Vote: Should Shorts Be OK at Work?

The business world is having some trouble adjusting to modern fashion tastes, especially in warm-weather months. In some industries, traditional dress codes are still in place, while in others a more casual approach allows employees to dress for comfort. Of course, most companies are somewhere in-between. And many HR-issued dress codes aren’t that specific, which leads us to a question posed by Motto: What’s the deal with shorts at work?

Shorts generally sit right at the dividing line between the button-down and free-flow fashion worlds. We say “generally” because there are some more formal shorts options available, like Matt Lauer here.

SOURCE: eonline.com

Last year, the #FreeTheKnee campaign sought to ensure the rights of working men to free their gams and gain the ability to express themselves through fashion — oh OK, they probably just wanted to be more comfortable.

SOURCE: vimeo.com

InStyle endorses shorts, culottes, etc. at work for women, as long as their wearer adheres to certain principles that just make good sense:

• Do find shorts of an appropriate length
• Don't wear short shorts
• Do look for shorts cut from an elevated cloth
• Do seek out special detailing
• Do go for neutrals
• Do style them with dressy pairings

Of course, as we said before, every industry has its personality and your decision should make sense for the kind of work you do. Here’s a good yardstick, from Kate Weiss, HR VP at Time Inc.: “Ask yourself: If you're called into a meeting with senior leaders, would you feel comfortable wearing shorts?"

What do you think? 

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