The obscenely rich Try walking onto a yacht without pink knickers and boat shoes. Children They are constantly clad in short pants, a consolation prize for not being able to reach daddys special juice from the top cabinet yet. In my opinion, theres not really any right shorts for work. Shorts imply unprofessionalism the same way an adult diaper implies incontinence. If you dont want to appear lazy on the job, dont dress like youre on vacation. Having worked in offices with both strict and lax dress codes, I tend to dress up rather than dress down. Theres been more than one occasion where looking more professional than not worked in my favor, whether thats during my workday or after Im out of the office. Its harder to waltz into a private party when you only have 1. I asked Pete Anderson, writer for fashion blog Put This On, to make a case for the whole shorts at work phenomenon. He did suggest some situations where shorts might be appropriate, but he isnt a fan of them. Still, arguments for shorts do exist. LCPC6dYsuQjmpdLClslXq461FICq-wG14hDkxkH6m6myg1UxotSjMSyA-02Jxxs=h900' alt='Plasma Full Client V6 Set Up Events' title='Plasma Full Client V6 Set Up Events' />See below. Cold Offices Require Pants. Your protest against pants could be viewed as an environmentally friendly way to reduce pollution by using less air conditioning. But really, how much cooler do you think youll end up by exposing your legsAnd do you think your building manager cares about your misguided Free. The. Knee crusade Granted, using less air conditioning could save billions of dollars in energy costs, but wearing knickers wont do much but force you to purchase a blanket. Science has already told us that women feel more sensitive to cold temperatures, which is why going Read more Read. If youre concerned about the heat and think shorts are your only option, Id like to introduce you to the lightweight pant. You can wear light trousers and be fine, especially if most of the places youll be are air conditioned, said Pete. Like denim jeans, not every pair of slacks has the same fabric density. Lightweight pants are more breathable, and let you cool down a bit. Its almost like they were invented to be worn during hot days. Exception to the Rule Sort Of Chill Jobs. You might have a pretty chill work environment. Some companies encourage employees to wear whatever they want. In that case, shorts are probably inevitable. I concede, says Anderson, that in a more casual and creative oriented field its less of a big deal. I will not concede Id say distractions in the form of shorts are the last thing I need at work, especially Trevors pair with the tiny anchors on it. Its still an office environment, and despite the presence of a foosball table and two two company dogs, civility should be the primary motivating factor in how you interact with your coworkers. Do not use your knees to terrorize me. Your social media team may have convinced America your company is part of the Illuminati, but they havent convinced me I need to gaze upon their hairy shins and exposed, ashy ankles whenever they get up and grab some seltzer. Whether you just dont have air conditioning, dont want to fire it up just yet, or want to saveRead more Read. Even if your office is super chill, youll find yourself interacting with third party individuals as well as your coworkers. And whether its a client, customer, or interviewee, how you portray yourself is paramount. You never know who youll run into, and running into someone important who can identify your underwear color when you sit down isnt ideal. In short, put your shorts away.