Test Driving the Hot New Short Shorts

We all know that runway styles don't necessary translate to real life. So do the super-short shorts—OK, hotpants—that designers are churning out (check out a slideshow here) fall into the for-models-only category? Or can a mere mortal actually pull them off? StyleList staffer Lindsey Schickner took to the streets of New York in a pair of Dolce & Gabbana "butt huggers" to find out. Her verdict: Best for the young, fit, and famous.

"The light was so bright on my completely exposed legs," Schickner writes. "I wanted to run back inside immediately." Still, not all feedback was bad. "I like the material," one Starbucks barista said. "They will be good for summer." But another coffee shop worker refused to look at her, and her coworkers weren't fans, either. So would Schickner go pantsless again? "Perhaps for a night of dancing at a club or to lounge on the beach," but to walk around the city, "not so much."
(More fashion stories.)