The long and short of it

Turning 40 might seem like a sensible time to cover up but it looks as though women are more likely to show off their legs as they get older.

New research has shown ladies will carry on wearing miniskirts until they are 45 - and will go for a shorter hem than women in their late thirties.

The average skirt length for a woman aged 34 to 40 is 36cm, dropping one centimetre as they reach their mid 40's, the Debenhams study revealed.

Forty and fabulous: Jennifer Aniston, 43, and Halle Berry, 45, show off their toned legs

Women in their late thirties like Kate Winslet, 36, Victoria Beckham, 37, and Christina Hendricks, 36, are more likely to wear longer hemlines than women in their early forties

The retail chain put the change down to newfound confidence as women get older and celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, 43, and Halle Berry, 45, leading the way in daring to bare their toned legs.

Unsurprisingly, women in their early twenties wear the shortest skirts with 23 as the age at which they women reveal the most leg.

As they settle down however, the length drops to 37cm in their mid twenties and interestingly goes up again as women hit their late twenties - probably on the hunt for a husband.

Best leg forward: Pixie Lott, 21, Kristen Stewart, 22 and Tulisa Contostavlos, 23, wear their minis with pride

As women hit their late thirties, they prefer to cover up again, wearing on average 36cm dresses, the same length as girls in their late teens.

Victoria Beckham, for instance, has forsaken her mini skirts for much longer dresses - and even her own collection of clothes reflects her preference for a more modest hem.

Skirt lengths drop completely as women hit 49 and those over 60 prefer a maxi-style skirt or dress.

Covering up: Michelle Pfeiffer, 53, Madonna, 53 and Julianne Moore prefer to wear below-the-knee dresses

SKIRTING THE ISSUE: HEMLINES THROUGH THE AGES

AGE	HEMLINE (cms)
20-23	32
28-34	34
41-45	35
16-19	36
34-40	36
24-27	37
45	46
49	52

Even toned Hollywood stars such as Madonna, 53, and Julianne Moore, 51, prefer to cover up on the red carpet.

The same study was conducted in 2009 and revealed women would only wear a mini skirt to the age of 40 - five years earlier than today.

The mini skirt was 'invented' in 1964, by British fashion designer Mary Quant.

A Debenhams spokesperson told The Sun: 'British women are still in love with the mini-skirt.

'It shows that women now have an increasing confidence in their bodies and are happy to dress accordingly.'