Following on from yesterday, I thought I would throw together some simple and quick outfits to explain what I meant about shorts being just like any other form of trouser or jeans. I lot of people try to wear shorts in the summer but seem to get it wrong, even though it is quite easy once you get the hang of it. The key is to buy shorts that firstly match your body type (explained yesterday) and then just arranging key pieces around them. I am going to take one pair of chino shorts today and dress it up 3 or 4 different ways, dependant on time constraints. You will see you can change your whole look just by varying your accessories, tops and knitwear/jackets.

This should emphasise that shorts are just like jeans – you can dress them up or down and mix styles with them so easily as long as they fit right and are good quality.

So without further ado let’s get into it.

First here are some images I managed to find when I posted about denim shorts:

All these outfits are pretty laid back, but you could easily sub in some nice rolled chinos to dress it up slightly. You can wear a casual t-shirt, layer it up with a shirt over the top, or slim fit your shorts and rock a nice long sleeve shirt.

The shorts I am going to use for today’s looks are going to be the Lyle & Scott shorts I featured in yesterdays post, and are shown below. At £50 these are a good staple to have in your wardrobe for this summer. However, you could easily exchange these for any of the shorts I featured, and they would all look good with the items I throw them on together with today. I picked these because they are a darker beige, which mixes just as well with colours as it would the monochromes. Versatility is the key when buying any items of clothes. Also, this beige colour is good for pale or tanned legs, plus these sit around the knee length so are good for tall people or can be folded up for shorter males:

Festival Fashion

Here we put a bold checked shirt with some great white framed sunglasses, nice contrasting fedora, and classic converse trainers. A very bright look for a “sunny” festival or weekend in the park. I say sunny, because you do not want this many light colours on if it’s going to be muddy!

Formal Look

Here is definitely one of my favourite looks for the summer. I’m big into my relaxed formal fashion at the moment, so wearing chinos with a short sleeved shirt and tie is a great look. Team with boat shoes, leather plimsoll, espadrilles or even a hi top and you can pull this wonderful look off effortlessly. The contrast between top and bottom half is what I love best.

Tucking your tie in a button or two down just adds to the relaxed look, meaning you can pull it off with shorts easily. The tie should be a fashion tie (knit, square cut or skinny) so you are always just bordering on the true formal front. Notice how you can add a nice statement watch to the outfit to really add some class. I love the black metallic watches at the moment because they have more of a fashion edge to them than traditional silver or leather. Of course you can add a great pair of aviators or wayfarers to this look, but you will probably have a good pair that would work anyway.

Notice how I kept this quite monochrome with the items. A white shirt with black knit tie, a black watch and the even the leather plimsolls have black piping, keeping the outfit very classy and coordinated. Obviously you can mix in greys with this and still look great… changing the shorts to a light grey colour would also contrast nicely with a white shirt.

Casual/Rainy Festival

Here is a look for a rainy festival or just a dressed down casual look. Made really simply by adding a graphic tee, light weight nylon jacket, fashion hat, bright watch, and then hi-tops or wellies! I love the hunter boots from a fashion and practical point of view. A very laid back look that is perfect for the weekend or getting down and dirty in a festival. The shorts are still tailored, meaning they contrast well with the other relaxed items but add that little bit of sharpness to your look that you wouldn’t get with combat shorts. A roll or two at the bottom of the shorts would be a good look with this to add to the laid back vibe.

French Riveira or St.Tropez

As we have said before, these are more outlandish colour co ordinations and a good mix of a pastel palette. Definitely an idea to rock the boat shoes with this. I have gone all out with the colour for the added playboy vibe, but you can obviously tone this down to suit. These outfits are just to show you how versatile shorts actually are.

Pastel colours are a must and I think adding a great piece of knitwear layered over the top would be a great idea. A silver statement watch really adds class and stature to your overall look, which is what you would need if you were rolling around with the high society over there! Nautical would also be a key trend to focus on.

UPDATE
Seems like Urban Outfitters are having a problem with the polo I featured from there earlier today so I am going to add another Polo and a Shirt that would be good in this look too. A pastel pink polo or short sleeve shirt would look amazing with the blue knit and the colour is right on trend for this year. Also means you can take the knit off in the heat. A true “preppy” look which would very much fit in with the whole Riviera look.

So there you go… obviously this is just an example of the styles you can pull off in your shorts. You can sub out items you don’t like and add your own (I tried to add a mix of styles and prices to suit everyone), or just use items you already own that are similar. I hope this has helped and it took a long time to write this one today so I am off for a break!