Modern Living: The Midi's Compensations

The midi skirt is ungainly, unflattering and unwarranted. But it is nonetheless a fashion fact. Rebellious consumers have raised voices, but the hemlines have stayed down: the fall collections include hardly a mini. Still, the new lengths offer compensations, sometimes by baring the bosom, often—in a sudden, gratuitous flash—by revealing the upper thigh. Zippers and buttons, snaps and laces—all open a variety of ways designed to persuade girls, and girl watchers, that all is not lost.

Ultimate in Zip. The wearer need only decide how much or how little she wants to reveal; fasteners...