How I wore it: at least they're not formal shorts

You may have noticed that for the last couple of winters, people have been wearing ... shorts. SHORTS. In the middle of WINTER! And I've only lived on the East Coast, where it gets COLD. I first noticed people outside of celebrities do this on the streets of New York in very early 2008. When I told my (extremely fashion-forward) best friend about the sighting of a woman wearing actual SHORTS in FEBRUARY, she shrugged and commented that she had done that herself (over tights, of course -- that's what we're talking about, people, yes?).

I was kind of hooked since then.

I've noticed more and more people do it since then, both on the internet and in real life. S. of Academichic rocks the shorts-over-tights + boots look, especially now in Germany. The lovely Erin of Work With What You've Got has recently been joining the shorts-in-winter trend and looking fantastic. La Historiadora de la Moda over at Fashionable Academics gave the look a try the other day and decided that it wasn't for her.

In October, I found a pair of tweedy shorts at the Gap and I kind of fell in love with them. Now you have to understand: I don't even wear shorts in the summer. I prefer to wear skirts in super-hot weather, but not shorts. I have a thing about my legs and I believe that skirts are more flattering, and look more put-together. So the fact that I was all mushy about these shorts (for the WINTER?!) was even more surprising. Much to my shock, when I sheepishly showed them to my husband at the store, he insisted I get them. So ... I did. I've only worn them a couple of times and today was one of those days. We went to a couple of open houses of places that we saw yesterday with an architect friend and I decided that I was tired of looking as if I were in mourning. So here goes:

So here I am, wearing my BRIGHT (it's practically glowing) orange sweater, what with the shorts, tights, and Greek boots. This sweater has magical powers. The first time I wore it at work, everyone mentioned something about how I was "actually" wearing color, from the lunch lady, to my students, to my BOSS. So I think it's pretty powerful. I like that it's not super-tight, if it ever was, and that it's stretched out to look a little slouchy and boyish.

And, of course, here's a desk shot:

I kind of enjoy the "perching on the desk" shots.

Anyways, here's my own interpretation of the shorts-in-winter look. I've usually worn these shorts with these boots and my bright yellow stockings, but today I decided to go more muted and only wear the neon-brights on the top, where I could be safely covered up by my coat.

The color of my winter wool coat, you may ask?

Grey.

Orange sweater: Gap
Tweed shorts: Gap
Brown / grey tights: gift from my sister-in-law, by way of TJ Maxx, I believe
Boots: gift from my husband, from a shoe store on Ermou Street, Athens