KEY POINTS:
You have probably seen them. On the beaches, strutting down the main street, at nightclubs. Despite the dismal weather, they are the most exposing fashion trend this summer: short shorts.
They come in many colours and styles - some have cuffs, some have stripes, some are made from towelling fabric. What they all have in common is that they are extremely short - some measure as little as 21cm from the waist to the hemline - and they do not mix well with cellulite.
Thankfully, you don't have to pay much for a pair, with some selling for as little as $10. Considering the scant quantity of material in them, that's probably fair.
Auckland's Queen St clothing store Supre sells a range of short shorts, and store manager Nadia Shaw told the Herald on Sunday they had been very popular this summer. "Especially among teens - you get the odd older person in, but mainly young girls."
Short shorts are also popular with Hollywood celebrities, including Jessica Simpson, Victoria Beckham and Paris Hilton.
Even on a grey, cloudy day, there was plenty of interest in the short shorts stand. Karen Aguinaldo (17) was wearing a pair of small denim shorts. "They are breezy, and good during summer."
Another customer, 22-year-old Michelle, said that short shorts were a smarter-look alternative to wearing a mini-skirt. "You can dress them up or down."
Is there a point at which the cuffs should be lowered? All the customers we interviewed at Supre agreed there was an easy way to tell if the look had been taken too far. "If you can see the bottom of someone's bum cheeks - that's bad," said Michelle.
Shaw said it all depended. "Look back at the 60s and 70s, how short were they then? Daisy Duke (from TV show Dukes of Hazzard) had her bum cheeks hanging out. If you're comfortable, I guess that's OK."
But New Zealand fashion designer Kate Sylvester takes a harder line. "Short shorts look great on Kate Moss and 20-year-olds with killer legs. Everybody else, Mrs Beckham included, should leave well alone."
