Summer Essential #2: Shorts

Some of you already know that I have a penchant for summerly shorts. Shorts will always be my favorite summer must-have and I am glad about the fact that they finally hit the runway. Designers have eventually managed to transform shorts from a casual sartorial option into a workplace alternative, a red-carpet choice and even a substitute for the summer dress. Brands like Valentino and Louis Vuitton or Akris and Jason Wu have all come up with original short styles this season. And once again celebrities are at the forefront, introducing shorts into new situations: Supermodel Eva Herzigova matched a cropped dinner jacket and a ruffled white blouse with apair of satin-trimmed black shorts to walk up the red carpeted steps at the Cannes Film Festival in France 2011. In New York, the actress Jessica Simpson turned up at an exhibition opening wearing tiny denim shorts and a wide smile. And then there is the fashion world icon Kate Moss, whose love of shorts in any situation has been well documented over the years. Her choice to wear black stockings under her denim shorts at the last Glastonbury music festival has already spurred countless copycats.

Now with all the options available - from bagged cuffed versions to microshorts worn overstockings - there’s a big possibility that this trend will be more than just a passing fancy. Here are four of my personal styling tips how your look is going to be outstanding:

1. Lengthen your legs with high heels for a night out. If you aren't as tall as I am, wearing hot pants with a pair of stilettos will accentuate your frame and leave your limbs looking long.

2. Cover up your top with a blazer. There is such a thing as showing too much skin. Though your legs will be bare, a chic blazer over a loose blouse will streamline the entire look. I personally love to team my hot pants with my pink blazer as it really upgrades the whole look (click).

3. Try it as a bikini bottom. If you’re not quite comfortable incorporating hot pants into your everyday wardrobe, you can wear them as a bikini bottom to recreate that '50s beach bombshell vibe.

4. The perfect fit is essential. Make sure you find the right hot pant for your shape. Luckily this season many options are a little longer and more loose-fitting for curvier figures, on top of those bum-skimming options for the skinny minnies out there. Bottom line: always try on before you buy!