By Lindsay Geller
I hate pants. I know it’s bad to hate anything, but I’m just not the biggest fan. Maybe it’s because of my lack of height or lack of self-confidence. Deep breath. Anywho, I dread the winter months where my only choice is skinny jeans or frostbite. However, despite my trouser hatred, I oddly have no beef with shorts. So, I was super pleased, while on a recent trip to London, to observe a new trend of wearing shorts over a pair of patterned tights. Of course, this trend wasn’t entirely new to me. As an Emerson College student, I had seen my fair share of hipsters sporting this look down Boylston Street. In London, however, this trend was much more widespread and socially acceptable.
Popularized by such British celebrities as Lily Allen,
She clearly takes rock star liberties. But, the shorts and tights combination is not just for women aged eighteen to twenty-one. English women, both older and younger, also partake in this trend. The youngest person I saw sporting this look was about seven years old. (I tried to take a picture of her whilst standing in a McDonald’s, but even my creeper skills have their limits.)
What makes this trend “brill” is that, depending on your shorts/tights combination, you can dress up or down for any occasion. I usually wear jean shorts over tights, but dress shorts look great too. If you’re worried about being cold (like I usually am) jean shorts and tights pair extremely well with a knit sweater and tall boots. Or if you want to take this look from day to night, you can easily combine dark dress shorts and tights with a flattering blouse and a pair of wedge booties.
The first time I saw this trend in the US, I was a little intimidated. However, now that I’ve seen its widespread appeal in England, I’ve realized that the shorts and tights combination is just too cute to pass up. So, what do you guys think? Are you ready and willing to bring this trend across the pond or do you think the Brits are totally mental?
