Mid-Rise Shorts Comparison

I have found that I'm not a fan of the high-rise shorts trend that is taking over these days.  Although it's a nice idea to cover up the less than firm stomach area, it's not all that practical because the shorts seems to sacrifice length for the tummy coverage.  Back in April, I needed shorts so I grabbed two pairs at Target online.  

One pair was completely ludicrous in its appearance once I put them on.  I felt like I was an extra in a music video wearing hot pants.  So, I did not intend to keep them.  I even began the return process for Target and was told "Oh, you can just keep them and we'll refund your money anyway."  If that's not a raving review by the company, I don't know what is. (insert eye roll here) I kept all the tags on the shorts and have put them in my "donate" pile because I just simply cannot bring myself to find a scenario in which I could comfortably wear the shorts.  

The other pair is okay.  I bought them after reading several other blogs about how they were the "unicorn" of shorts.  I'm not as big of a fan of them as others seem to be.  I like the frayed hem enough, but I'm uncomfortable with how high they come and therefore how short they appear.  I am long-waisted, so it takes a while to get from my pants inseam to my belly button where these shorts need to be in order to zip and button.  My torso is long, but my legs are short, so while the shorts rise very high and cover my midriff, they settle too high up my leg for me to be completely comfortable wearing them.  In all honesty, these shorts probably are great for some.  If someone was short-waisted and long-legged, then the shorts wouldn't have to rise so high to sit at the natural waist and would therefore be longer on the leg.  Since my body type is long-waisted and short-legged, I am not as comfortable with the high-rise trend. 

I was given two pairs of mid-rise shorts several years ago and completely wore one pair to shreds and am quickly approaching that level with the remaining pair.  I knew I needed to find similar mid-rise shorts, so I browsed around Old Navy and found three great options!  They arrived on Tuesday of this week and I am very happy with all three pairs.  Two of the pairs are actually the same short in different washes, and the third pair is a bit nicer and can be worn to events where you want to look a bit more pulled together.  

The two denim pairs can be found here.  I ordered the Medium Wash and the Dark Wash.  The have a 3 inch inseam which is just the right length for my legs.  They don't feel like bermuda shorts and also don't feel like hot pants-- so win, win.  :)

The hem is cuffed, but not sewn all the way around.  

Since it's not sewn all the way around, it can look unkempt in the back.  

 This can be an easy fix though by rolling the hem back into place and sewing a few anchor stitches.  I plan to sew the hem of both pairs of the denim shorts this weekend. 

They have a bit of stretch to them, so they show wrinkles easily, but also this means they wear well during the day and maintain comfortability. 

They are long enough to show from underneath a tunic-length shirt (my high-rise shorts are not long enough to peek out from underneath this same shirt).  These are the dark wash shown below. 

I pulled the shirt hem up to show the wrinkling that can occur from a full day of wearing.  This isn't bothersome to me, but I know it is to some. 

Here are the medium wash shorts.  

I'm really happy with the overall length of the shorts. 

I tried to show the unrolling of the hem that can occur from the lack of full sewing.  I'll update next week once I fix the hem this weekend. I do choose to wash the shorts inside out to help with the unrolling. 

The gray shorts can be found here.  I chose the color Blank Slate.  It's the perfect shade of neutral gray and can be worn with so many color combos.  It's a 3.5 inch inseam and the shorts are smooth and feel very comfortable when wearing.  

I feel like the length is appropriate for functions and doesn't cut into the midriff, but rises high enough to accommodate various shirt lengths. 

I took a couple photos of the dark wash mid-rise shorts next to my high-rise shorts to show how the shorts are slightly varied enough to cause different lengths. 

The high-rise are on the left and the mid-rise are on the right.  The high-rise shorts are from Target and can be found here. 

Side-by-side, they don't look that different in overall length.  It's the up close comparisons that will show the differences. 

Right next to each other, the high-rise shorts have a longer zipper because it needs to reach higher up on the midriff to get to the natural waist. 

The top of the high-rise shorts is about half an inch higher than the mid-rise shorts when the zippers are placed side-by-side. This rise of the zipper means that the length of the high-rise shorts comes up higher on the leg offering less protection around the rear area than the mid-rise shorts which offer complete coverage because they sit lower on the waist and therefore reach lower on the leg. 

It's always a nice feeling to find a style that truly fits the way my body is designed.  Knowing that I can be comfortable in these clothes is a huge plus, and in these days where we never really know what's coming next, every little joy we can find along the way is a blessing!

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba