We should all be brave and wear shorts this summer – try these flattering styles
Life’s too short not to enjoy the easiest, most practical summer item around
I’ll be honest with you, summer dresses aren’t really my thing. The handful of dresses that I do own must pass the Year Rounder Test. This means they should be layered with slimline roll necks and thermal leggings in the winter, as well as worn with sandals in the summer months. However, I do live in shorts in the summer, something I attribute to my Greek nanny Shier, who wore short shorts well into her eighties, despite not living in Greece for sixty years. I also live on the Isle of Wight, where it is practically local law to wear them between May and October.
I often get messages on Instagram from people who don’t have the confidence to wear my hero summer item. And it’s a common summer wardrobe sticking point: Sweaty Betty even ran a recent campaign called Just Wear The Damn Shorts, enlisting the help of formerly shorts-phobic influencers to encourage more women to wear them. Because life’s too short not to enjoy the easiest, most practical summer item around.
Here are some of my favourite ways to wear shorts if you’re ready to take the plunge but want guidance on how to style them.
Special occasion shorts
Sadly, I have no weddings to attend this summer, but if I did, I’d happily wear this outfit. Tailored Bermuda shorts are big news at the moment, but since this pair has been in my wardrobe for the best part of a decade, I’d say that this is one of those trends that you should always hold on to. By coincidence, they are an exact match for a jacket I have that is part of a trouser suit, meaning I can do a variation of this tailored look all year round.
For me, the key to elevating shorts to occasionwear is their tailored nature and all of the accessories. I’d choose shoes with an enclosed toe, rather than a sandal – avoid any beachy vibes unless, of course, you’re attending a wedding on a beach – and a delicate, positively not office-y bag. I happened upon this one second-hand and am feeling very smug about how well it matches.
Hannah wears: old shorts and blazer; Cape Cove blouse (past season); Anne Thomas shoes (past season). For similar shorts, try Bug Clothing’s “Magda” tailored shorts, £120 (bugclothing.co.uk) or Omi Na Na’s “Trip To Romania” shorts set, £145 (ominana.com)
Bermuda jorts
This might be the most useful pair of shorts I’ve ever owned. The crisp denim lends itself to being both dressy and casual: the perfect partner for an everyday tee and an embroidered blouse alike. Plus, they have a versatile tie-waist design which means they can expand and shrink with your body, depending on what stage of life/the month you’re in. Great for wearing out to a slap-up dinner, too.
I would happily wear this outfit in an office environment, but because these shorts are made-to-order, you could choose a different fabric that would make them even more work-appropriate. A black linen, for example, or navy checked cotton, would lend itself very well to being paired with a smart top for warmer days in the office. This is the longer of the two lengths available, and there is another style with an elastic waistband if that’s more your thing.
Hannah wears “Tilly” tie Bermuda shorts in mid-wash denim, available in 20 fabrics, £90 (roake.studio); her own shirt and Anne Thomas loafers (both past season)
Culottes
I originally had these down as Bermuda shorts, but whenever I wear them my mum comments that she will “have that split skirt when you’re tired of it”. We’ve settled on culottes. And the fact that she’s not getting them yet.
With a generous amount of fabric and below-the-knee length, culottes can feel a bit like a skirt, which makes them an excellent gateway short for those a bit unsure of wearing them. In fact, you could ween your way into the shorts world with a very long mid-calf pair of culottes, and creep the hem line up next year once you’ve caught the shorts bug.
Hannah wears: second hand culottes; Rapanui organic cotton T-shirt, £18 (rapanuiclothing.com); Kit + Clogs Studio linen waistcoat and Shoe The Bear sandals (both past season). For longer length culottes, try Toast’s “Windbreaker Check” cotton culottes, £145 (toa.st)
Co-ord shorts set
I do wonder if we will ever go back to the heady days of our obsession with jumpsuits now that we have discovered the co-ord set. All the top-to-toe fun of a jumpsuit with the versatility of two items you can wear separately – what’s not to love?
This one combines a co-ord set with boxer-style shorts – very popular at the moment but not something that will feel dated in a few years when worn with a plain T-shirt and Birkenstocks. Sure, it feels a bit pyjama-y, but that’s precisely why I like it. I do have a pair of actual pyjamas that are very similar though, so I like to make my daytime vibe look more intentional with some smart shoes. A pair of white loafers or brogues like this are perfect.
Hannah wears “Isola” striped shorts, £50, and shirt, £60 (rapanuiclothing.com); Colorful Standard organic cotton rib tank, £27 (colorfulstandard.com); her own shoes (past season)
Short on the bottom, long on the top
Shorts can make you feel quite exposed, and an easy way of counterbalancing that is to cover up in other areas. Short shorts look great with a long-sleeved Breton stripe, lightweight knitwear or a long-sleeved shirt like I am wearing here. I also find that wearing shoes with an enclosed toe helps with the psychology of feeling a bit warmer if the weather isn’t on your side.
Contrary to what you may typically read in articles such as this one, shorts don’t really go through much in the way of trends, so they’re easy to pick up second-hand. I found this lovely pair last summer on Thrift+, an online marketplace that allows sellers to choose a charity to donate all or some of their profits to. A quick search this morning tells me that there are currently plenty of pre-loved bright coloured shorts like this available.
Hannah wears: shorts, bought second hand; London Woven blouse (past season); World Secrets Shoes carpet clogs, £155 (worldsecrets.co.uk). For similar shorts, try Colorful Standard’s organic twill shorts, £60 (colorfulstandard.com)