It's never to late to understand the nuance of shorts lengths. I found this cool pic of various shorts sizes and thought it would be a worthwhile lesson in looking and understanding what works for you.
- Do you have long, lean legs?
- Are you shorter in stature and need some length?
- Do you have long legs but want something more svelte?
- Is it all about showing everything you've got?
- Do you just want something that will create a little relief on a warm day?
Here is some insight into what to go for and what you want:
- white shorts (3-in inseam)~ these are for those trying to show lots of leg and if you've got lean legs (& and are on the younger side of 25), go for it!
- yellow shorts (4-in inseam) ~ given the hemline still hits on the upper thigh, they are very casual and for the younger set; they'll actually "add" a touch of weight to the thigh area
- pink shorts (5-in inseam) ~ perfect for running out to the grocery store or looking cute as you walk around the house; these are ideal for the shorter stature folks because they show skin without being too long
- red shorts (7-in inseam) ~ these are perfect for the woman with a little weight in the mid-section or the young woman who wants to wear shorts but "can never find the right pair"; if you have longer legs and want a smidge of modesty, these are the winner!
- maroon shorts (7 1/2-in inseam) ~ not much difference with the 7-in option but if you have a little more butt, these are a better option
- khaki shorts (boyfriend inseam) ~ this starts to move to the more modest, bermuda length and is likely what you'll find on more mature women; they are also cool to roll them up once to create a 6-in inseam
- navy shorts (9-in inseam) ~ bermudas! they'll hit at the knee and will take a lot of length away from your stature (skip 'em unless you just want to look a bit dowdy)....
J.Crew has every type of short but you'll need to look elsewhere if you're looking for roomier fits. I don't wear shorts much (I'm fem and haven't really found occasion for them) plus I have a lot of leg but also a lot of thigh, but if I did scoop a pair it would be something like these Lana shorts by BB Dakota because of the cuffed short and material even though it's a 3-in inseam.
