Then, in 1947, a hemline change occurred. In that year, Paris decreed the "New Look" and and skirts dropped from knee length to tea length (mid-calf). This caused a serious protest - women did not like losing the freedom of those shorter hemlines.
News photo from 1947 of women's protest against new fashion skirt lengths
Patterns from the late 1940s demonstrate the return of hemlines to mid-calf lengths (tea-length).
Ultimately, the voice of women was heeded, and hemlines gradually rose closer to the knees in the 1950s. This won't be the only time women protested Paris designs. Next post, I'll talk about the hemline revolt of the 1970s. :)
