Winter Shorts

The night before Santacon as I perused Urban Outfitters looking for some festive pieces to sport while I apartment and bar hopped my way through lower Manahattan, I stumbled upon a pair of velvet shorts and a pair of bottoms that could best be described as a "flappers paradise" with 360 degree fringe detail. Full on pants party, to say the least. Read: I got the black velvet instead.

It got me thinking that we shouldn't only save these fun festive shorts to match your ugly Christmas sweater-vest, but instead we should most definitely wear them to carry us through these cold winter months we have ahead. You can get a lot more mileage out of these than you think!

Tip: Pair with tights, oversized button-down, and mary jane pumps.

Editor's Picks: Winter Shorts

 1. Velvet Shorts



Frenchi Pleat Velvet Shorts



Slip into a pair of soft velvet shorts and you will immediately dress up any shirt. Unfortunately the pair I got from Urban Outfitters is sold out, but these pair found in the Nordstrom Juniors section are inexpensive and pull off the same look.

2. Leather Shorts



Free People Leather Shorts 

You Miss, are one badass. With diagonal zipper detail, these shorts can be worn all-year round. Wear with a concert tee and sport in the summer.

3. Sweater Shorts



Free People Sweater Shorts



Perfect for lounging or a casual daytime look. The colorful band detail is like a built in belt, but a lot more attractive!

bop



Two words.

High-waist and layers. Okay, three if you count waist.

Months ago, I bought a cropped top from Urban Outfitters. It practically collected dust as it sat in my closet neglected. It's not that I forgot about it, but every time I would attempt to wear it something always seemed off. Until the day it dawned upon me that I had been going about the cropped top all wrong! Intentional belly-baring seems a bit distasteful unless your on the beach, at a rave, slutting-it-up on Halloween (guilty) or a tween. However, there are key pieces that make this short and boxy look a great go-to. (For the record, it was a high waisted skirt that my crop top was missing. Obviously.)

Heading to the movies in this get-up? You're kidding me.



Enter the cropped sweater. Some of the same pieces can be applied to the cropped sweater as the cropped top. I've found that if you stick to high-waists and layers, the cropped top or sweater can be pulled off seemlessly.

 

1. High waist, high waist, high waist.
No matter what you pair your crop top with, the secret to pulling it off is high waisted pants, skirts, shorts, etc. Whatever it is, make sure it's high waisted so you're not mistaken for any of the "when it's acceptable to belly-bare" (see first paragraph) situations.

2. Layers, layers, layers.
Play with some dresses and bum-skimming shirts you may already have. It will automatically create a whole new look to a dress as well as add a unique flare to a tradional skinny jean and top outfit.



Dress + cropped sweater = Daytime go-to



Cropped and off the shoulder, how 'bout it?