5 Signs Your Shorts are Out of Date

This morning, you woke up, got out of bed, and headed over to the dresser to see what you had good to wear. If you’re like many men, you took one look at that top drawer and rustled through an entire set of clothes, not quite satisfied with what you saw at the top. Sure, there are plenty of clothes there to choose from…but you ignored most of them.

Why?

It’s because many men simply don’t know when to call it quits to their clothing apparel. They leave outdated shorts, pants, and shirts in their wardrobe rather than sell them, thrift them, or simply throw them away.

But you’re not most men. You’re going to clean out your wardrobe starting with this article: learning how to spot those shorts that are too out of date to have a place in your wardrobe.

Sign #1: Excessive Length

These days, short shorts are all the rage, and for good reason: for men with shorter legs, they tend to create a stronger silhouette. For men with long legs, proportion might demand that you get a longer short…but anything past the knees should be off-limits.

Excessive length is the surest sign that not only are your shorts out of date, but they have no business being in your dresser. Chances are your shorts will billow, giving your legs the visual appearance of being about two feet long, which is not an attractive look.

Sign #2: Cargo Pockets

We’re all for utility, but anything more than two pockets per pair of shorts can be pushing it. Sure, there are plenty of top-quality brands that still offer cargo shorts these days…but if you want a more modern, simple look, the best way to go is flat front. This cuts away at the excess bagginess provided by the aforementioned cargo pockets, providing a slimmer fit that’s more in line with today’s trends.

Sign #3: Faded Coloring

You might have purchased your shorts at an original color…and over the years, through use, that color might fade. To some extent, these shorts can be salvageable…it gives them a “worn-in” look that many people are after. But if they’re faded to the extent that there’s actually visible damage to the shorts themselves, that’s less a fashion statement and more a call to the online shorts shop nearest you.

Sign #4: Excessively flashy designs

The 90’s were famous for flashy pants and shorts…and these days, there’s no shortage of colorful shorts and patterns…but it’s one thing to wear a trendy pattern like madras and another thing to wear an outdated pattern like say, tiger stripe. If you want to be safe, go with the trendier pattern.

Sign #5: You haven’t worn them in years

This is the most relevant sign, because it’s relevant to you and your tastes. If you don’t wear an item of clothing, it has no business being in your wardrobe. It’s taking up space. It’s adding to your clutter. And there are plenty of people out there who would appreciate it in a thrift store or via donation. So do the right thing and get rid of the excessive shorts – after all, you weren’t wearing them anyway.