The hemline moved this fall. In Italy, nothing moved at all.
The runways really did move
The knee turned up on enough fall collections to get called a change of length. Fendi, Gucci and Michael Kors among them.
Same skirt, two answers
Put one skirt on two women of the same height. One leg reads long and unbroken. The other reads short. Nothing is wrong with the skirt.
The hem has one job
Stop where the leg is getting narrower. Never across the widest part of the calf. That is the whole thing.
Why the good ones have a slit
A long, narrow hem is beautiful and stops you mid-stride. The slit gives back exactly the walking room the length takes away.
Find your landing
Stand barefoot, find where your calf stops being wide, and see how far your hem is from it. Usually not far.