What constitutes work-appropriate attire has changed since COVID.JulPo/Getty Images
Earlier this summer, I went to the office wearing shorts. It was more of a practical decision than a style choice. With the temperature in downtown Toronto hovering around 35 degrees and the air thick with humidity, even the lightest linen pants left me feeling like Swamp Thing: too sweaty to leave the house let alone face my colleagues.
Weighing the pros and cons of exposing my legs versus being the damp guy at work, I opted for the former, pairing black linen-blend shorts with a lightweight, Western-style button up. It was pushing the limits of business casual, sure, but it seemed like a thoughtful enough outfit for the workplace. After all, it was hot out.
After a subway ride and a 15-minute walk in direct sunlight (the streetcar was out of service, naturally), I took the elevator up to my floor and settled in at my desk. Looking around, I noticed that nobody else in the office was in shorts. In fact, it seemed like the heat hadn’t factored into anybody’s outfits at all. I felt exposed. For the first time, I thought: Am I dressed appropriately for the office?
Since COVID, what constitutes work-appropriate attire has changed. Rarely does any profession require a suit and tie these days. Jeans, polos and sneakers can be acceptable, depending on the setting. But wearing shorts to work is a line that many people are still afraid to cross. On Reddit and across social media, you’ll find people debating the subject. Even among style experts, it’s a contentious issue.
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“Shorts in the workplace is what the crop top is to summer. For a specific few, it’s a slam dunk. For the rest of us, it’s an aspiration,” said Erica Peck, owner and buyer at Wildthing Vintage, an online clothing shop based in Stratford, Ont. While Peck supports the office short, she notes that there are some important things to consider before trying it out.
“You can get away with a suit that’s somewhat ill-fitting and not draw attention to yourself, but when we’re talking about shorts, length, fit, tailoring and proportions are all key,” she says.
For Peck, a tailored short paired with a sports jacket (reminiscent of fashion designer Tom Browne) is an opportunity to show some knee while still looking put together. But that kind of look requires a confidence and sense of style not everyone has the ability to pull off. Leaning into something more casual –think Patagonia Baggies, or anything denim – risks coming off as unprofessional, even if your workplace technically allows it.
“It’s not that I frown upon people wearing shorts at the office. But personally, I can’t show up to work wearing shorts,” said Yang-Yi Goh, a senior style editor at GQ based in New York. “I don’t think I would be able to sit at my desk and lock in fully. It’s harder to get focused and take yourself seriously when your legs are exposed.”
GQ’s dress code allows for all sorts of creative style choices. But among a fashion-forward staff, Goh notes that his colleagues rarely – if ever – wear shorts. In 2023, that was something he lamented in a column, advocating that someone in shorts with a great button-up or knit polo looked far more put together than most folks in jeans. Nowadays, it’s a position he’s walked back. Goh thinks that with many people returning to the office on a more full-time basis, so has a sense of decorum.
“I’m all for expressing yourself through your professional clothes and injecting some fun and flavour into the things you wear to work every day,” he says. “But I just feel like shorts aren’t the way to do it.”
Chatting with my most stylish friends and reflecting on my own experience, I wondered if my brief excursion into office shorts was a mistake, never to be tried again. Still, fearing another late-summer heat wave, I’ve been attempting to find a shorts outfit that fits the office vibe, trying on different combinations in the mirror in an effort to justify my original decision. Nothing has worked yet. Maybe, for now, the best course of action is to just pack an outfit I can change into postcommute.
