To think 'over the knee' skirts are outdated in terms of formality?

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I have a feeling a lot of people will say i'm being unreasonable (which is ofcourse fine as we are all entitled to an opinion).

My thoughts come from being 5'0 and how I used to hate the over knee skirts I was made to wear at school or the baggy trouser equivalent as it just made me feel shorter and they don't suit my body type at all.

Why is "over the knee" seen as more formal than a skirt which is isn't over the knee? (I'm not saying skirts that look like belts btw and just about cover the bum).

I've read articles in the past about the 'over the knee' skirt being so males don't get distracted - do you think there's truth in this?

As I have got older my knees have got less attractive (not that they were ever...ahem...the bee's knees). Just below knee length is fine for me, on the rare occasions I don't wear trousers.

I double checked my DDs' uniform policy as I thought it might be over the knee, but its 'must reach the top of the knee'.

I wear a lot of skirts and for me it isn't length, but fit. There is a middle ground between the snug skirts and really loose flowy ones that I find most comfortable and professional looking to me (which is kinda odd as most suits with a skirt tend to be that snug pencil skirt thing, but on my boxy form they're dreadful and I don't really see them as formal wear).

I have short legs and I find on-the-knee to be a length that is both flattering and 'conservative-friendly'.

I'm short, and a muscular pear shape so have large calves and quads.

Below the knee does not look remotely professional on me. It looks like my mum bought it with growing room, and gives a stumpy look across the widest pary of my calves which looks ridiculous.

An inch or two above the knee to get some leg length and before my quads really get going or full long length look most flattering and neat and therefore professional.

I tend to wear thick tights anyway so that shoes don't scrape the skin off my feet because having the shoe size of the average 9yo, "professional" shoes that don't look like school shoes are also an issue.

Infact a "professional" looking outfit of white blouse, back jacket and knee length skirt is highly likely to end up with me being interrogated by a colleague for not wearing the full school uniform. I have to be very careful abou combining clothes so I'm not mistaken for a y7.

Wish I could edit those three spelling errors

@WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo

I think 30-40 was on the knee - in my late thirties she used to make my dresses and my quite conservative, mother was squeezing her face as she thought my dress was too short (on the knee) so my seamstress mentioned that at my age on the knee was still acceptable .

Possibly...whether we like it or not I think men subconsciously get distracted by legs and boobs! Even as a slummy, frumpy mummy I found any time I wore something remotely low cut it would attract quick glances downwards at my chest from most blokes in the office. I don’t think they can help it...clearly not even attracted to me they just see boobs and must look.

Sounds like a terribly sexist thing to say...I think people should wear whatever they like but it could be that below the knee was designed not to distract men...because men do get distracted.

@Bananacakes199 maybe men not 'being distracted' whilst wfh explains why some companies are keen to keep wfh long term, or why some employees want to keep doing so.

Men can help gawping, it's not something to be excused.

I've worked in both largely male offices and predominantly female offices and found more comments on what women wear in the female environment. Biggest comments on short skirts and skimpy tops from men was in the summer when they were expected to be in business suits while the women were allowed to wear summer outfits.

These days of course they could just identify as female for the summer if they wanted and avail themselves of the short skirt..