Do's & don'ts of wearing shorts!

DO hit the shops There is a pair out there for everyone. From the smooth, shiny-ponytailed executive (tailored, black) to the punky teenage model (tie-dye denim from Pepe). One trawl of Topshop and you will find sailor girl, candy stripes with turn-ups (perfect for Kelly Brook), sawn-off denim (Kate Moss), tidier denim (Kylie) or floaty, flippy numbers (Chloë Sevigny).

DO get going on leg preparation You need a good exfoliator, plus a tanning product. Johnson’s Holiday Skin body lotion is brilliant — it not only gives instant glowing colour, but works on developing a tan underneath. A cover-up stick is good to hide broken veins or bruises from riding your bicycle. Alternatively, you may just want to keep your tights on for as long as you possibly can.

DO go up a size Too tight and too high-cut equals too seedy.

DO embrace opaques Luckily for us, black opaques and shorts — particularly denim — go together like fags and Kate Moss. They are not merely a great chicken-skin concealer, they also make all shorts look automatically chicer (which is why Kylie, who likes to dress up, wore denim shorts and tights to Nobu the other night). Make sure they are opaque — any old black tights under shorts will make you look like a district nurse, and not in a good way.

DO add a blazer or long cardigan Let it graze the hem of the shorts to soften their impact and give them a cute, sophisticated edge (think Alexa Chung).

DO remember you cannot go wrong with denim And they don’t have to be indigo. White, light blue and beige are hot for summer.

DO get the fail-safe summer look A big white T-shirt, bare legs and flat gladiator-style sandals (ankle height, though, not to the knee) or chunky, strappy sandals with a heel could well be your staple summer outfit. Seriously.

DON’T tip over into slutty territory Shorts should be sexy, not vulgar. Cool everything else down to compensate. Wear fitted hot pants with a big T-shirt or loose checked shirt, Converse trainers and no make-up.

DON’T team heels with hot pants A very bad combination, unless you are deliberately camping it up. It’s too Victoria Beckham, and you want to be Kate Moss. Heels with shorts, definitely.

DON’T attempt a playsuit Unless you are under 26, or could be, forget it. Cat Deeley’s legs look terrific in a playsuit, yet, somehow, the look doesn’t work. It’s a bit like wearing those bikinis with the frilly bottoms when you’re over 40.

DON’T wear with nude tights Ever. A sin on a par with wearing tights under jeans.

DON’T wear the following styles... or at least approach with caution
- Nondescript cotton khaki ones with button detail or multipocketed cargo-style shorts. Way too geography field-trip.
- Stripes and sailor detail. Unless you have Kelly Brook-style 1950s curves, they will make you look like Shirley Temple.
- Puffed shorts. Puffies either work or they don’t — but slim hips are a must.
- High-waisted, midthigh versions. If you’re going for a high waist, keep them short short.
- Wide-leg, knee-length styles. They look like they are going to be the answer to all your working-wardrobe problems, but are actually strangely ageing.
- Floaty, flutey shorts. The less structured the cut, the better your legs need to be.
- Amy Winehouse-style, straight-leg denim shorts, rolled up a couple of inches above the knee. A killer on all but the longest and fittest legs. Ditto her bum-grazing cut-offs.

Clare London, Eng.