Men: Don’t Wear Shorts to Work
I have a strong opinion about fashion. Even though I wear the same solid color to work almost every day, I’m a fan of fashionable elegance, tailored suits and, yes, the occasional set of suspenders.
But here’s what I’m not a fan of: men in shorts to work.
Shorts are not work clothes
“But Patrick, the shorts are fantastic!” You scream. Sure, but also how to watch Gordon Ramsey tear up the sous-chef on YouTube. This does not mean that you do it at work. Context plays a key role, and shorts are not very comfortable at work.
Shorts are an article of clothing designed primarily for sports or leisure. Athletes? For example, Los futbolistas usan pantalones cortos . Obscenely rich? Try to get on the yacht without your pink panties and boat shoes. Children? They are constantly wearing short pants – a consolation prize for not getting Dad’s special juice out of the top cabinet yet.
Shorts imply unprofessionalism, just as adult diapers imply urinary incontinence. If you don’t want to appear lazy at work, don’t dress like you’re on vacation.
In offices with a strict and casual dress code, I prefer dressing rather than embellishing. There has been more than one instance where a more professional look has worked in my favor, whether during my workday or after I left the office. It’s harder to get to a private party when you only have 11 inches of fabric between your shoes and your waist.
I asked Pete Anderson , writer of the fashion blog Put This On , to argue for the shorts phenomenon in general. He did suggest a few situations in which shorts might be appropriate, but he is not a fan of them. However, there are still arguments in favor of the shorts. (See below.)
Cold offices call for pants
Your protest against pants can be seen as an environmentally friendly way to reduce pollution by reducing the amount of air conditioners. But actually, how much cooler do you think you end up with your legs bared? Do you think your construction manager cares about your mistaken #FreeTheKnee crusade? Sure, using fewer air conditioners can save billions of dollars in energy bills, but wearing panties will do little more than get you to buy a blanket.
If you are worried about the heat and think that shorts are your only option, I would like to introduce you to lightweight trousers . “You can wear light trousers and you’ll be fine, especially if most of the places you’re going to be are air conditioned,” Pete said. Like denim jeans, not all trousers are of the same fabric density. Lightweight trousers are more breathable and cool down a bit. As if they were invented to be worn on hot days.
The exception to the rule (in a way): cold jobs
You can have a pretty cool work environment. Some companies recommend that employees wear whatever they want. In such a case, shorts are probably inevitable. “I admit,” Anderson says, “in a more casual and creative field, it’s not that important.”
I will not give in! I would say shorts distractions are the last thing I need at work, especially a pair of Trevors with tiny anchors on them. It is still an office environment, and despite having a football table and two (two ?!) service dogs, politeness should be the main motivating factor in your interactions with colleagues. Don’t scare me with your knees.
Your social media team may have convinced America that your company is part of the Illuminati , but they haven’t convinced me that I need to look at their hairy shins and bare ash ankles as they stand up and take their seltzer.
Even if your office is very cold, you will find yourself communicating with outside parties as well as your colleagues. And whether it’s a client, customer, or interlocutor, how you portray yourself is of paramount importance. You never know who you will run into, and bumping into someone important who can determine the color of your underwear when you sit down is not ideal.
In short, put your shorts away.