Would Diane Kruger Do): She’d say, she didn’t care what her mother thought, and would wear it anyway.

For more news, analysis and advice from The Telegraph's fashion desk, click here to sign up to get our weekly newsletter, straight to your inbox every Friday. Follow our Instagram @Telegraphfashion