Look at My Knees, Just Look at Them

The mullet dress. It’s a thing. Named after the much-maligned hairstyle, the mullet dress has an asymmetrical hem that’s longer in the back. Usually much longer. This creates a silhouette that highlights one’s knees. Your knees! As if that’s a feature to which one would want attention drawn. I’m not saying that over a certain age we should all cover our knees . I’m just not in favor of giving mine a frame like they’re the frickin’ Mona Lisa. I would be all over this space dress if it weren’t for the wonky hemline.

“They” don’t call it a mullet dress, because that’s no way to sell a dress. It’s called a hi-lo hem. Say “hi-lo” to the 2030s, where everyone will be laughing at the 2010s and our mullet dresses.

 

 

As usual, there’s a tiny window of execution where this style works. My newsfeed was full of prom pictures last weekend, and wowsa, those high school seniors looked killer great in their strapless mullet dresses. Really! I do worry, however, that they’ll age about as well as my Gunne Sax prom gown did.

If you’ve got great knees, or otherwise think that this look would work for you, here are a couple of hi-lo hems that I thought respect the trend without being a victim of it.

 

 

 

The jacked up hemline on this Felicity and Coco jersey tank dress is a lot more subtle. You wouldn’t look ridiculous sitting down, as if you had brought a built-in picnic blanket.

While not exactly subtle, there’s something about the mullet hem on this retro navy dress that works. Maybe it keeps the white ruffle from feeling too twee? Or perhaps it’s because the inverted “U” shape is balanced by the bodice trim. In any case, it works.