Summer Comfort, in Long Looks

From NEW YORK TIMES - LEAD: Interspersed with the shorts, tights and miniskirts worn by women sauntering along the city's streets are full skirts that dip to the ankles or beyond. These are worn with the same white sneakers and anklets or shiny leather pumps as the leg-baring clothes and by the same kinds of women, some young and swingy, others more mature and conservative.

Interspersed with the shorts, tights and miniskirts worn by women sauntering along the city's streets are full skirts that dip to the ankles or beyond. These are worn with the same white sneakers and anklets or shiny leather pumps as the leg-baring clothes and by the same kinds of women, some young and swingy, others more mature and conservative.

Most wearers say they are not making a fashion statement; they simply want to be comfortable.

''A long, full skirt is a lot cooler than pants,'' said Joan Kaner, a vice president of Macy's. Like many women, Mrs. Kaner said she owned skirts of many lengths. ''I pulled a long cotton knit skirt out of the closet on one of the really stifling days recently and was quite comfortable wearing it with a white cotton knit bodysuit and sandals,'' she added.

Mary McFadden, in a crisply pleated ankle-length black linen skirt and a starched white blouse, said she had been wearing short clothes for more than two years when she found some long skirts in her closet and slipped one on. ''I liked the way it felt,'' she said. ''It's a great change.''

Selma Weiser, the owner of Charivari, said both extremely long and very short skirts were selling at the moment in her shops.

''I ordered some full ankle-length summer skirts in leopard spots and paisley prints,'' she said. ''When they arrived, I thought they were too long and I told the salespeople to tell the customers we would shorten them at no charge and make a scarf with the extra fabric. When we took inventory, I found no one took us up on the alteration and it was our best-selling skirt at $120.''

In contrast, the second best-selling skirt at Charivari is a mid-thigh-length stretch style, just 18 inches from waist to hem. It is $60. A Demand for All Lengths

Donna Karan, who showed the first major Seventh Avenue collection for the resort season Friday morning, did not take sides. She offered both very short and very long clothes in her casual DKNY line.

''Long is young and sophisticated; short works,'' she said. ''Everything in my own wardrobe is in different lengths.'' Most women encountered last week along Fifth and Madison Avenues had specific reasons for wearing long skirts.

Jan Strimple, a model from Texas, was wearing an ankle-length black jersey dress under a short black and red jacket.

''I like the fluidity of long clothes,'' she explained. ''I like movement. I wear a lot of pants and short skirts, but to get the ease I want sometimes, I like to wear long skirts.''

Katherine Kim, who works for the United States Postal Service and was wearing a long pleated plaid skirt, said her boyfriend did not like her in short skirts. Gloria Klar, a saleswoman at Bergdorf Goodman, prefers long clothes ''because I feel they make me look taller.''

She wore an ankle-length dress with a navy jersey top and a full cotton skirt. ''Cotton is the most comfortable fabric for summer,'' she said.

Susan Kelleher, a visual merchandise manager at Ann Taylor, stated emphatically that she was not comfortable wearing short skirts on the job. Her short checked Charlotte Neuville jacket had a businesslike look over a white T-shirt and a long Gordon Henderson skirt with controlled fullness.

''But I like short skirts, too,'' she said. ''I always wear them when I go out at night.''

Jean Cameron Gordon, in a long navy denim skirt, said she always wore tights when she wore short skirts and she felt she could go without stockings with long ones.

Suzanne Lieppe looked comfortable as she strolled down Seventh Avenue in an ankle-length black and beige printed Ralph Lauren dress.

''I think women are sick of being dictated to about what they should wear,'' she said. ''We don't want to invest in good clothes that cost a lot of money and then be told we can't wear them more than one season. I feel comfortable in long skirts and in short ones. I plan to wear them both.''