097/ Shorts, But Elevated
Five styles of shorts for summer 2024 + exploring shifting silhouettes + a personal wardrobe revelation!
Happy Saturday (or Sunday, depending on where you are in the world)!
Thank you to the readers who recently left comments reminding me that many of you live in very different climates from my own. Finland and Sweden experienced an extended winter; the Southern Hemisphere is entering fall; and the southern States are well into shorts weather.
In my piece about spring jackets, Florida-based reader Michelle requested a round-up of summer shorts:
I love your styling of your shorts and would like more ideas. Also- ? You don’t wear denim shorts? Or Bermuda jean shorts? In our prolonged warm weather- we wear shorts much longer than the rest of you I think. And elevated styling for them is rare to see.
Happy to oblige, Michelle! To answer your question, I don’t usually wear denim shorts, but I’ve included two pairs in this newsletter. I didn’t include any of my go-to shorts because you’ve seen them styled here many times — check out What I’m Wearing from April to September 2023, as well as Parts 1 and 2 of my Minimal Effort Casual Outfits.
My summer lifestyle is casual, family-oriented, and usually out a suitcase, so I don’t need a lot to get me through. As I was thinking through this piece, I knew I didn’t need a new pair of shorts for myself. This one’s all for you, baby! But — as I was stitching together photos of my go-to shorts, I noticed something for the first time:
Damn. Do you see it? THESE ARE ALL THE SAME SHORTS. Okay, fine, textures, colours, fabrics are different, but proportionally they’re exactly the same.
So the advice I give to clients when they keep buying the “same” thing over and over again? It turns out I need to give it to myself! (NB: Because I really don’t need much summer clothing, that fact alone is not enough for me to buy another pair of shorts; see Part 1 of How To Build A Foundational Wardrobe and buying clothes for your lifestyle.)
Fortunately for you, this newsletter includes five styles of shorts that are not like my go-tos, from short, voluminous bloomers to slim capris. I’ve styled them for casual, work, and steamy nights out….something for everyone!
On y va…