Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Sunday, August 30, 2020

When Do You Put the Shorts Away?

Photo by Salt Water New England
From Maine to Connecticut, there are some who have surprisingly strong opinions about when the shorts are put away for the season.

38 comments:

  1. Here in Atlanta it can be very warm until late October or early November.

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  2. long sleeves and shorts go on for me way into the fall here in upstate NY

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  3. Here in the Texas Hill Country we have had ninety degree heat in each of the twelve months and exceeded a hundred in six of them. What is this season of which you speak?

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  4. In NC, so it can stay warm a while yet...but I usually tuck them away after Labor Day. Maybe keep 1-2 pairs handy in case of a major heatwave. Lightweight khakis make the transition into Fall!

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  5. No hard date but here on the NJ coast shorts with long sleeve shirt and sweater can take me through Halloween.

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    1. Same here in Northern Virginia. Since we can get a month or two more of "summer weather" (by New England standards), I will wear shorts into late October(usually with a long sleeve oxford and a sweater)and perhaps longer depending on the weather. But, as a general rule of thumb, I usually stop wearing shorts when the daytime temps. dip below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

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    2. Shorts and a sweater will work on Long Island as well! An oxford button down with sleeves turned up and a cute boat shoe will work nicely too.

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  6. I'm in Connecticut. Even though I follow the Labor Day white rule I may still sport long sleeves, cotton sweater, and shorts into October if we get a warm spell. (And we often do.) Shorts go away and tweeds come out after Trick or Treat.

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  7. At the age of 12. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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    1. I waited until age 30.

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    2. I was wearing shorts at a Virginia prep school, Norfolk Academy, and in second grade when dad, a naval officer, was transferred to Livermore, California. We lived in Pleasanton. I went to my first day of school in shorts, a seemingly reasonable thing for a second grader. Wrong! In the mid-1950s the correct uniform in California was dark blue jeans and a white tee-shirt. I got some long pants but was out of step with that place the whole time I was there. It was fresh air to move to Manhasset when dad got a ship home ported out of Brooklyn!

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    3. Love Manhasset, nice Yacht Club there!

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  8. Rhode Island here. I wear shorts as deep into fall as possible, and start wearing them again as soon as spring permits. As much as I like tweeds, Barbours, and Bean boots, summer is the default season for preps.

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    1. Southern seacoast Maine here. I'm with you - shorts deep into the fall. Waist up is long sleeve shirt and sweater, depending on the weather. I do Bean boots with shorts if the weather demands it.

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  9. Never really got shorts. When I lived in the hot countries I noticed everyone kept covered their skin, as much as possible. Skin surface temperature is the measure of heat discomfort. The less exposed your skin is to the direct sun, the cooler you feel.

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    1. I tried it that way in Arizona and found that I was much cooler with exposed skin, with plenty of sunscreen, of course. I was there for eight years, so I acquired plenty of experience.

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  10. I'm in Pennsylvania and wear shorts on the golf course into October if it's still nice out.

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  11. Here in the mid-Atlantic, the shorts get packed away by mid-September.

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  12. I wear shorts for the gym, running outdoors and the beach. In rural Minnesota exposed skin is a target for mosquitos, blackflies, horseflies, deerflies and various irritating plants. And that's why i usually have the woods and prairies to myself.

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    1. Yes. Ditto from rural New England. Long pants are much more comfortable and practical
      in the woods and the praires (evidently) and certainly in the garden!

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  13. Shorts can go deep in the fall, just adjust the upper layers!!

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  14. I attended U of Minnesota law school. I asked a professor for a recommendation and told him I did well in his large class, but he had no idea who I was. I then told him I wore shorts all winter in his class, in Minneapolis. His face lit up, he said "you're the shorts guy," and he wrote a great letter to a judge who was considering my clerkship application.

    For socializing in the Mid-Atlantic, I generally shelve the shorts in mid to late October. For hiking and being active, I wear shorts year-round unless the highs are below 35 fahrenheit.

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  15. Marin County: April 1 till Thanksgiving. This summer has been unusually cold, and I have occasionally worn jeans...

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  16. Tim never puts his shorts away, but we live in the Atlanta area. Me? I switch to capris sometime in October. But, I rarely wear shorts in public anytime. Wait - what am I saying? I am never in public anymore! :-(

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  17. The heat stays longer and longer in the California central valley. Now, it's warm through the end of October. September can be 100F, and this year with fires everywhere, we can't go outside due to bad air. I'm teaching from home in skirts and capri pants this semester.

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  18. I usually spend the winter months in SE Asia for business. As a result, I keep Madras shorts, a Bermuda and 3 Patagonia Baggies in the rotation along with matching short sleeves, linen oxfords and polo shirts from Lacoste and Brooks.

    Even in very hot climates such as Thailand and Singapore, there is an emphasis on wearing the right outfits. I learned from experience that I am more likely to receive quality service based simply on presenting myself well. Contrary to popular belief, wearing tacky street wear outfits with Supreme or Burberry logos won't help since it's overly-saturated and the majority of these items are knock offs.

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  19. I stop wearing them at the point in the year when they're uncomfortable because I'm cold, and I resume wearing them when they're comfortable because I'm hot.

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  20. From Rhode Island, but currently living in the Adirondacks. I work in a casual enough situation that khakis, an OCBD, and a jacket on the back of my office door is my daily work wear. I work late and often transition to evening activities without a change, so shorts are for weekends and holidays. And, living in a rural area, some weekends I wear long pants (sometimes more colorful between Memorial Day and Labor Day) just to avoid the bugs. I don't store them away for the season, but I follow the weather and my mood. By the time summer is done, I'm ready for the corduroys, moleskin and wool.

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  21. If you look this nice in khaki shorts, the later the better.

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  22. when it is too cool/cold to wear them....

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  23. when it gets too cool or cold.

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  24. Southern Spain here....there’s usually a week in December that make shorts a poor choice.

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  25. Up here in the Great White North, I think sensible people park these for the season this weekend. Labour Day and all bets are off for weather, could get cold anytime.

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  26. I remember when I was a child, wardrobes were switched on Labor Day Weekend. Now I wear them until it's too chilly for shorts.

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  27. I live in Marin County California. Shorts season a t my house is April first to Thanksgiving....

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  28. Here in the Midwest, you still find guys wearing shorts past summer, although they hardly qualify as shorts - more like ugly, outdated baggy leg curtains, especially the cargo ones. These men (mostly doughy white guys, geeks, and ghetto black guys) think they're being such cool "rebels" against Mother Nature, or they just can't accept the fact that the tacky summer season is over. They look ridiculous.

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