To dress well

Spring may be the most fun season, stylistically speaking. With its warmer, drier and sunnier days and blossoming flowerbeds, spring offers a chance to get lively and bold with greater flexibility in styles than any other season.

The signatures of spring clothing are lightweight materials, looser fits, bright colors and more skin exposure. For many, though, warm weather signals the return of shorts. Cropped pants, capris and shorts are available in many different cuts with choices for every occasion.

Cropped styles signal the end of cold weather. Hitting anywhere from mid-calf to upper ankle, cropped pants are found in a wide range of styles. Denim is cute while neutrals are popular; be bold, though, and look for brighter colors. Vibrant coral, lime green, saffron, orange and crimson are bold choices that pay off: With a simple black top, cute sandals or sexy heels, women can often wear bottoms in colors they would normally avoid. Boldly colored pants don’t wash out or clash with skin tones the way tops do. Proximity to the face is the key.

On the other hand, with neutral capris, look for bright tops that work well with your coloring. Find a bold color that complements your skin and hair and then accessorize with harder-to-wear colors, like orange, green and yellow for contrast.

Bermuda shorts, typically narrow fitting, and hitting at or just below the knee, are a flattering and dressy choice for most women (especially the vertically gifted). Worn with a sophisticated blouse and blazer, this look is sharp and clean. It’s stylishly casual, though, when paired with fun, flirty tops. In either case, heels are a great choice — look toward peep-toe, kitten heels or wedges. Bermuda shorts are also fun with canvas shoes if you’re aiming for casual.

Walking shorts are similar to Bermudas, but tend to look less tailored and hit slightly above the knee. These are a great choice for shorter women looking for dressier shorts, since the extra amount of visible leg adds height.

Ultra-short shorts are best worn for ultra-casual. There’s really no way to make Daisy Dukes classy, but that shouldn’t stop you from wearing them. They look their best with bright, colorful graphic tees, flip-flop sandals and tousled, beach hair.

For anything between the ultra-short and walking shorts, take cues from the shorts themselves. Clean cuts in neutral colors can pair with a wider range of tops, from summer-elegant to beachwear. Destructed shorts, fading or with less clean lines look best with casual T-shirts, camisoles and fun tops.

Two main styles dominate men’s shorts options: cargo and flat front.

Cargo shorts, a staple of the college guy’s summer wear, are loose fitting, hit at or below the knee and feature add-ons like random drawstrings and somewhere between several and too many pockets. Aside from being illogically over-useful, these shorts are very comfortable, come in every shade of khaki, and look great with graphic tees, polos, sneakers or leather flip-flops. To make this look unique, look for unusual colors. Bright shirts look great with white shorts.

For colorful shorts, flat-front plaid is a great choice. Modern and retro at the same time, and plaid shorts with straight, slightly fitted legs, hitting around the knee are very popular. Look for plaid patterns that are both bold and attractive, such as large-scale plaid, without many different colors. Staying within the cool color range is also recommended, though there are great options other than blue

Depending on their business, plaid usually looks best with solid colors, be they V-neck T-shirts or polos. Look for pale blues, grays and white. Wear these with leather flip-flops, canvas shoes or sneakers.

In solid colors, flat-front shorts are a dressier, more mature way to bring cool clothing to dressy summer events. Wear with summery short-sleeved dress shirts in solid colors or tame patterns. Tuck the shirt in, and choose a stylish belt. A lightweight, fitted cotton blazer, perhaps with a casual, narrow tie are also viable for those who like “British school boy” chic. Slim loafers or sleek lace-up dress shoes are a very GQ way to finish the dressy shorts look, as long as no socks are visible. Otherwise, canvas shoes look great.

Less mainstream (though they’re catching on) are cropped pants for men. Sometimes called ‘shants,’ I prefer ‘man capris.’ Often like a hybrid between cargo pants and shorts, these are at their best in lightweight materials without the bagginess of standard cargo pants. This look is frequently rocked out of necessity by campus bikers: Cuffing jeans to mid-calf is essentially the same thing, and whether in denim or khaki, man capris look great with stylish, sleek sneakers or leather flip-flops and graphic tees.

Do you have any style questions or fashion queries you need answered? Feel free to send me any questions, suggestions or ideas.