As The Economy Heads South, So Go Our Hemlines

In an interesting piece by our favorite New York Times contributor, Bill Cunningham, he takes to the streets to show some trends that he witnessed about the time that the economy started to fall. He noticed what a lot of fashion theorists agree is a signal of hard economic times: when the economy starts to take a dive, so do women's hemlines. Now, noting that most young women still wear shorter hemlines, most of us take a slightly more conservative approach when the going gets tough.

Now, as Bill states in his piece (and we agree), the hemlines aren't as low as they had been traditionally, basically because we work now and we need to move it. There are plenty of ways to be somewhat demure with your hemline without looking like you need to star in a black and white movie. We fell in love with the white and grey dresses featured in his piece and while we can't yet locate the exact dresses, this Black Halo Off Shoulder Camilla Sheath Dress in White ($425) and their Black Halo Keyhole Ruffle Sleeve Sheath in Ash ($345) are interesting takes on the originals for our wardrobes.

Some other options? Try this recession-friendly Light Grey Sheath ($39) as a great day-to-night option. And we found two more from Black Halo, plus one from Nanette Lepore.

Hey, if being a little demure will help get this economy back on track, we'll do our part. Besides, it's really too cold to show your knees right now anyway.