The Skirt Length Theory

Crashing Down! (and up and down again).
In chapter 4 of The Long (and Short) of It, I write about the Skirt Length Theory, an outdated way to measure the economy based on the length of women's skirts. So I was surprised to see this clip on YouTube from a 2006 video called History's Hidden Engine about that very topic, even though today’s economists and historians pretty much agree that 21st-century styles, which see hemlines at every length, make the Skirt Length Theory entirely obsolete. I haven't seen the whole film, but there's some great footage in this clip: dancing flappers, early catwalks and decades-old fashion shoots.

Here's my take, from Chapter 4 of "The Long (and Short of It): the Madcap History of the Skirt":
Since the Depression and the subsequent finicky nature of hemlines through World War II, the height of hemlines has been used as a barometer to determine the outlook of the stock market. Though market analysts didn't pick up on the connection at the time, the Skirt Length Theory, an indicator of market value and consumer behavior, was born. The thinking behind the theory goes that shorter skirts tend to appear in times when general consumer confidence is high, and when hemlines fall and skirts are worn longer, the overall outlook is gloomy and fearful. (The same goes for lipstick sales, according to Leonard Lauder, the chairman of Estée Lauder.) In 1971, hot pants were the rage, and the advice at the Dow Jones was, "Don't sell until you see the heights of their thighs!" Now, in the 21st century, with hemlines all over the place, the Skirt Length Theory serves only as a cute colloquialism of the past.

On the TV ... today!

I just found out that I'm on the History Channel today on a show called "The States". It airs nationally at 2 pm...so be sure to tune in!

From what I've been told (the show originally aired in June), I'm only on for a couple minutes--if that--but I had a lot of fun taping the segment. I met the producer when I was visiting my friend Jeri Callahan (aka the Houseboat Lady) on her houseboat in Lake Union last July. She was filming a bit for them about houseboat living and when they met me and heard about The History of the Skirt, they invited me to contribute to the show (I'm sure the fact that I was lounging around in a bikini had nothing to do with it!). We met the next day at Top Pot Donuts and they set up this elaborate filming area and we chatted about my fabulous life working as a freelance writer in Seattle. All in all, we taped for about an hour, so I'm anxious to see what was included!

The States, 2 p.m., The History Channel

Update: My scintillating "segment" aired for a mere 3 seconds not 3 minutes and none of it was about my book! But as my friend Dave pointed out, all of Eastern Washington hit the cutting room floor and I got 3 seconds, so I didn't do too badly.

The skirt may be the next fad

Well, this is exciting news. Reuters reports yesterday that the skirt may be the next big clothing trend, following the eventual waning of the ubiquitous dress. I actually love wearing dresses as much as skirts and blouses, particularly in cold weather--keeps the waist warmer!--but it would be nice to see choices of both in stores. Why does it always have to be one or the other: skirts or dresses?

"The skirt is such a conversation. All the stores are talking about it -- 'Will it hit, when will it hit?'" said Krissy Meehan, head of wholesale sales for Urban Outfitters Inc's Free People line.

"Everyone's stocking skirts just to see what happens. Everyone's playing back-up," says another buyer.

The article then goes on to say that skirts might not be the next trend: The Next Big Thing just might be pants or...shorts. Pshaw!

Read the whole article here:

Tune in July 1!

This Sunday July 1 at 9 pm EST (6 pm PST) I'm a featured guest on "Inquiry" on 90.5 WICN, a public radio station in Boston/New England, and you can go to their web site and listen in. (Or tune in, if you're in the area)

From the WICN website:

Inquiry struts down the catwalk this week with two conversations devoted to fashion. First, Ali Basye takes us through the ups, downs, and ever-quirky designs of the skirt; from hobbles to poodles, to the mini, midi, and maxi. Then Cheree Berry uncovers the amusing history of the brassiere with her brand new, you guessed it, pop-up history book. At 9 p.m. Inquiry talks with fashion and travel writer Ali Basye about the ups, the downs and the ever-quirky design of the skirt. From panniers to bustles, from hobbles to poodles, the mini, the midi, the maxi and even the micro-mini, Ali talks about them all in her book "The Long and Short of It: The Madcap History of the Skirt."

The caveat is you need to download Radio 365 to listen but I think it might be a pretty interesting show so it's worth it, right? Seriously, this interview (recorded last month) was one of my better ones, primarily because the host Mark Lynch was really engaged and asked interesting questions. He actually read the book and even better: He liked it! I myself am looking forward to hearing how the segment shaped up--should be a fun one!

Seattle Bride on Northwest Afternoon

Thanks to everyone who called or wrote encouraging notes regarding my segment on Northwest Afternoon on 6/21 promoting Seattle Bride. (Yes, I think they should have given us more time, too!) But I think my 6 minutes of fame went well and I was really happy to promote the ten or so vendors (10 vendors in 6 minutes!!) who generously put together props and products for the show. It didn't hurt that I loved everything that was on stage with me, so if I seemed relaxed and natural it was only because I was talking about stuff I really like!

