The Hemline Theory

" I -- the market as you know it's up it's doubted slots all over the place but how can -- really tell the direction our economy is headed it's called friends that I am lying theory and it claims you can predict. The stock market by keeping an eye on -- women in skirts. That's what Clinton's been doing for years or is it a wave of women. Women's skirts play Davis already search. He -- barker is a retail analyst and former style writer for Forbes magazine and Forbes dot com -- that joins us this morning to take this deep inside the headlines -- a good morning to you -- morning a casino at this theory says it says that for instance let's take a look at the 1920s right boom time in this country everyone was have a good time you know Great -- time in this country people drink and having fun headlines. Short. Right who is any truth to this."

" Every little bit if he -- Gigabeat during the twenty's. The boom time yes it was during the territories it really to have my got sort between 1946 and 1929. So -- imagining this -- in 1920 and 1926. To -- pretty long eluded me. Longer jackets longer shirt so it wasn't until the entire twenties at the -- lines were short. Okay what about let's -- forward to right now do you find -- there or longer hemlines not that our economy is struggling in the market is struggling as well. No actually if you look at the runway all of the skirts are super super short. And shiny which is kind of like an eighty's disco club. And that there's some designers that are doing a little bit of a longer -- for the most part most designers have super short -- out there so."

" Is this a reflection then life -- doing sociologically about the way we think about fashion women saying you know what. It's a tough economy I'm just gonna go out there and show off comedy show and I'm not gonna hide myself so you're shooting a hole in this online theory."

" I think fit in general people just want to feel good in about a economy but I don't think that there's a correlation between well that's a bad depression as Skype. Economy and word recession we're gonna have longer have -- people who want to cover up they want to get out there and so there staff for the most part snow and -- with designers it's a really a trend -- it's not necessarily having."

" Anything to do with the economy so this is what -- we'll put that graphic back up against sterling if you could take a look at this 1930s. Great Depression longer dresses then perhaps 1940s I was a bear market tough time longer dresses boom time 1960s that's when. That's -- favorite time in the last century when the mini skirt made its first appearance so what say you it sounds like this theory holds."

" Apparently well well V then longer skirts and the Great Depression -- that's just again a trend. Shorts ghost ship -- I'm sorry for her and shorts go short short short and then they have nowhere else you got they have to go a long long long that this is all. This is all of cyclical pattern fashion is cyclical right in 2007. We saw very short skirts on the runway right. Really short short short I was wearing them I still wear them I kind of love them and now that. That love and that and now there in and there's still -- it. You got your drive."

" find a new reason to be looking at skirts so much now that she's blown a hole this theory. Your big trouble and do some more research he's done so that you brought the whole my theory -- tire burst the bubble does he differ -- via retail analyst and former star writer for Forbes magazine and Forbes dot com thanks so much for coming --"