So completely arbitrary, the fashion rule of decades just thrown out the window. So, I have a fun story about clothing that challenges the norms but which is not explicitly mentioned in the dress code. https://danceswithfat.org/2013/09/12/flattering-and-fat-bodies/. Shlubby carbo shorts: why we cant wear nice shorts at work. It is another thing entirely to realize that the PGA still requires male competitors to wear long pants during tournaments. It doesnt have to be a fully gross/inappropriate situation to have noticed it. I admire his courage. I have several pairs Ive made myself, so they fit perfectly. But then we also allow shorts :-). I think one reason might be that many people wear their shorts too short so it seems like more of a flirting thing than a business thing. They have skirts for little girls now that have shorts built in. I wear stockings all the time because of veins but before I started doing that I wore shorts or dance pants underneath when necessary. Granted, as petite as she is, anything longer really wouldnt have looked flattering, but that kind of suit is whats permanently engrained into my head when I think office wear. Maybe he just walked off the golf course? Meanwhile the men were really running around in cargo shorts, sandals, and t-shirts with beer advertisement on them, so he probably was focused on fixing the problems with the mens dress code. Im not sure if this is a counterpoint or a supporting anecdote to the no showing skin below the knee theory, but I used to have a uniformed position, with uniform policy set at a national level and several variations for men, women, function, and season of the year. As I did Monday and Tuesday as well! He wears it with either a tshirt and cowboy boots, or a button down western shirt and cowboy boots. Flowy long skirts are generally pretty comfy, they are just not flattering on my short wide frame. Even when wed go thrift shopping and shed pick up nice vintage ladies suits (she was very petite and always lucked out) when shed get them tailored, shed get the skirts shortened too. Every Friday. A Man and Shorts in the office story. I wonder if part of it is that business-attire skirts tend to stop a couple of inches above the knee, whereas shorts can range from brushing the tops of the knees to those tacky ones where the pocket linings hang out the legs. As for why shorts arent typically considered business wear I can only speculate. Fortunately I was still at home when my skirt unbuttoned itself and fell off. Warning it smells kinda like pee or spoiled milk, so best put on after an evening shower when youve exfoliated with a shower scrubby or loofah. One man just had on old ratty basketball shorts, one womans shorts were so short and tight I saw way too much of her personal area, many others showed up in what I would call mowing the lawn clothes. Im so glad I never had kids because Id be going THROUGH THE ROOF over the kind of pointless authoritarianism schools seem to love more and more these days. Does not interfere with performance of duties. Bermuda shorts really ought to be a thing everywhere that it gets as hot and humid as Bermuda! Sexist and also kind of transphobic. That was in the olden days, before everyone had the ability to WFH, so we all got a mass email allowing us to wear shorts the next day. It was a bad time for self-esteem, (KP is a skin condition, a build-up of keratin in the hair follicles, also called chicken skin (which I hate), and actually affects a lot of people but generally fades after the teenage years. Have touch-related sensory issues? I think mine would be ok with it, as we lean towards hip business casual, but that wouldnt fly everywhere. Start scouring thrift stores for cute womens vests! I didnt know kilts are a thing until now. Short in the front long in the back. I feel like this is what Sperrys were made for. Bermuda shorts are a staple to the prep wardrobe I went to boarding school, and every guy, teachers included, wore them at some point in the spring and early fall. Vanessa Friedman is The Times's fashion director and chief fashion critic. As Det. Im trying to picture that in my mind. THANKS! And unlike dresses or skirts, shorts are generally more casual, so its probably just easier to say not to wear them, than to specify what type of shorts are acceptable. I actually think bermudas are neater because they dont get the weird behind-the-knee wrinkle. I was going to make this same comment. Thats better than rompers/jumpsuits IMO. I believe that men should be allowed to wear shorts in any workplace that a woman is allowed to wear a skirt. Does a skirt over the shorts take away the benefits of shorts? With a manly little red bow tie. Thats what I was trying to describe, SheLooksFamiliar. My husband, a computer programmer / architect / manager of PhDs, on the west coast (casual) was called to the Toronto office for a meeting (about making him the head of a new division based in Vancouver). there was a fairly-high level executive at a Fortune 100 company who frequently wore dress Bermuda shorts with a suit jacket, knee socks and dress shoes. Most of their stuff is designed for people that work outside/with their hands/etc. Also had a very pregnant coworker wear similar, but she gets a pass. Currently in yoga pants and a t shirt. The importance of dressing for the office is