Here I am, on Mother’s Day, actually, wearing the shorts of my dreams, by Tess Giberson.
I am flat out boring when it comes to shorts. Or maybe I should say classic. But I will tell you, when it comes to this summertime staple, I generally skew early 60′s prepster, choose one pair, and wear them for years (like 10 or 12) till they are threadbare.
Once said favorite shorts are no longer presentable, I save them, swearing I’m going to get a tailor to remake them, (like that’s ever going to happen) and then begin the search for my next pair.
Tess Giberson Spring/Summer 2014. Photo via Style.com
A year ago, I ripped a huge hole in my last pair (remember the ones Proenza Schouler did for Target a few years back?) and I have been adrift ever since. That is, until I saw the most perfect shorts ever, in my all time favorite color of kelly green, striding down the runway in Tess Giberson’s Spring 2014 show. This was highly unexpected, as the word preppy is about as far from an appropriate adjective as one can get for Tess, and yet they were perfectly at home, sleek and simple, in the midst of a collection that in fact took much of it’s inspiration from the classic WASP style.
Hooray!! Problem solved! Until I went to place my order and discovered that, as not enough stores seemed interested, that style was not going to be produced. SO ANNOYING and shortsighted of retailers everywhere who clearly do not understand a great thing when it is hanging there in front of them. So I patiently waited till the sample sale, when I would hopefully get my hands on the pair from the show.
Well, the Tess Giberson Sample Sale came and went, and the shorts, which were about to leap into my waiting arms, were taken off the rack and sent to some magazine in the UK that requested them for a shoot. Supposedly the shorts would be mine when they were returned, but I was fairly certain I’d never see them again.
So while I didn’t give up hope entirely, I began to look around for other potential candidates…
Opening Ceremony’s water print shorts.
From Opening Ceremony’s own line come these crazy print denim shorts, evidently inspired by OC founders Humberto and Carol’s LA upbringing (which worries me a bit about kids growing up in the City of Angels.) Good shape, but a bit short for a woman of my… um… maturity level, lets just say.
These linen Christophe Lemaire shorts are a good mix of style and comfort…
I checked over at Bird, which always has something I can’t leave behind, and saw these black linen shorts by Christophe Lemaire. Linen is always a nice touch, and the length is good. I almost brought these home, but I am personally still holding out for a more tailored look.
These J Crew shorts are kind of for when I die and come back as an English schoolboy.
Which brings us to J Crew… the obvious go to when it comes to classic style. And these shorts are almost perfect (in fact they might make the ideal back up pair, come to think of it) Really the only problem is that I was looking for a sort of medium length pair, as I’d been wearing Bermuda style shorts for the past 15 years and want a bit of a change.
And then the email of happiness landed in my inbox, resulting in last week’s trip to Tess Giberson’s SoHo shop for the pick up, and this Sunday’s gloriously warm weather, which was probably the first time I would have been able to wear the shorts anyway, what with this crazy cold winter/spring we’ve been having, made the whole saga worthwhile.
It just goes to show you. Patience and persistence does pay off. Even in the fashion world.
