8 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Wine top: Forever 21, remixed
- Pinstripe bermudas: Gap Maternity
- Metallic wedges: Target, remixed many a time
- Gold earrings: Forever 21, remixed many a time
End Notes:
Thank you all for your kind words yesterday about my fabulous MIL and SIL! And yes, there will be gratuitous nursery shots as soon as I finish off a few little sewing projects. I think the room looks lovely and every time I peek in on my way upstairs I grow so excited to have a little one in his or her little space soon!
In the meantime, though, I have five and a half weeks to go until my due date and these maternity shorts from Gap are going to help carry me through. I love that they hit the mark between casual and tailored and the lighter color is perfect for summer.
Aren’t shorts a funny thing? I think there is a dissertation out there just waiting to be written about the evolution of shorts in American women’s wardrobes. The changing shape, the rising and falling hemlines, and the shifting appropriateness of wearing shorts for more than just weekend yard work…I find it fascinating. And then, too, there is almost a kind of a personal journey of figuring out where — or if — shorts fit in your closet. I battled my mom to wear short-shorts while in high school, I relegated shorts to yardwork for a year post-college, and then I jumped wholeheartedly on the walking short bandwagon a few years ago. What will happen next?
What about you? Tell me a shorts story. What role, if any, do they play in your closet and would the “you of five years ago” be surprised to see that?
8 June 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.
Wow, that baby has dropped – won’t be long now!
You’re so right, lady. My gosh, I’ve resisted shorts, embraced them, forgotten them, the whole lot! In high school I wore dumpy cargo shorts, and post-college even dumpier ones. When my legs shaped up, I wore slightly short shorts for a summer, but just felt too exposed. Now I embrace the Bermuda – my ideal length, with just enough polish that I don’t feel like I’m about to hike off into the jungle.
Your new pair look fab, and will be just the thing to keep you cool for these remaining weeks!
In middle school I begged my mom to let me wear short shorts and a tank top (although she did not let me wear them out of the houes unless the straps were 3-4 inches wide – and a good thing too because I was a litlte busty even then!) and then high school capris were starting to come back into style and shorts weren’t cool anymore – unless they were short gym-style shorts.
I completed resisted shorts (except gym shorts for exercise) for about 7 years. Now I have a couple of the bermuda type and they really look polished! I also have a pair of blue-gray khaki that are not super short but a medium length that I wear once in a while around the apt and stuff.
and I pressed submit too soon – those striped shorts look fantastic on you!
I wore shorts continuously in the summer for years. Then I switched to jeans when I got tired of being cold all the time and not liking how I looked in the shorts. Now, I’m embarking on my first summer of casual skirts … moving to the Deep South made it a necessity and so far I like the look so much I’m not sure I’ll ever go back.
I have a question for you: I see that you’re wearing non-sandal shoes without any visible socks or pantyhose. How do you make that comfortable for you? Mine always get unbelievably squishy, and I’m not sure if I’m missing some trick or something.
I’m a Shorts Resister and have been since about the middle of undergrad. I just feel like any cut is unflattering to my legs, and so I wear them around the house when it’s very hot out, or for exercise, but not when I know that people are going to see me. The Me of five years ago wouldn’t be surprised — she’d be a little impressed by how I’ve moved toward skirts and dresses instead of jeans in the summer, though!
I quit wearing shorts about the middle of my undergraduate career as well. My legs are long and slim and look fine in shorts, but I think a skirt or dress looks so much classier. Plus, skirts are forgiving if one gains or loses a couple pounds. And, I’ll admit it, I love the feeling of air between my legs.
When I graduated from college and went into a teaching career I only bought long walking shorts – wide, unflattering long walking shorts… to wear on field trips or field day (what social life would I have worn them to)? But I must be having some sort of midlife crisis, because now that I have been in the education field for 15 years… I HAD to have some of Gap’s CUTE short shorts for a backyard party. They aren’t tight (leftover schoolteacher morals) but they are shorter than I ever would have worn years ago- and they make me feel GREAT. Thanks for asking!Love your blog.
I agree – someone needs to publish a shorts dissertation ASAP! One of my swing dance friends once spelled out for me 1930′s shorts etiquette – she claims they were more acceptable than pants on a woman. And what about the way some people today think “jorts” (jean shorts) are a disgrace?
My taste in shorts has definitely evolved. I went from print drawstring ones in middle school, (teddy bears holding American flags? I was a dork.) to only denim, to recently embracing walking shorts. These days I like them either short or long. Somewhere in the middle isn’t so cute and makes my legs look funny.
These shorts are great on you, and the color of the blouse is very flattering.
I’m still trying to figure out where I stand on shorts. I’ve never really liked short shorts, mostly because I’m not a big fan of my thighs. My main problem with shorts is that I find it hard to find any that fit me in a length that I like. Hopefully, this new walking short trend (which I love!) will help solve that.
Those are super cute shorts! I decided when I was a sophomore in high school that shorts were bad, and refused to wear them for anything other than exercise or sleeping all the way through my masters degree program.
Now, I’m beginning to relax my militant anti-shorts stance. I’m liking the slimmer legged shorts that come to the knee or just above and even have a couple pairs that I will wear into public. I’m definitely not ready to go any further with this new frame of mind, though. I still have bad memories of stonewashed Levi’s cut-off short shorts from 9th grade. My mother was definitely right sometimes.
I loved reading about everyone’s fairly tumultuous relationship with shorts! I thought I was the only one. :) I’ve reading Japanese fashion magazines, though, and those girls know how to rock the tunic and mid-length short combination. I may have to summon up the courage to try something like that out soon. We’ll see. – e.
[...] couple weeks ago, E. told of a story of her evolving relationship to shorts. I came around to the walking shorts pretty quickly. After [...]