The wild frontier

I wasn't intending to wear shorts at work again—a special occasion once a year seemed quite sufficient to me.

But I ordered some shorts online to be worn with tank tops in my summer off-duty uniform, and when they arrived, I found that reality was much different from expectation. I had thought I was ordering some high-waisted chocolate brown short-shorts that would look cute with crop tops and fun, breezy tanks. What I got were some roomy, pleated, cuffed tan shorts with a microscopic black houndstooth pattern—far too stuffy for what I had intended! Such are the hazards of shopping online.

I thought about returning them, but then I got to thinking: What if I wore them at work? The fabric and style essentially made this garment a truncated version of the most conservative slacks out there. If any shorts were to be deemed office-appropriate, it would be brown pleated-front houndstooth shorts with a cuffed hem! I kept them.

And that's how it became my mission to wear shorts to work for the second time in one summer—this time with the shortest shorts I've ever attempted! With a 2-and-a-half-inch inseam, these babies (while modest compared to the daisy dukes I wear on weekends) would definitely be taking me to a new frontier in office hemline standards!

Speaking of frontier, it's only appropriate that my adventurous ensemble had a bit of Western flair.

I started with a gem-studded saguaro cactus necklace. It was the only touch of color I wanted in this outfit; in order to make these skimpy pants blend in in an office environment, I otherwise stuck to conservative staples such as shades of beige and a traditional collared shirt.

The green necklace caused me to pick a greenish (though still mostly neutral) cardigan as my top layer, and the greenish cardigan just happens to be trimmed with a sort of Western-looking fringe. Although I was originally planning to wear a pair of flat sandals, the overall country feel of the rest of my outfit inspired me to switch to boots—a smart choice both for the overall visual effect and for the comfort of my tootsies in the chilly office.

I wore my bold new look on Friday Funday—the best day of the week to attempt daring sartorial feats. I received neither compliments nor censures on my unconventional bottoms, so I like to believe that means they slipped by completely unnoticed, and I'm cleared to wear shorts at the office again!

Next summer, be ready for workplace shorts in every color!