article_snippet: The Hemline Index was established by economist George Taylor at Wharton School of Business in 1926, when he noticed a correlation between good times and short skirts.
article_snippet: When the improved economy was good women would wear higher hemlines to show off the more expensive hosiery compared to rough times where the skirts would become longer so women could hide women cheap stockings.
article_snippet: Autumn/Winter 2015 collections from the biggest fashion houses saw high hemlines at Topshop, Julien MacDonald and Giles - while flares were also a big hit, implying there is money to spend on additional material.