Although I absolutely LOVE the idea of pairing some crisply ironed shorts with a little blouse and some wedges or a pair of splashy gold sandals (Jack Rogers or otherwise), I just cannot bring myself to take the plunge. For one thing, I’m 5’1, and I feel as though shorts only emphasize my petite stature. For another…who wants to see that much leg?! I know that we all have our own body image hang-ups, but I have to be honest and say that shorts are for the brave — and those who wear them freely and without a second thought…well, perhaps more thought SHOULD be put into it.
There have been two “short” trends that have caught my eye and been the object of my desire, but I know full well that I can pull of neither. The first — Chloe’s scalloped shorts, which were all over the runway and the streets of L.A. and NYC (Leighton Meester, Chloe Sevigny, and Kate Bosworth were seen sporting them):
As you can see — not for the faint of heart. This season, she bought into the “menswear-pajamas-for-day” look, which, I hope, is headed out the door (along with harem pants…ugh):
Setting the silky loungewear version aside, the scalloped shorts from last season had a lot going for them. They were a feminine nod to the 40s, with a modern twist. They were paired on the runway with scalloped blazers like this one:
The overall look was just genius — the neutral palette blended icons from two different eras of style (the 80s big blazer, the 40s high-waisted shorts) into a modern, sophisticated, and still lovely look.
But can you imagine WEARING that, in real life? I certainly can’t. And neither can I imagine pulling off the whole “sack” short look. I absolutely adore the chambray version from this season of J. Crew:
Pair them with a thin little tank or tee, some super-high wedges, and a fab boho bag, and you’d be turning heads all day long. The problem is that — at least in my mind — you need to have impossibly long, lean, lithe dancer legs to pull them off.
But for this season, I decided that even if I can’t wear the uber-trendy versions above, I would find a pair to suit my needs. After testing literally every variety of J. Crew shorts on the floor (I decided to begin with J. Crew because — if I end up chickening out — I won’t have made too huge an investment), from the “Broken-In Boyfriend” (very safari chic) to “Jacquard Wendy” (Milly-esque), I found the perfect pair in the most luscious color:
They are short, crisp, and fit like a dream. I envision pairing them with a warm mango / coral top and a pair of gold sandals/thongs for day:
(The first by J. Crew; the second by See by Chloe.) For night, I can just imagine finding a cool-looking blouse — something like this DVF, only maybe with more purple in it:
I loved the way they fit so much, I almost bought them in multiple colors, but I decided I should wait to see how frequently I actually reach for the shorts look. In the meantime, I’ve been daydreaming up a little nautical shorts look, with these shorts by Milly:
A tailored boat neck striped tee (this one by A.L.C., $124):
And then a dramatic bib necklace, like this one by Lizzie Fortunato ($430):
Or this one, by Amanda Pearl ($148):
Top it off with a pair of red or black Ray-Ban wayfarers, and you are a walking fashionista!
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