The Skirt to Leg to Shoe Ratio: Part 3

Now, girls, I know not everyone is friends with the mini. It took me a looooong time to even consider incorporating this garment into my wardrobe. Now that I’ve befriended it, I do adore it. However, if you simply cannot go there, that is totally understandable. There is breeze. There is the potential for the exposure of knickers. Portions of your upper leg usually reserved for intimate encounters or for swimming are shown to the world. Hopefully you aren’t so fearful of leg-exposure that all your skirts are ankle-length. But if your shortest skirts hit just above your knee, you are in good company.

For the purposes of comparison, however, do take a peek at these:

Wow. What an unflattering shoe the flat has turned out to be! Even with maximum leg exposed, I don’t look my best. My hips look wide, legs look squat, and even my waist seems thicker than usual.

A much better option for my beloved red cowboys. With my upper thigh exposed, you can see that my legs are NOT shaped like doric columns. They do, in fact, have curves and contours!

Also good. Since both boot and leg are visible, all the appropriate curves and proportions can be discerned. The low heel on these gives me more height than the cowboys, too.

As you may have gathered, I’m a huge proponent of the mid-height heel. It doesn’t have to be a skinny, unwalkable spindle – just something to elongate those gams and add an inch or two to your height and posture. This pair is by Tsubo, a company mainly known for making trendy, sinfully comfy little sneakers. They’ve only designed a few pairs of non-sneakers, but they did a fan-freakin-tastic job of translating that comfort level over to this pair of heels. I could walk to Vegas and back in these, I swear. And just look how nicely they accentuate my legs!

For the completely anti-heel or those with chronic foot pain, a wedge can work nicely, too. Since many wedges include a slight platform, you get some bonus height, plus a nice incline that will elongate your legs. All minus the teeter-factor that comes with heels!

Speaking of skinny, unwalkable spindles … this is a combination you’ll never see on Sal in the wild. But for the purposes of this exercise, just take a gander. Man, I look awesome. Maybe I should practice walking in those … beh. Sadly unlikely.

So! Hopefully you’ve gained some new knowledge about the skirt to leg to shoe ratio, a helpful rule of thumb when assembling a non-pants outfit. As is the case with all style “rules,” there will always be exceptions. Sometimes you’re more interested in looking edgy or being comfy than you are in appearing sleek or skinny or fashion plate-y. Sometimes you’re just going to WANT to wear flats, or buy a skirt that hits you mid-calf, or pair your denim skirt with your clunky red cowboys. And that is completely fine.

But as you can see from this series of photos and posts, items of clothing that are totally gorgeous on their own can be dicey if paired with certain other items. When you’re getting dressed, don’t consider each piece in a vacuum: make sure you weigh how they play off of each other.

I’m fairly certain that human perceptions of style and beauty are based almost entirely on symmetry and proportion. Symmetry is mostly down to genetics, but proportion you can control. Aside from your waist – which you should always attempt to define and accentuate – you may be better served creating a balanced figure than trying to emphasize your smaller or skinnier bits. It may seem counterintuitive to add bulk where there is none, but it can be key. I, for instance, have broad hips and average-sized feet. Shoes that make my feet appear tiny make my broad hips look even broader in comparison. It’s for this reason that I shun anything that gives me dainty ballerina feet: bigger feet look better with my bigger hips. I look normally proportioned, instead of like Fun House Mirror-Sal.

You, too, will look and feel better if you take the time to consider the proportions your clothes and shoes are creating!