Six Ways to Wear Black Shorts

For the most part, August is a month when people start really shifting gears toward fall fashion, back to school shopping, etc., but for me in real life I'm still wearing 100% summer clothes. It's the hottest month of the year here so shorts are still happening on the regular. Black is not what I'd consider the most quintessential summer color, but it does come in handy as a wardrobe staple even during the peak heat of summer. Today I'm sharing six (and a half) ways I've worn my black shorts for summer. I'm wearing three types of black shorts below: black denim, chino, and pull-on shorts and while I don't think you necessarily need all three types, having at least one option makes for some great low-fuss dressing this time of year.

LEFT: Jacket (c/o) | Tank | Shorts | Similar Shoes | Necklace | Similar Earrings | Handbag (c/o)

RIGHT: Tee | Shorts | Sandals (c/o) | Belt | Handbag (c/o Shopbop)

ONE:

Jacket (c/o) | Tank | Shorts | Similar Shoes | Necklace | Similar Earrings | Handbag (c/o)

Anytime you see me posting an outfit like this in summer, you're seeing the "public version" of what I wear. At home, I'm wearing just the basic tank and shorts with either bare feet or my indoor flip flops. Then when I need to head in public I throw on some nicer shoes plus an outer layer for A/C and just to look a little more polished. This is a lot more black head-to-toe than I usually wear during the summer, but I guess I was going for some city vibes on this particular day.

TWO:

Tee (c/o) [Budget Option] | Shorts | Sandals (c/o) | Belt | Handbag (c/o Shopbop)

When I pulled the six (and a half) outfits for this post, I tried to include as much shoe variety as possible. It's not too easy since most of my shoes are nude or black! But I do love a good black and cognac pairing, especially in simple outfits like this. It's just a basic white tee + shorts, but the cognac shoes and belt give it a little extra something without having to add a layer.

TWO POINT FIVE:

Tee (c/o) [Budget Option] | Denim Shirt | Shorts | Sandals (c/o) | Belt | Handbag (c/o Shopbop)

Speaking of adding a layer, I wanted to include this outfit here to give a layering option for the look above. I'm also including it because one of the outfit combos I see a lot on Pinterest that I also love is chambray + black. If you have a chambray shirt, I think it would look great by itself with black shorts. When I got this shirt I intended to wear it that way, but the problem is that it's denim, not chambray, and it's not as soft and flowy as I like for wearing a button down shirt on its own. I've ended up using this shirt more as a belt (tied around the waist with dresses) than as an actual shirt, so it's still gotten good use. But I think when fall weather rolls around here I'm going to try again to hunt down a truly soft, lightweight chambray shirt that has nice draping on its own.

THREE:

Cardigan | Shorts | Tank | Similar Sandals | Necklace | Earrings | Handbag (c/o) 

This outfit is very similar to the first look, only a more dressed down version. By opting for flat sandals and a cardigan vs. low heels and a jacket the outfit takes on a more casual vibe. But small details like embellished sandals and some jewelry help it look a little more polished overall!

FOUR:

Similar Shirt | Similar Shorts | Earrings | Sandals (c/o)

I don't tend to wear very many prints, but I find I'm drawn to them a little more in the summer. I think it's because it adds a little more visual interest to an outfit without having to add a layer. Generally I think my pull-on shorts are the most casual type of shorts I own, but even these can still be dressed up with a nicer blouse.

FIVE:

Olive Cardi (c/o) | Similar Cami | Similar Shorts | Sandals (c/o) |  Similar Necklace | Similar Handbag

It's definitely too hot to wear this type of cardigan (sweatshirt material) here lately...even in the A/C! Most of my indoor layers are lighter weight than this one. But I chose this outfit to share just for the color pairing. Olive + Black is one of my favorite color combos (I shared six ways to wear it here) and it's a great option for transitioning to fall. Even when I can't dress for fall weather I can add a few fall colors to my summer outfits to make them look more in-season.

SIX:

Similar Jacket | Henley Tank (c/o) | Shorts | Sandals (c/o) | Similar Bag

This outfit is very similar to outfit two-point-five above, but it's here for the shoe variety and alternate pieces used (tee + denim shirt above vs. chambray/linen jacket + henley tank here). A lot of people look great with an open-shirt worn as a jacket, but after giving it a try myself I found I'm generally more a fan of actual jackets. Funny enough though, I'm not sure I think this blue jacket would work as well with the cognac sandals as the denim shirt! It seems like they should be interchangeable pieces if I'm wearing them both as a jacket, so I'm not sure if it's the color saturation or material that makes the difference. Either way, this light blue color pairs nicely with black shorts so even if you have a t-shirt or tank or other fun top in this color that gives you one more way to style black shorts.

Last but not least, here's a Pinterest-friendly look at all six outfit options with black shorts:

The only exact black shorts option I wore in this post are the black denim pair from Old Navy. I found them to be true to size, with a generous cut for the thighs, which I personally love but I'm sure that preference varies with each body type!

Believe it or not I've only had my black denim shorts for about a year now (I got them last summer), but as you can tell from this post they've gotten plenty of use in that time. So if you're debating getting a pair, it's probably not a bad time to get some on an end-of season sale. You can still wear them a few more times this summer and reach for them again and again next year!

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