This month, I bought my first pair of shorts in 15 years, which means I have suffered many a blazing DC August in long pants and skirts of varying fabrics. Why, you ask? Well, some years ago, I found myself looking for shorts to update my summer look and was confronted with only two options in every store: super short-shorts appropriate only for teenagers and high-waisted, pleat-fronted “walking” shorts that should only be worn on safari with a blind guide. Nothing seemed made for a woman my age.

I have had friends and contemporaries discover the occasional pair of shorts that could coordinate with the wardrobe of a grown-up not pushing a stroller (or at least pushing one fashionably, as many of them have in the last several years). However, none of their options worked for my particular body shape and personal style.

Enter the summer sale at The Forecast, just across Seventh Street from Eastern Market. I went in looking for gorgeous but comfortable summer shoes (found them) and left with actual shorts. My new shorts are just the right length – longer than the shorty shorts of old – and have a flat front without the hint of a pleat. They also happen to be a shade of dove gray that goes with everything from brown or black to bright colors or pastels. What makes them perfect is actually the leg shape: straight from hip down. For me, a widening leg makes me look like a bell from the waist down, and shorts that narrow just emphasize the roundness of the hips and butt.

I was skeptical in the dressing room, being handed various styles by the Forecast ladies. Their philosophy: try it; you might like it. And because I went with them on the journey through every pair of shorts in the store, I found the treasure I described above. Did I feel silly in the tapered black pedal-pushers that made me look like “J-Lo goes to the grocery”? Yes. Was I horrified to see myself in tan linen shorts too tight at the waist while swinging wide in the leg? Absolutely. However, I came out of the dressing room in each pair, and as they saw what didn’t work, they were better able to give me things that did work.

And why should I recount this story for all of you readers out there? Because there are some lessons to be learned. First, the Forecast philosophy is a good one to take shopping at any store. Now, in classic Miss Dressed style, I must allow some limitations: if it goes with nothing in your wardrobe, belongs to a color palette you abhor, or is genuinely appropriate only for someone of a different generation, you can say no. Otherwise, put it on and see. Even if you haven’t owned one in 15 years.

And that would be the second lesson garnered from my shopping experience: you really may need that clothing item you have nixed for years. For me, that was shorts, but for other women I know, it has been boots, skirts, heels, sandals and sleeveless shirts. Such things – in the right style, color and cut – can enrich your wardrobe instantly in ways you never expected. That is a great thing for the many women out there who are constantly sure they have nothing to wear.

Also, remember that trends, like your wardrobe, are always changing, so you will find different shapes, fabrics and cuts in the stores each and every year. Pieces that have something classic about them will be wearable longer than the super-trendy, but if a certain trend works well for you, let that help you find those missing pieces you weren’t even missing. (Oh, yes, and that means going to different stores, too. The best way to find the best clothes – and avoid dressing like a window display – is to shop at several places to stock the closet.)

I leave you all to your summer shopping, whether warm weather gear sales or fall collections, as I am off to enjoy my shorts. Comfy and stylish in the heat, though the bug bites have increased during the evening stroll – a small price to pay for fashion enlightenment and the return of the short to my closet.

Monica F. Jacobe is a DC-based writer who holds an MFA in creative writing, teaches at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and organizes A Space Inside, a reading series for Washington writers with monthly readings at Riverby Books. You can reach her with fashion questions and commentary at missdressed@hillrag.com.