I have traveled to Europe many times but here is maybe a new question.

With the "new" capri length of 17 inches do you think this is acceptable to wear if you are entering a chuch? I wore capri's last time but the short hits me below my knee and wondering if I can get away with wearing those to Italy next summer.

What do you think?

Wear capris, not shorts. It's not a matter of what you can get away with, it's showing respect in places of worship.

Pardon me, I posted too quickly! The shorts/capris need to come down well past the knee, not just cover them.

Interesting. If capris must come well below the knees, not just covering them, is the same true of a dress or skirt? Is one that is just covering the knees considered disrespectful and inappropriate?

I'm just glad that France is not like Italy in that department. There is no dress code for churches in France.

Hi K,

As long as you are covered from shoulder to knee the length of your garment doesn't matter.

>There is no dress code for churches in France.

So my speedo is acceptable?

Yes, since 1789 and the confiscation of all places of worship by the French government. Religion got slapped down a second time in 1905 with rigorous laws regarding the separation of church and state (the clergy was thrown out of schools and hospitals, among other things.

Now, the various religious groups have learned to tread lightly.

Of course, this does not apply to Alsace-Moselle, still under German religious law.

(I should add, of course, that the notorious fashion police who are often mentioned here, will nevertheless keep an eye on inappropriate attire such as white athletic shoes.)

The below the knee and covered shoulders rules are enforced at the Vatican, but I don't remember any "enforcers" anywhere else.

However, regardless of your beliefs (I am not a religious person myself) it is just good manners to show respect for some of the most revered places in the world. So Karime2, I think it is nice that you are concerned about your capris. If your knees are covered, you're OK. Just don't forget to wear something that covers your shoulders or bring along a shirt to cover them while in the church.

Charnee

Depends how nice your legs are.

The covered shoulders is enforced in Florence. Having been to Italy many times, I know better, but one afternoon a couple of years ago, I was roaming around alone. I saw a church that I had never seen and went in, never thinking about my sleeveless blouse. I was immediately met by a priest who politely asked me to leave! I was so embarrassed!

I'm interested in who designated 17" the *new capri length.* First off capris are a certain length and it is illegal to change that. And just from my modest experience of measuring many many bodies, the average above-the-knee skirt length is around 18", and for models can be as much as 23". Not that I'm criticizing or insinuating anything, but how tall are you?

Fidel--I think the OP means walking shorts and since when has it been a legal issue to change anything as far as fashion goes?

BTW, pant length is measured by the inseam unlike a skirt, which is measured from waist to hem. A 17" inseam is not even close in length to a 17" skirt, it is much longer. Capri pants tend to range from 20-25" inseam, ankle length is 25-28". An 18" skirt would be a mini skirt for a model (assuming you mean tall woman) or an average height woman, a 23" skirt is close to knee length, just above if one is tall or depending on the rise of the skirt. In general, what is called a knee length skirt is 23-26" long.

I was just kidding about illegality.

And I was just measuring from the waist and have never seen women's pants marked by inseam. So what you're saying is that a 17" IS would satisfy the church requirements (sounds like pedal pushers, not capris).

Knee length skirt 23"? I must be working for munchkins because that's usually mid- or below knee...but I cut only custom. Are you a designer cherrybomb?

We were in many churches in Italy last spring and a few of the students I was travelling with wore shorts (knee length) and were not stopped from entering. However, one of the girls forgot a sweater to cover her arms (she was wearing a sleeveless top) and she was turned away at the door.

Fidel--

The 17" would be fine for coverage it would hit below the knee--a gaucho length, for those who still remember that name/style A standard walking shoet has a 9-11" inseam if getting technical.

Woemen's clothes are measured in inseams now, typically premium denim or higher end clothing runs 33-35" inseam.

Yes, I worked in fashion in a previous life--buyer/model/fit model, currently just a clothes horse.

Thank you all to has replied to the post.

The headline at least calls these shorts as that is what they are. They aren't capris (17&quot.
33-35" is not the length of high-end designer anything (unless you are giant model, I suppose). I am about average height for a woman (5'6&quot and wear about a 30-31" inseam of pants that cover the top of my shoes. I don't have abnormally short legs.

cherrybomb, somehow you said something wrong there. Like Christina, I can assure you that any woman who wears slacks with a 35 inseam must be something like 7 feet tall. Perhaps you mean "outseam" measured from the waist, but an inseam is measured from the -- well -- from well below the waist!

No, they are making pants with a 33-35 inch inseam. Most women have to have them taken up. That is also why you see the style of slim fit jeans scrunched around the ankle--they are too long, though somehow improper fit became fashionable. I assume because most people don't tailor their clothes as ready to wear=ready to wear, not ready to wear after some tailoring. Also pants are made longer to accommodate heels.

I am 5'9 and wear a 34" inseam--I am hardly a giant. For example: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/...PANTS_TROUSERS
nearly all of the pants start at 33", tall is 35".