This eternal question arises again and again with the onset of cold weather and the season of outerwear. Let's try to figure it out and consider different examples.
Zara
What should be longer: skirt / dress or coat? Disputes on this topic are conducted regularly, and opinions can be heard very different, up to the opposite. And all because there is no single answer to this question. You need to decide in each of the specific cases. A lot depends on what kind of skirt / dress it is and what kind of coat it is. Equally important is your own style, proportions, preferences and views on fashionable rules. Consider the main options for combinations and examples - and you can draw conclusions whether they are suitable for you or not.
Zara
Fashionable skirts for the fall-winter 2019-2020 season: 6 trends
Coat and dress / skirt of the same length
Atlantic-Pacific / Zimbio
A variant considered canonical: a skirt or dress and a coat of the same length. Of course, this combination looks very neat and emphasizes the fact that the kit was made with special attention and taste. But let's face it: in order to always look like this, it is necessary either that all the skirts and dresses in the wardrobe are of the same length, or - that a separate coat is attached to each skirt and dress. This does not happen too often - so let's move on to the following options.
halliedaily.com / WhoWhatWear
Fashionable down jackets winter 2019−2020: 7 trends
Dress or skirt shorter than coat
Stylecaster / Styleoholic
Another combination that can be called traditional: a coat is longer than a dress or skirt. The option works without fail in cases with a coat of midi or maxi length.
WhoWhatWear / Mango
If the outerwear is longer than the knee, and the skirt or dress is even shorter, it is better to balance the image with high boots or tight tights (and in the winter season it is better for both).
World Outfits / mywonderfulworldket.blogspot.fi
How to wear a long skirt in winter: versatile options
Dress or skirt over coat
Zara / hypebeast.com
Finally, the combination that causes the maximum amount of controversy: a dress or skirt is longer than a coat. Can a coat be shorter than a dress? Of course! But there are details and nuances.
Nuance 1: proportions
To make the combination of a long skirt or dress with outerwear look harmonious, you should first of all pay attention to the proportions.
For example, a long midi or maxi skirt, as a rule, looks good with a short coat, down jacket or fur coat.
UnikWe Boutique / Laney Boots
If the skirt or dress is only a few centimeters longer than the coat, harmony is also not broken:
Stylecaster / Mango
A more significant difference in length also has a right to exist. If in doubt, you can use this formula. Try on a coat with a skirt or dress and compare the distance from the waist to the bottom of the coat with the distance from the bottom of the coat to the bottom of the dress / skirt. It is good if the hem peeks out from under the coat no more than 25–33 percent (by a quarter, maximum by a third), if you count from the waist. So the coat, even shorter than the dress, remains the most significant element of the image, and a harmonious proportion is preserved:
Whowhatwear
The most controversial option in terms of proportions is the combination of a skirt and a coat, when the hem is visible more than a third (counting from the waist):
Mango
But in these cases, the image can be made more harmonious. About this - below.
Coat haute couture fall-winter'19−20: 56 examples from the catwalk
Nuance 2: cut and silhouette
The second important point is the matching of silhouettes and cut coat and skirt or dress. The most obvious example of dissonance is in the photo below: a combination of a straight cut coat and a fluffy or flared skirt. With an open coat, such images can look great, and if the buttons are fastened, harmony can be broken:
Atlantic-pacific
You can fasten the coat only on the top buttons or wrap it and grab it with a belt, leaving the skirt in full view.For a daily look for the winter, this way of wearing outerwear, of course, is not always convenient. But if the coat needs to be matched to alongside for a special occasion - a fully working and original option:
Atlantic-pacific
It’s easier to combine a coat and a dress or skirt with similar silhouettes:
Styleonme / mango
Pattern of the month: a cozy woolen coat with a belt (and its competitors!)
Nuance 3: color and tone
Another nuance that will help bring the combination of a long dress or skirt with a coat to the ideal is color harmony.
If the shades of the dress and coat complement each other well, the image looks solid and with the proportions preserved, and even with a little disturbed, as in the right photo:
Stylesgap / Mango
If the colors of the coat and the peeping hem are contrasting with each other, you can choose the boots to match the skirt or dress:
Zara / fendi
Or vice versa, maintain the color of the coat with the color of the shoe:
WhoWhatWear / @gittabanko
Black coat: classic out of bounds and conventions
Summary
gosto-disto.com / shinysquirrel.typepad.com
To summarize and consider the examples, we can summarize: there is no definitive answer to the question of what should be longer, a coat or a skirt. Different combinations can look good, and if in doubt, there are ways to extend the image and make it more harmonious. But if you have assembled a kit that does not fit into any formulas and canons, but at the same time you like it and it seems solid - wear it to your health. The ability to emphasize individuality and come up with a comfortable image is more important than following fashion rules, and the ability to beautifully break these rules is a special talent.
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