Dare you wear shorts to work?

They have gone from beach to boardroom. Just keep them chic and the rest of your outfit understated — then you can leg it to the office, says Karen Dacre
24 June 2013

Shorts have benefited from an image overhaul in recent years. Once saved only for the beach, the garden and the occasional jog round the park, they are now respectable attire for pubs, weddings and smart days out. Furthermore, they come in a whole host of interpretations. Cocktail shorts — thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow — are now a regular fixture on the red carpet, while breezy silk styles are popular summer wedding attire.

When it comes to our workwear wardrobe, shorts have enjoyed less success. Wearing them to the office is, it would seem, the last workwear taboo — at least where women are concerned. Topshop’s creative director Kate Phelan, a Vogue stylist and workwear doyenne, is unconvinced of their place in our nine-to-five wardrobe. “I think shorts are very tricky,” she said in an interview with the Standard last year.

Phelan makes a good point: with shorts come a whole host of potential fashion atrocities (hi-vis cellulite among the most terrifying). But as a work shorts wearer myself I’m not convinced we need avoid them altogether.

My office shorts of choice — navy and just-above-the-knee length — have done me well over the years, particularly on balmy summer days when wearing anything else seems entirely unbearable.

Sarah Curran, founder of online fashion retailer MyWardrobe.com, is also reluctant to write off shorts as part of her boardroom-ready attire.

“I think when paired with the right shoes, shorts can be worn in the workplace,” she says. “I wear heels into the office so I usually go for a longer style, like culottes, which are a little more chic. If you don’t mind wearing flats I think a tailored pair of shorts teamed with a loose blouse and a flat slipper or brogue can look cute”.

But do the same rules wash with the fashionsphere? Curran after all, spends her days surrounded by women who sell luxury labels for a living.

Wardrobe consultant and stylist Eliisa Makin prescribes caution for office shorts wearers — “you don’t want to alienate your colleagues or appear unprofessional” she says — but suggests an A-line pair as a flattering alternative to a skirt.

“The key is to make sure you team them with an understated or even slightly prudish top,” adds Makin, “a buttoned-up shirt and jumper looks great with shorts but a narrow fitting matching jacket, tight low-cut top and a pair of heels cheapens the look immediately.”

Should you feel like putting shorts on your office agenda, I’d recommended beginning your search at a good high-street tailor. Reiss cuts a brilliant pair, as does Hobbs. And if they still leave you wanting, splash the cash on a pair by Raoul, Carven or Roksanda Ilincic. Look for styles that fall just above the knee — with a turn-up they work well for the office — and avoid anything with a scalloped edge. As a general rule, seek out dark or neutral shades and avoid anything cut from flimsy fabrics: you’re shorts need a sharp structure if they’re going get you through a day at the grindstone.

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