By JASMINE GARNSWORTHY
So, for whatever reason you don’t want to wear shorts this summer. Even though we’re in the grips of a melting-hot heat wave.To the more practical amongst us, this may seem like madness.
But never fear – I understand. As a fashion lover who shares your aversion to shorts, I’ve found a number of alternatives that are decidedly more palatable than denim cut-offs, where you can basically see your hoo-haa.
The most misunderstood member of the pants family, cropped or capri pants, are an easy alternative to shorts and (believe it) won’t shorten your legs, so long as you pick the right pair and the right styling partners.
A little tip – opt for a shade similar to your skin colour (for maximum elongation of the legs) and team with a tonal coloured top. This creates a column of colour – which equals a longer silhouette (that’s fancy-pants fashion language for makes you look taller than you are).
A busy or printed top also works wonders in balancing out cropped pants. Find a pair without pockets for the most flattering fit. Like this:
Skirts! The item of clothing so similar to shorts, that if it were your younger sister you’d tell it to QUIT COPYING ME. Skirts are as easy and breezy as shorts and generally a whole lot more flattering, especially if you go for an A-line cinch-in-at-the-waist option.
If you’re anything like me (pear-shaped figure, short on cash, obsessed with colour), you’ll love this A-line French Connection skirt.
3. Lightweight harem pants
If you don’t own a couple of these already then: What Are You Doing? They’re comfortable, cool (both the temperature and the trend kind of cool) and you really only need a tank or t-shirt to wear with them.
And as an extra bonus that in these babies you can sit cross-legged on the beach, in the park or at the playground without flashing your lady-bits.
4. Shirt dresses
Whether it’s of the button-down variety, or the baggy t-shirt kind, look for a high (ish) hemline and loose fit. These are bang on trend this summer and are available in a whole variety of fabulous colours or a crisp and fresh white. Have a look at the ones below. Note for fashion novices: you basically don’t need accessories to make this look work. Just throw on some thongs and grab your sunglasses.
Image via Gabifresh.com
Find one that’s cinched at the waist and in a ‘grown up’ colour or print if you’re worried playsuits are just for kids. Because they aren’t. They’re fun and young and fresh and NOT just to be worn in the sand pit. Take a look at these playsuits, all of which will give you change from $100. I’m particularly taken with the printed playsuit on the far right.
Comments
22 Comments so far
Really? None of those 5 alternatives are very flattering on most women.
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I can’t do shorts, I feel ridiculous in them and playsuits? I’ll leave them to my 2 year old.
I am absolutely LOVING my harem pants though! I bought some off ASOS for $11 to see if I liked them, thought they were awesomeness and have since bought more!
Current faves are my Supre pair which were $15!!! Love a comfy, stylish bargain
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I am living through a northern hemisphere winter right now. This article makes me miss allllll of the above items so so much!
Shirt dresses with tights under and coat over getting me through. They are great trans seasonal investment pieces.
Harem pants look tres chic, I seriously think it’s the accompanying shoes that make or break them. And love onesie’s so much!
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Harem pants and 3/4 capri pants? Last time it was boots in the middle of summer. Jazzy, you really don’t understand what hot is do you?
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Or broke, apparently. Claim to be short on cash then flog those godawful harem pants at $182??
I don’t mind the 3/4 pants, I wear them a lot – I like cargoes. But not skin coloured – how practical!
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Harem pants are hot, cargoes are not…just saying.
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Cargoes are hot, harem pants are not – just saying.
. Harem pants makes your ass look huge. Cargoes are fitted, look 100 times better.
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Lol Anonymous…totally disagree. The right harem pants have style, shape and can make your legs look thinner and longer.
Cargo pants are bulky and can make you look bigger with their pockets and chunkiness.
My opinion.
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I LIVE in shorts, don’t even care about the spider veins, they’re the most comfortable, practical and versatile items in my wardrobe and I have loads of them. If you’re funny about the length, here’s a tip: Choose shorts with a hem that rises to where the best part of your legs stop. EG, My legs look great til you get to the part where they meet (which if further down my thigh than I’d like…..), so my shorts just cover up that bit and expose the rest. Make sense?
In saying that, I’ve bought a high waisted denim pencil skirt from American Apparel that I’m wearing to death.
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Perhaps not harem pants but a nice pair of light weight linen trousers. These can be very flattering. Just match with a firmer fitting top and they look great.
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I just bought shorts for the first time in a few years (too lazy to deal with leg hair AND little kids, now too grown up to care if anyone else cares when I don’t deal with it) and discovered a) they’re wonderfully cool, way more so than I’d expected compared with the 3/4 length jeans/trousers I’d worn in previous years and b) I have white legs and brown feet from wearing jeans and bare feet all spring/early summer!
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I think there should an age restriction on those play suits or romper suits. Not for everyone.
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Nice article on alternatives but aren’t the play suits just like shorts with a top attached? At least with shorts you can mix and match.
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I would love to be the kind of woman who looks good in harem pants but so many of us just look awful in them! Totally with the rest of them though although I will leave the playsuits for the younger girls.
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See the bad things about skirts, dresses in summer is the wind, if I wear a skirt I’m very paranoid about flashing everyone.
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I’d prefer shorts to everything on this list. Except skirts. Skirts are nice. Playsuits are evil.
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I love Capri or 3/4 pants. I don’t actually have short shorts anymore, it’s just happened that way as I’ve gotten older. Fortunately I have long skinny legs anyway. I just can’t do the playsuits, maybe because they’re called playsuits, or because to go to the loo you have to completely undress.
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My shorts have gotten longer too, Faybian. I had one of those ‘uh-oh’ moments a few months ago when I decided to go for a run on the beach. On the rare occasion when I do run, I normally wear knee-length gym pants, but I was in Nth Queensland so I wore cooler shorts. I happened to look down when I was running and noticed that my skin went in one direction and my leg muscle in another. So now whenever I wear normal shorts, like today because it’s a tad warm, I have to look down to see how bad it looks!
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Oh gosh, PLEASE do not do the harem pants! They are hideous. All of them.
I don’t tend to wear shorts too often, because I have large thighs. Shorts that fit me in the waist tend to be very tight around my thighs. So I’m big on dresses in the summer. They’re even better than skirts, because I don’t have to pick out a top to go with them! Pull it out of the wardrobe, put it on and I’m dressed!
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I have a young colleague at work (mid twenties) who wears khaki harem pants and she looks fab in them.
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Love the little Aline skirts! Wish I could wear them.
There are going to be a lot of red faced people looking back on harem pants!
And what is it with the muumuus. I have been shocked lately to see otherwise fashionable women wearing what can only be described as muumuus. They look so frumpy
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After losing a bit of weight over the last few months, I have just rediscovered shorts! And I’ll be wearing them all summer!
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