I don't know what fingertip length is. Is it 1/2", or 1"?
A hemline became too short for me only after I observed signs of aging. Although I wear a size medium (at 5'9), over time my knees developed fat deposits (my SO thinks I am crazy), and I can see that my upper legs jiggle a bit when I walk. My muscles used to be toned. So because I don't like how my knees look and I don't like the jiggle, I feel more comfortable wearing skirts that hit at the knee. But, if I'm wearing opaque tights that hide everything, then I can go shorter by a few inches.
In the summer when it is too hot to worry about anything, instead of wearing shorts that are considerably above the knee I don't worry too much if the skirt hits 2 inches above. But, this is for casual day wear and I wear the shorter skirts (cotton casual) with flats. The shorter the hemline, the flatter the shoes for me. I will wear high heels with knee length hemlines or longer (or with pants) if I am dressing up to go somewhere.
As I approach my 60s, I feel increasingly uncomfortable dressing like a young woman. A lot of styles that are shorter are in my eyes more suitable for women in their 20s and 30s than women my age. It doesn't mean I cannot be stylish, I certainly don't dress like a grandma, but in my opinion there is a time and place for everything. I had my days of walking around showing off my legs. lol. I'm just not there any more. I'll leave the wolf whistles to the younger crowd.
Last, I'm tall for a woman and have a long torso, which makes a lot of sized 'regular' hemlines shorter on me than they are intended, which I notice is often the case with CDers. I shop for women's tall clothing when I can.