psychological: Doing so gives you confidence. My thighs chafe, so I have to have some sort of fabric between my legs. To me, that makes shorts more casual, not less. And the clothes. Im pretty sure most people at work have no idea they arent skirts. HR explained to me that my skort was not acceptable because it looked like a mini-skirt even though I was more covered up than the men and women wearing shorts! my employee is job-searching should I tell my manager? Oh and something that looked like a suit dress but had shorts on the bottom. The reason you shouldn't wear shorts to work isn't that your boss will get mad; it's that you'll be putting yourself at a professional disadvantage. I honestly dont have any problem with men wearing skirts- I think the idea that a piece of cloth can have a gender is ridiculous. For skirts, this meant youd have to wear pantyhose. Around here where humidity can feel like youre swimming in soup during the summers, nobody cares about looking flattering, we just want to feel cool. Today during our weekly check-in, we were talking about the weather getting warmer and she made a comment about needing to buy more shorts for during the week. Granted, her character is a hotel manager in Miami so the dress code is a bit different, but I would love to see women rocking her outfits in an office! The exception to this was when I was pregnant and I wore the same two pairs of black yoga pants and some maternity t-shirts during my last trimester, and dared anyone to chastise me. Yes I hate them! ), and quite honestly, dyspraxia makes me so extremely clumsy that pretty much every piece of clothing I own is jacked up in some way- ripped, torn, stained, frayed, patched, whatever. I have two Fred Meyers and a Value Village within 5 mins of my house. However, this is definitely not the norm at most professional workplaces. In this role she covers global fashion for both The New York Times and International New York Times. I couldt imagine a cold state like Michigan or Alaska ever having shorts be part of business culture. And I think thats the practical take-away for work: as a society weve decided certain clothes send certain messages. But edgy shaved sides don't look professional in most office or work settings. Always exceptions, but same for any article that would normally be ok (ie must be clean, no fraying, no holes.) Whenever I could get in front of a client, I did. In South Korea, wearing shorts in a buisness setting is totally ok (of course theyre fancier shorts and always wear panty hose underneath). I also think of Bermuda shorts, culottes and the preppy tradition. Full disclosure, though: I work at a university (more casual in the summer!) Michael, New York. I was able to find longer shorts to fit the dress code of my middle school, but boy was that unflattering! It would also depend in the material-the shiny silky gym shorts would be less discrete (and more likely to cause a mishap) than something like cotton khakis. Specifically, theres a particular look thats seen as the business you need to conform to; I think of it as the starched shirt look; all very straight, flat and ironed all over. Thats literally the first thing I thought of! 1. (e) Federal Court Cases. Stepping into most workplaces, you would hardly ever see men dressed in short sleeve shirts, and the main reason for that is that short sleeve shirts are considered CASUAL. Mine is really pretty casual when it comes to summer and people just tend to wear whats comfy without being inappropriate. But cotton/polyester shorts should be just as comfortable as a skirt and there is less likely to have thigh job. https://images.app.goo.gl/ZxJtzVGHqxzrYCfB7. Far more chance of wardrobe oops with a pencil skirt. Everything on offer was either (1) not my size, (2) not black, (3) yoga/workout leggings, (4) cropped, or (5) had some stupid embellishment at the bottom. I wanted a new summer weight suit and I had a heck of a time finding pants that werent super slim cut and cropped. And if a coworker or god forbid a higher up said something, youre knocking on harassment and/or gender discrimination since Im not performing femininity right. Christine (That said, I think dress codes in general tend to be less necessary than people think they are, and I will stand up for anyones right to wear shorts or skirts or any other clothing as they prefer.). Someone on the grooms side (the bride was my cousin) showed up to the wedding in full-on Highlander gear, including a kilt, one of those jackets you wear with the kilt, the socks with the little doo-dads on them, the little purse (I think its called a sporran? I would looove to find a decent skort. im a body glide believer. Anyway, all that means that wearing shorts to the office would read as off. It is also true that not all shorts are created equal. During a casual meeting where time is limited and people are called in while they are . :) But now Im in a different department and am back to my natural brown. Ive worn dressy shorts (think fabric and cut like dress trousers, but knee or calf length) in the summertime and Ive seen others, and it looks polished and professional. The designer Thom Browne, who happens to be the only designer who made Times just-released 100 Most Influential People of 2023 list, has worn tailored gray shorts on pretty much all occasions for more than a