Gap: Cut-Off Jean Shorts Review

These are Gap's Cut-Off Jean Shorts (style #646529), which retail for $44.50. They are numerically-sized, and are allegedly available in petite and tall (neither tab is showing up on the website right now). They are available in this one color, deconstructed dark. Gap describes the shorts as such:

Cut-off jean shorts are the ideal summer staple--great for adding rugged style to warm-weather looks.

I looked for a size 6 in these, but they only had them in-store in a size 4, so I went with those. The 4s were a little snug all-around, and while they "fit" and all, I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing them. I would suggest starting with your regular shorts size, and then sizing down if you are on the small end of the size range.

These are a fairly standard set of denim shorts. The denim is a nice, medium weight, good quality-feeling denim. I think the shorts are cut to be a little tighter to work with your natural curves (because isn't that part of the reason why denim cut-offs exist? To show off curves?), but I would say they are uncomfortably tight.

The fraying on the cut-off part is very minimal, and looks a little more polished than actual cut-offs, or trying-too-hard cut-offs. There are a couple of very small spots of distressing, which I think actually work well on these shorts, as they are tiny.

I will say that these shorts are awfully short (again, maybe part of the nature of denim cut-offs?), but they also sit lower on the waist, so if you are concerned about the length, you could always try sizing up to get a little bit more length.

I really like the color on these shorts, too, but that is really just personal preference - I prefer classic or dark blue rinses (but not dark dark rinses) for my jeans, so this color was right up my taste alley.

These shorts are a pretty decent pair of denim shorts, and while I think they're a great wardrobe staple for the summer, I'm not sure how differently they can be styled. I think there is only so much you can do with a pair of super short denim cut-offs, even if they are rather cute. I cannot think of how to dress these up (and I mean really dress up, not spruce up and look stylish), but I do think you can easily pair them with a lot of different casual summer tops.

All in all, I think they are a pretty good buy if you don't already own a pair of cut-offs, or if you're looking for a new pair. I was hesitant about getting these because of the length, but after I looked at the pictures some more, I decided to pick these up in a size 6. (The best part is that Gap was running 30% off shorts at the time AND let me combine my 25% off coupon with that. So a really good deal.)

What do you think? Do you like these shorts? Do you have any pairs of cut-offs that you love? What would you pair these with?