The Art of Style by Kit Mills 078: Colors & Cuffs in NYC

In these, the dog days of summer, it’s rare to see a pair of trousers extended to their full length. Plenty of people even wear a special garment called “shorts.” This article of clothing has been subjected to a truly absurd amount of debate, especially on the topic of whether or not it’s appropriate for a man to wear them. This is ridiculous. Wear whatever you want, your masculinity can withstand showing a little knee. While I’m not an enemy of shorts in general, regardless of the gender of the person wearing them, I prefer not to put them on myself. If you, like me, insist on not wearing shorts, there are two ways to send a breeze around your ankles in long pants—cuff them or roll them up (versatile!), or get the more clean-cut look of pants cut a few inches above the anklebone.

Summer footwear is another struggle. Again, wear whatever you want. If you’re fine with getting gross city scrapings all over your feet while you shuffle around in sandals, by all means proceed and get a tetanus shot if you step on anything sharp. But if you’ve gone through all the trouble of getting a nice pair of shortened pants to wear in the hot weather, why would you ruin the look with a pair of flip-flops? You can also choose to suffer through it in the fancy shoe of your choice, sans socks. Well, not completely sans socks. Thin, tiny socks made out of stocking material will keep the insides of your shoes from the realities of feet in hot, enclosed spaces. Good luck. Autumn is only a month away.

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