hemline

American  

[hem-lahyn] / ˈhɛmˌlaɪn /

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.

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hemline British  

/ ˈhɛmˌlaɪn /

noun

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

   knee-length hemlines

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Etymology

Origin of hemline

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

Example Sentences

He taught himself to adjust hemlines and make other alterations.

From The Wall Street Journal

"In the 60s she was wearing some quite short hemlines, little tailored suits, the colours - everything really speaks to that era," she adds.

From BBC

Beginning during World War I and reaching never before seen just-below-the-knee heights in the middle of the 1920s, women’s hemlines rose from the ground and haven’t dropped that low again since.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hangers carrying cotton trousers roll past us on an automated line, moving from one station to the next as the elastic waist is inserted and hemlines are finished.

From BBC

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