Ready to Wear: My other half is of the opinion that, in a long skirt, 'you look like a village idiot'

They say that skirt lengths rise when business is booming, in which case, only an almighty dose of collective wishful thinking might explain the fact that the spring/ summer collections, which came to a close last week, featured almost unanimously thigh-grazing designs. This autumn, however, a more pragmatic approach – Vogue calls it "the new austere" – decrees that skirts are more fashionable below the knee, falling to the ankle, or even so long that they form pretty puddles of fine fabric on the floor.

Of course, some designers' aesthetics dictate that this is always the most dignified way for a woman to dress. Junya Watanabe and, even more so, Yohji Yamamoto are champions of a long, romantic silhouette, as opposed to an overtly sexual one. And Dries Van Noten (below) and Ann Demeulemeester also understand the allure of suggesting a female body under clothing, rather than handing it to the world on a plate.

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This season, however, the big brands are also proposing a more discreet view. Everyone from Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent to Dolce & Gabbana (yes, Dolce & Gabbana!) are offering a longer line.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that heterosexual men struggle with this particular look. They think (God bless them) that ankle- or floor-length garments are only ever worn with a bonnet. My own dear other half, meanwhile, is of the opinion that, in a long skirt, "you look like a village idiot – like Stevie Nicks". He doesn't mean that in a good way.

Still, even a less philistine fashion-follower would do best to follow certain time-honoured principles where this style is concerned. For those not in possession of a body like the proverbial matchstick, the secret to pulling off this silhouette is to search it out in soft fluid fabrics. A stiff, tweed circle skirt is clearly to be avoided by anyone with womanly hips, as is anything fluffy (bouclé wool, say), or even, where colour is concerned, just pale. Dark colours are more flattering (but we knew that already).

Straight, long skirts have more than a hint of the sexy librarian about them (Chanel does a great sexy librarian just now). A full, mid-calf length is more dramatic, even poetic, in effect, but still more severe than anything bringing the droopily bohemian 1970s to mind.

In the end, whatever one's body shape or preference, the truth is that anyone who likes to cover their knees would do best to shop now – come January, long and lean will no longer be an even remotely fashionable option.