Which Shorts Still Work for Us?

My friend turned to me in the car yesterday and asked "What about shorts? Which shorts can I still wear?"

This question comes from someone who wears a size 6 and is young enough to have a second grader. I'm still always surprised how intimidating fashion is for most women. I've made it my career mission to make it less so, on the internet and in person.

I think shorts cause a lot of anxiety because the legs are one of the most prevalent areas to show age with cellulite, veins, age spots, etc.

And don't get me started about knees, which are definitely one of the ugliest body parts on everyone.

I remember a few years back when Demi Moore had her zillion-dollar plastic surgery makeover. She looked amazing for a mature woman and even snagged the cutest little cougar cub of all time, Ashton Kutcher. Then the tabloids started reporting that she still hated her knees and finally had them redone (don't ask, because I have no idea what goes into a knee lift.)

The funniest thing about the whole ordeal is that, honestly, nobody has great-looking knees (well, I guess now Demi does.) And shorts tend to highlight the knees.

Although many fashion experts tout the Bermuda/walking/knee-length short as a style cure-all to solve the knee problem, I tend to avoid a knee-length unless you absolutely don't want to show a bit of thigh.

The problem with the knee-length short is that it visually cuts your leg exactly in half, which is tremendously unflattering (unless you wear it with a pair of tall wedge shoes to lengthen the leg.) If you don't want to show any thigh, I think you're actually better going with a longer crop/capri pant that hits mid-calf or so.

If, however, you feel like you can show a bit of the upper leg, your best bet is a short that ends several inches above the knee. About a 7-inch inseam covers enough of the upper thigh to disguise cellulite, but still give you enough leg showing to look long-legged.

Regardless of what length you end up getting, watch the fullness. A really full short will make you look dumpy; opt for a slimmer fit and you'll look sleeker.

And what if you want to wear shorts but don't like the way the skin on your legs looks? My first recommendation would be to try a faux tan – spray it on yourself or get a salon to do a pro job. Tanned legs always look better and can help cover veins and age spots.

Pantyhose and shorts are a huge no-no. Trendy young fashionistas everywhere are wearing black tights with short cutoff shorts, but it even looks silly on the youngsters, so don't try this look for yourself.