By Anirudha Yerunkar

Copyright india

The length of skirts in fashion trends is sometimes used as a signal for how the economy might behave. In 1926 economist George Taylor introduced the theory called the ‘Hemline Index’. According to this idea when skirt lengths become longer it’s a sign that the economy may slow down and when skirts get shorter it means an economic boom can come. The theory shows that fashion trends can predict economic changes three to four years in advance.
What Is Hemline Index?
This theory has been about 80 percent accurate in the past. From 1920 to 1960 knee-length and then mini skirts were very popular a period of rapid economic growth. In 2005 maxi dresses became fashionable and just a few years later the 2008 recession occurred.
Some economists still take the Hemline Index seriously because it has proven right most of the time. However it’s more an interesting story than a reliable economic indicator. Skirt length changes reflect how people feel or their mood and not what’s actually going to happen in the market.
How Underwear lipstick haircuts Were Linked To Economy?
People’s shopping patterns are always connected to the state of the economy. History shows when the stock market rises and people feel financially secure women’s clothing becomes shorter and more trendy. During downturns skirts and dresses become longer.
Economic health can also be seen in unusual places like falling sales in men’s underwear people postponing haircuts changes in lipstick sales or spending on non-essential items. These small trends reflect how full or empty people’s wallets are and a link between fashion choices and economic conditions known as the “Hemline Index.” But true economic data always comes from official reports and numbers not just from these kinds of trends.
Hemline trends have changed with economic cycles. During the 1920s and 1930s recessions hemlines became longer. In the war years of the 1940s skirts stayed about knee-length. The long skirts of 1947 were linked with the 1949 recession. The mini skirt trend of the 1960s represented youth energy cultural change and technological progress at a time of growth. Still this theory isn’t always consistent. For example in the 2008 financial crisis hemline lengths did not clearly follow the pattern described by the index.