Much like wedding dress silhouettes, brides have a variety of hemlines they can choose from when shopping for their gown. Just like the shape of the dress (A-line, mermaid, ballgown), the hem length can also be dictated by the wedding’s style, formality and venue.
“A bride who may be getting married in a restaurant or at a courthouse may choose a dress with a midi hemline,” said Dorothy Silver, senior director of merchandising at Kleinfeld Bridal.
“A midi-length wedding dress is worn to a super high-fashion city wedding or a less formal one,” added Mark Ingram, owner of the Mark Ingram Atelier and designer of Mark Ingram Bride.
Ingram explained that ballet, intermission-length, calf and midi are four ways a designer may describe these style dresses.
A champagne-colored sequin midi-length wedding dress, “Gigi” has an internal corset for sculpted support and a draped skirt. $2,690, Katherine Tash
This David’s Bridal Collection sheer tulle wedding dress is adorned with lace appliques. $799, David’s Bridal, 153 Route 4 W., Paramus, NJ; David’s Bridal
“A midi-length dress has a hemline that falls below the knee and above the ankle. The silhouette can be a narrow column or a full skirt,” he said. “While more traditional gowns are still the popular choice for the ceremony, a dress with a shorter hemline is what brides are changing into for their second dress.”
Many of the above-the-ankle hemline dresses have a vintage look to them, with either a full tulle circle skirt reminiscent of Dior’s New Look or a narrower skirt that was trending in the mid to late ‘50s. “My mother wore that length to her daytime, informal wedding in 1955,” said Ingram. “It was the fashion then for evening dresses and bridal.”
Today’s midi-length dresses come in a range of shapes from slim pencil styles to voluminous ones. Fabrics and adornments can range too. Softer tulles and laces may feel more appropriate in an outdoor garden setting, while a mikado or charmeuse silk can be more suitable at City Hall or a private dining room. Brides looking for something with a bit of sparkle may choose an embellished-with-crystals design for a late-night after-party.
An off-the-shoulder sweetheart drop waist gown by Pnina Tornai for Kleinfeld (Style No. 5374) is in pearl taffeta with a dramatic ruffle skirt and midi hemline. From $7,000, Kleinfeld Bridal, 110 W. 20th St.
By Watters’ “Etta” is a straight-silhouette mikado strapless dress with a peplum. $623, The White Gown, 151 W. 19th St.
If you like the idea of a shorter hemline but want a more formal dress, an alternative option Silver mentioned is the high-low, which is also above the ankle at the front of the dress and can skim the floor in the back or have a train from sweep to cathedral.
An important detail about a dress with a shorter hemline is that it allows a bride to show off a pair of statement-making shoes. Last season, dresses with slits in the skirts were popular, and Silver would suggest that her brides choose a fabulous pair of shoes and show them off.
Wearing a dress with a hemline above the ankle or mid-calf is similar. “It has to be a heel,” she advised. “It doesn’t matter how tall you are. If you want to wear a kitten heel, wear a kitten heel. Everybody walks better with a little heel on.”
Jenny Yoo’s “Frida” dress is made from a textured, embroidered lace, with a strapless neckline and boning for support. $450, Jenny Yoo, 139 W. 35th St.
A strapless mikado gown, “Gigi” by Mark Ingram Bride, has a ruched sweetheart neckline and contoured bodice seams, plus a tulle skirt with mikado side-ruffled flanges at the hip. $5,690, MarkIngram Atelier, 515 Madison Ave., 2nd fl.
If you’re not accustomed to wearing heels, super-high or otherwise, practice walking in them in the months leading up to the big day. Scoring the soles of the shoes with a knife or metal nail file can also prevent slips and falls.
So important is the footwear that some brides are even choosing their shoes before they select their wedding dress, knowing the shoes will be on display all day or all night long.
“Platform shoes can look great with an above-the-ankle dress. So can a pointy-toe high sling-back style,” said Ingram. “Shoes can be bejeweled, in lace, something colorful or their something blue. Reds, golds and metallics are popular too.”
Heart and sole
Shorter styles demand sensational shoes.
Pearl-embellished block-heel sandals by Betsey Johnson feature a bow detail. $149.95, David’s Bridal, 153 Route 4 W., Paramus, NJ
These blue silk crepe “Amelie” pleated pumps by Bella Belle have a 3.5” heel and delicate bow detail. $345, Anthropologie, 195 Broadway
The Clarita Bloom Crystal 85 in pearl is embellished with crystals around the leaf toe, has an ankle strap and is finished with the brand’s signature bow detail. Also available in a kitten heel. $1,050, Alexandre Birman, 957 Madison Ave.
