Grown-up fashion: shorts

Tag : woman's fashion

Anyone in search of evidence that what has changed over the past 50years of fashion history is not so much the clothes as the codes,need only compare the WMD (What Would Mother Do?) question thatstylish women asked themselves in the 1950s with the question theyput to themselves now; What Would Moss or Macpherson Do?
Mother certainly wouldn't have worn shorts for very long past theage of consent. Not ever. Elle Macpherson gets away with them inher 40s. Kate Moss wears them at 34 and shows every sign ofintending to wear them when she's 90.
So that's that then. Shorts work at many ages - although withseveral gazillion caveats. The stakes are high, but so's thepay-out if you get it right. First - and this is not self-hatingsexism but common courtesy to the rest of the planet - you have,have, have to have good legs. Alternatively you have to have somuch attitude and je ne sais quoi-ishness that you make Beth Dittoseem like the class nerd. Even then, I would be lying if I saidshorts would be Beth Ditto's best look. I'm sorry if that seemshurtful, but part of being a fully evolved human being is acceptingwell-intended dictatorship. Secondly, context is everything. Underno circumstances should a grown-up woman wear shorts in an officeor a town - they're just not sufficiently serious. If it's hot andyou want to show off your tan, wear a short skirt instead, which,if you're wearing it properly, should look elegant and chic.
Shorts are never elegant. That's not their point. But they can becute, boyish and strike just the right holiday vibe. That's why I'dadvise against overly designed and crisply tailored ones. What'stheir point? Fortysomethings are better off with a nicely cut pairof denim or cotton shorts that say Cool and in Control of My Senseof Self. Hot-pants aren't advised - too try-hard apart fromanything else. Nor is anything too tight or too long, or it stopsbeing a short. Mid-thigh is a good starting point. High waisters,like these from Paul Smith are good for accentuating the waist.Flat sandals are a must. You don't want to look like that tartyblonde one from Desperate Housewives. What you lose in leg lengthyou gain as person. It's hot, but there's no need to abandondignity.