hemline

[ hem-lahyn ]

noun

1. the bottom edge of a coat, dress, skirt, etc.
2. the level of this edge as expressed in inches from the floor:

   an 18-inch hemline.

hemline

/ ˈhɛmˌlaɪn /

noun

1. the level to which the hem of a skirt or dress hangs; hem

   knee-length hemlines

Word History and Origins

Origin of hemline¹

First recorded in 1920–25; hem ¹ + line ¹

Example Sentences

Much like skirt hemlines, which supposedly get shorter in boom times and lengthen when the economy teeters, office holiday parties have never been immune to the flux of the broader corporate world.

From New York Times

So, the dress, which also featured a higher hemline, became a formal and universal choice of attire amongst women.

From Salon

For months, the government largely looked the other way as bare heads proliferated across Iranian cities, hemlines got shorter and more Western-style clothing appeared in the streets.

From New York Times

Such practicalities are also at play in the Second World War when it's a shortage of material, not fashion, which keeps the hemlines high.

From BBC

A series of frothy dresses with sheer panels and satin trim falling into stiff, wire hemlines closed the show in a flurry of peach, sage, pink and yellow.

From Seattle Times