Rant and Rave: J. Crew Shorts

by Maura

Hey Style Lush! It has been a while since I've posted here, but I'm happy to be back! Unfortunately for my bank account, but fortunately for you, I've been doing a lot of shopping lately. I'm looking forward to sharing my finds with you!

Today I have both a rant and a rave about my favorite shorts. For many years, I didn't wear shorts. It just wasn't something people DID in New York City. You wore pants, skirts, or dresses, that was it. Then shorts started coming into vogue again (maybe in 2008 or 2009) and I went out and bought a pair of khaki shorts from J. Crew. I loved these shorts and wore them to death until 2011 (RIP).

In 2010, I was going on a vacation to Mexico with a friend and needed more than one pair of shorts. As you may recall, Bermuda shorts were in style and I headed to my J. Crew Outlet in Atlantic City to pick up a couple of pair. I bought the blue and khaki. Man, I love these shorts. They are a nice, sturdy material. Not too thin and when freshly washed and unwrinkled, they look really nice. I also really loved the tab waist band. In 2011, having gained a few in-a-happy-relationship pounds, I went up a size, but stuck with the fabulous Bermuda shorts from J. Crew Outlet. At the outlet, these shorts ran me about $25 each. Based on the quality and how well they wash and wear, I totally think this price was worth it.

I realize this is getting to be an epic-length post on shorts, but bear with me a while longer. This year I am kind of over the Bermuda length and wanted to go to a shorter length. Naturally, I turned to the J. Crew Factory website and bought the 5-inch chinos. Unfortunately, they stink.

(Photo from: J. Crew Factory.com)

Issue number 1 is that they are not running in the regular sizes. I bought two pair online of the size I always wear and they are way too small. Issue number 2 is that the material feels cheap and thin. At $30, I was expecting the same quality that I had from the last FOUR pair of J. Crew Factory shorts I bought. These are going back.

Because I still wanted to get some 5-inch shorts for the summer, I headed to the J. Crew brick-and-mortar store in my neighborhood. I tried on a pair in my usual size and they seemed snug, so I went up a size. Totally my fault, but that was a dumb move. They stretched out and are not that flattering. $35 dollars down the drain. (Or on hold until I -- inevitably -- need the larger size.)

I went back to the store and picked up the largest pair of my normal size (I always hold up a few pair and see which has that extra 1/8. It makes a difference). With another $35, I found my summer shorts.

(Photo from: J. Crew.com)

Now, these shorts aren't perfect, which is why this post is both a rant and a rave. The material is the nice, heavy material that I like, and they come in a variety of lengths. I wish they had the tab front because it lays more smoothly under tops. Right now I have a little weird pokey-outy-thing around the waistband of my shorts. At $35, these aren't cheap, but I wear shorts every day in the summer and they really do hold up nicely.

In short (hahahaaa), I recommend these shorts. The brick-and-mortar stores have a sale currently (the 5-inch are $35), but the online store is selling them for $29 to $45 depending on the color you want.

Comments

[HollowSquirrel]

I usually love these shorts, too, but this year, I can't fit into mine from last year. Sigh. Another great pair in similar style/fit is EMS. They have great neutrals. It's their brand. I'm not sure the "style" name, but they're lower in price, too.