ThatIsBeyond… A short post about shorts!

I am a shorts person. At every available opportunity I don a pair, and get my pasty white legs into the glorious sunshine. But as I have discussed before getting the right cut for your shape isn’t as easy as some might think (and you also have to take where you are into account!)

There are many places of work, where shorts are not appropriate attire for the job… Mine is on the borderline, so it’s important that I pitch them just right!

Firstly the cut needs to be knee length. Any shorter, and suddenly the skin to fabric ratio is out of kilter, and any longer and the look is too casual. You need the length to reflect the level of formality that is appropriate for your workplace.

Patterns can tend to look gimmicky. At the end of the day I want to wear shorts for my own benefit, so I don’t want to jeopardise this. A plain fabric I going to look best, the colour doesn’t necessarily need to be muted, but the  bolder the colour the more it needs to be paired with other items that make it work appropriate. If you are going to go for a pattern, it needs to be subtle, a fine check or stripe in two colours will work. The smaller the pattern, the more likely it will read as a texture instead.

If you are wearing shorts to work, you need to add formality with a button down shirt. The lines of a button down, smarten the overall look and elongate the body. A crisp collar adds interest and detailing to the outfit as a whole. Ensure there is enough length in the torso to tuck in (if needed) and stay in there! Short sleeved shirts must fit really well and STAY tucked in or you will look like you are on the beach!

Accessories are the key. If you style it out with classy, contemporary and stylish choices, there is no reason why shorts can’t be work appropriate. A decent belt is a must, one that adds formality and a crisp line around the waistband and is complimentary to the rest of the look.

Your choice of footwear can make or break any outfit, so with shorts being the feature, you need to get this right!

Trainers – NO

Non-pristine footwear – NO

Your  choice of shoes needs to be smart. Some loafers will normally do the job, you can however play outside of the box a little more if you want… But the two rules are, that the soles shouldn’t be white, and the footwear shouldn’t raise the eyebrows of a discerning mother!

So there are my tips, and here are some of the the work appropriate shorts that I have been loving this early Spring!