decade. Break an ankle? Theyre more or less universally unflattering, so it makes sense that there wouldnt be a ton of companies trying to make officewear out of them. It was a whole thing. I think this is probably another reason, though. I personally think it has more to do with that than the childhood thing. First, we need to stipulate here that were talking about offices that adhere to whats generally considered a business dress code. We had someone in our office wear one of these suits in. Hopefully this isnt derailing, but are rompers with full-length pants work appropriate in the kind of office OP describes? But that is super office dependent and wouldnt fly a lot of places. Thanks! She did tend to wear it on Fridays, but those were also the only days youd ever see someone in dark jeans. lol But yea I never got the no shorts thing, they have some that are decent looking for the office. IMO not office wear. But once, a woman wore a relatively modest pair of womens shorts (that is to say: they hit mid-thigh) and I found it inappropriate. Unless Im just bumming around the house in my Halloween boxers, or wearing something like long cutoff BDUs, I will *always* wear some kind of hosiery under shorts- black, colored, or patterned tights; fishnet, lace, or spiderwebs- SOMETHING rather than bare legs, which are just not my thing. And the same people who would balk at shorts in the workplace would be doubly flabbergasted by women in shorts in the workplace. Im all for the pretty cardigans and floral dresses! However, it falls under the classification of unprofessional hairstyle for men; therefore, it is not appropriate at work. So this bermuda short suit is deemed not appropriate while a skirt of the same length is. This is why, even though skirts are allowed, its actually only a very small selection of skirts and dresses that are actually deemed acceptable. I am thin and have tried every style. I can see something with sleeves and wider legs, with heavier fabric in a conservative color (black, navy, gray) being appropriate if paired with businesslike accessories and suchbut it would probably depend on the office. Of course sometimes were invisible to them anyway. A young coworker of mine came in one day looking very sharp in palazzo pants (that looked just like a skirt when she wasnt walking) and a blazer, but got sent home to change. Theyve been in business for 30+ years now, so obviously that philosophy hasnt hurt them. Im having flashbacks to the fingertip test in junior high. Im in my mid-30s and backed out of buying dungarees recently because I thought I might be too old now. But office dress codes . It didnt make sense to me at the time, but now I get it. I personally didnt wear shorts those days and didnt think those folks mad good choices in choosing their outfits those days (seriously I dont want to see any of my coworkers parts). I am SO GLAD that pantyhose are not required any longer. Good quality heavy cotton and it was dressy enough for church. To me, capris are just as casual as bermudas, if not more casual. The prevention of thigh rub when powerwalking through the city in 90-degree heat makes it a little less unbearable. But you are totally correct that shorts were originally only for children. I have seen some shorts with tights combos that could look business/office appropriate (especially in a creative office) It is up to the company to set clear guidelines on what is acceptable clothing types to wear. The right shirts to pair your shorts with are button-down shirts. or a frayed denim mini, or some a lot of other styles of skirt, often wouldnt be. I very much hope none of my male colleagues are tempted to do this (Im Scottish)! I dont think they tolerated them for women. I dont shave my legs and my mom told me to expect questions etc. my coworker doesnt follow her own fragrance ban, my mentor got fired, and more, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2018/12/12/feature/the-designer-who-radically-suggested-that-women-should-wear-whats-comfortable/?utm_term=.d6b4a78f6887, https://danceswithfat.org/2013/09/12/flattering-and-fat-bodies/, https://www.rei.com/product/127135/rei-co-op-sahara-shorts-womens-9-inseam, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_shorts, http://cdn.sortra.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/shorts-tights-outfits27.jpg, https://i.pinimg.com/originals/81/41/2d/81412d8665fb63e1011c808fba65f37e.jpg, https://images.app.goo.gl/ZxJtzVGHqxzrYCfB7, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_shorts, heres a real-life example of an email asking for a raise, my employee is pregnant but hasnt said anything. Im inclined to disagree on a personal level; shorts ride up for me, and a nice maxi skirt has never done me wrong. I had two dressy shorts outfits that I wore with pantyhose to my retail job in the 90s. I almost always wear skirts and dresses and so I never wore any of my denim skirts at that job. My best friend & her husband are both Vog junkies- he wears his to work as a graphic designer. :), try bandalettes. Its nice to give men some more summer options, and I have seen my female boss in shorts when she didnt have anything else going on that day, which I feel like sends a great signal. I would go with sharply tailored shorts, perhaps with front pleats, and straight or slightly A-line nothing too wide..