The Hemline Index is a theory presented by economist¹ George Taylor in 1926. It is an idea that suggests women's hemlines fluctuate and can even indicate macroeconomic performance. The higher the hemline, the better the economy looks.

 

裙摆指数（hemline index）是由经济学家乔治•泰勒在1926年推出的一种理论。这种理论认为女性裙摆长度变化能够预测宏观经济的走向。裙子越短，经济形势越好。

 

The theory suggests that hemlines on women's dresses rise along with stock prices. In good economies, we get such results as miniskirts (as seen in the 1960s), or in poor economic times, as shown by the 1929 Wall Street Crash, hems² can drop to the ankle almost overnight.

 

裙摆理论认为，女士们裙摆的长度是跟着股票价格波动的。经济状况好的时候，满大街都是超短裙（比如上世纪60年代）；而经济不景气的时候，比如1929年的华尔街大衰退，裙摆可以在一夜之间长及脚踝。

 

Most designers mirror that viewpoint, that the economy has little effect on what they present. But that is hard to argue, when designers almost unanimously moved to a black and neutral color palette as Lehman Brothers failed.

 

很多设计师都反驳这一观点，认为经济对他们展示的时装风格没有太多影响。但同时他们也承认，在莱曼兄弟破产的消息传出后，设计师们几乎不约而同地开始使用黑色和中性的色调。

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