Hopefully I'll learn how to post a video soon (I have a painfully slow learning curve when it comes to learning computer stuff) and everyone can enjoy the magic.

Also yesterday was Seattle Bride's 5th Annual Best of Bride Party, and I have to say it was the best one ever. Reasons being that we have a really hip and innovative marketing and promotions crew (hi Rachael and Elizabeth!) who put together a terrific set-up and kept things going smoothly and organized and the venue (Pan Pacific Hotel) was fantastic. I have pretty neutral reaction when a new hotel opens because they're all super nice and they all give good service and have a good restaurant and offer luxury bedding and conference rooms with the latest in high-tech AVA equipment and blah blah blah, so how much can you say about it? But the party space at the Pan Pacific is gorgeous, with a super-cool balcony overlooking southwest city view, big windows and high ceilings, lovely colors and landscaping---I'd recommend it to anyone and I'd certainly get married there in a heartbeat! I meant to bring a camera and take snapshots and naturally I forgot, but if you want to see pictures from it you can visit the Team Photogenic web site in a couple of days and take a looksie.

cupcakes, KONG toppers and more

After days and days of clothes shopping and trying on dozens of different outfits, toying with my hair and makeup (yes, I thankfully decided green eye shadow would definitely NOT work on HDTV) and rehearsing flower pronunciations like crazy, I finally taped my Best of Bride segment for Northwest Afternoon on KONG. And the good news is, it was really fun and went super smoothly! As usual, all my worrying was for nothing because everyone at the station was so friendly and relaxed that they put me at ease right away. Plus it's so stupid to worry about being "perfect" for TV. Everyone I've ever met who works in TV or other glamour jobs in this town are so down-to-earth (not a trace of Faye Dunaway, a lá Network, at all!) As for what I wore, I always feel like I should wear a skirt these days, to subliminally promote my book in some way, but this was for Seattle Bride so I let the skirt rest and hit up my old stand-by, Anthropologie, and wore striped pants and a jacket. I love that store! It never fails to serve me in a pinch.

Another reason it was ridiculous of me to stress out is that the segment was all of six minutes. In real time, those six minutes simultaneously went super quickly and seemed to last forever (especially when I realized I couldn't remember any of the flowers in the gorgeous bouquet Athina at Athena Flora made for the show--even though they were mostly roses and peonies). Other corrections: Trophy Cupcake is NOT on Queen Anne but in Wallingford, and--most importantly--all those amazing dressmakers and mannequins were generously loaned to Seattle Bride by Joe at Northwest Mannequin in Green Lake and I forgot to credit them altogether. I'm so bummed about that because Northwest Mannequin is a super cool place that more people should know about. I won't lie: It is pretty creepy walking into a dimly lit room FILLED with every size, shape, color and gender of mannequin you can imagine, but the whole scene is so macabre that it eventually grows on you. So if you need a dressmaker or dummy, go to Northwest Mannequin!

The amazing thing was--despite a few flubs--I managed to fit a ton of Seattle Bride "best of" information into those 6 minutes. We covered:

• a gorgeous Cicada corset and fishtail skirt---stunning!
• an Elsie Katz Couture gold floral number that is out of this world! I must have it!
• Vera Wang from Voletta Couture--need I say more? It's a perfect work of art.
• Trophy Cupcakes and vintage party favors. I'm obsessed with this place--and I didn't even know I LIKED cupcakes!
• artisan chocolates from Theo and Chocolate Vitale--holy cow! Could these guys have given us MORE chocolate? Both places hooked us up with so much chocolate I'm guessing the studio audience STILL has the jitters! (I know I do--look how long this post is!)
• stunning, stunning bouquets from Athina--you can always count on her to do "camera ready" work--and John Gardner at Aria Style. His green and ivory bouquet had mint leaves and poppy buds, among other funky Northwest flora. I've got his bouquet in front of me right now and it's a piece of art and smells wonderful. Amazing.
• a HUGE shimmering cake from Bonnie at New Renaissance. It was coated in opalescence(!) and dotted with dropped sugar teardrops!
• cake toppers from way-cool Mike Leavitt including a KONG topper in the likeness of Kent and Natasha. How way-cool is that? Kent loved it. I wish Natasha had been there to see it.
• the golf club at Hotel 1000 as the best new place to have your bachelor or bachelorette party.

The segment airs at 3 p.m. on 6/21 on KONG, for anyone who wants to tune in, and (eventually) I'm going to attempt to post my six minutes of fame here, but given that I've had this blog for 4 months and still haven't figured out how to post pictures, this latter video-posted-on-blog plan might be a pipe dream (do they even call them videos anymore?)

Long and Short picked for American Profile Magazine!

It's been a while since I posted but The Long and Short has gotten a ton of great press lately: my hometown paper The News Journal, my college alma mater magazine, a bunch of other newpapers, and a number of terrific radio stations had me on as their guest. Another cool thing: I'm seen on the History Channel's program, The States, that aired on May 28--just a tiny little segment but an appearance nonetheless. And this week I'm happy to report that American Profile Magazine picked The Long and Short as one of their "Our Picks" reading reviews. You can see it here