YOUR LEGS ARE back in style. Eclipsed for countless seasons by knee-length and three-quarter-length skirts and dresses, and worn in the ’90s almost exclusively by porn stars and punk rockers, the mini-skirt has emerged from a decade’s latency.

Minis these days are short — think Sarah Jessica Parker’s Calvin Klein number at the Oscars. But that does not necessarily mean bad news for those who haven’t visited the gym all winter — most of the skirts you’ll find in stores aren’t skin-tight. Many are A-line, like the French Connection’s dark denim stretch mini ($49). If that bores you, there’s always the Nicole Miller denim mini with three-inch brown-fur trim ($29.99) on sale at Filene’s Basement. But if you’re not in the mood to spend a lot of money or shove people aside for a sale, check out the mini-skirts at Express. Most, such as the black polyester one with a leather-cord belt, sell for $29.50

If it’s bending over that worries you, Naomi, a leggy salesclerk at Allston Beat, divulges her solution: when she wears a mini, she also dons a pair of hot pants underneath. That’s probably a good idea with the black mini ($30) that has side zippers and blue-glitter, Andy Warhol–ish Mötley Crüe decals. But some designers have already taken this concern into account; the green-camouflage mini ($32) from Contempo Casuals, for example, has built-in shorts so you don’t have to worry when you drop your T change on the ground.

Want to get those legs in quick shape? Go to www.sephora.com to try BlissLabs’ Serious Cellulite Seaweed Soap ($11), which claims to “cleanse, slim, tone, and fight cellulite.” But if you’re still hesitant to wear a micro-mini, then don’t bother: the mini-skirt is all about attitude, and having fun wearing something risqué.

“It should really be tight,” says Naomi.

“Yeah,” chimes in Shaun, a manager at Allston Beat, with a wry smile. “Tight is good.”

• Allston Beat, 348 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 421-9555

• Contempo Casuals, 11 Winter Street (Downtown Crossing), Boston, (617) 695-3590

• Express, Copley Place, 100 Huntington Avenue, Boston, (617) 536-9751

• Filene’s Basement, 426 Washington Street, Boston, (617) 348-7934

• French Connection, Copley Place, 100 Huntington Avenue, Boston, (617) 424-1819

Issue Date: April 26-May 3, 2001