Must-Read: When to Wear Shorts

Shorts!

We have a love/hate relationship with shorts. On the one hand, when it gets crazy hot out here, what else are you supposed to wear? Walking around in slacks or jeans or whatever things you have in your closet is a recipe for ball sweat and disaster. But, on the other more important hand, shorts (for the most part) make you look like you’re a skateboarding gutter punk from the mid-90s. Which is not a look that is going to get you anywhere in life. Thus are the stakes we’re dealing with here: Comfort vs. fashion.

But there ARE okay times, and okay shorts, to actually done. It’s just, we don’t know them personally. Which is why today we’re going to turn over our instructional hat and take a seat while this highlight article from the folks over at AskMen.com go through what the proper etiquette is when it comes to wearing shorts. For example, this piece of advice on the office short look:

Problem is, you can’t roll into work in your weekend shorts. First off, what’s your office dress code like? Are the other guys in your office wearing shorts? On casual Fridays? I work in a corporate area, and, honestly, I rarely see men in shorts, unless it’s the odd tourist who thought Midtown East was bumping at 9:00 a.m. That doesn’t mean you can’t wear shorts; it just means you have to decide how comfortable you are with them.

If you’ve given shorts the green light, choose the right pair. A lot of retailers are now referring to the office-appropriate short as “smart shorts.” Think of these as the shorts version of a suit trouser: flat-front, fits well, dark, solid color. My advice is to keep it simple: Boat shoes, like a Sperry Top-Sider, navy “smart shorts,” a white polo, a navy blazer and a brown vintage leather briefcase is a stylish way to pull of shorts at the office. Finally, if you’re prone to sweating, beat the heat with my tips on sweatproofing your clothes.

So there ya go. Think about that before bringing in your “weekend shorts” into work. And then throw those goddamn things away and wear pants like a man!