Urban Outfitters Is Kicking Off Spring With Shorts Styled By L.A. Women

Fans of Virginia Woolf and Edgar Allan Poe, beware: This is not your traditional short story. Forget fictional villains and murder mysteries — this is a tale of relaxed pleated cargo and high-rise denim. This is a story about actual shorts.

Urban Outfitters just shared a first look of their spring campaign and it’s essentially a two-part love letter to warm weather's favorite clothing category. While your mind may go straight to those trusty denim cutoffs you've had since college, the "Short Stories" campaign (clever, right?) reveals just how limitless this spring essential can be. The always-on-trend retailer drops its extensive shorts-only collection today (part 1) and we're happy to report you'll find sunflower motifs, belted silhouettes, bermuda-esque fits, and the still-relevant biker short. But what we’re really excited about is that this all comes with a generous does of sartorial inspiration from the pros — aka, California girls (part 2).

The Golden Coast is a breeding ground for stylish sun-worshippers who don’t just break out their shorts on a seasonal basis — they’ve got them on all year round. As part of its campaign, UO followed five L.A.-based creatives wearing the collection everywhere from the laundromat to the farmer's market. Think distressed denim paired with puffy sleeves and cargo shorts worn with tie-knot crop tops. We particularly loved artist and model Lera Pentelute's decision to style her tie-dye, knee-length shorts with a bandeau top while floating on a swan boat. We also learned that neon-yellow spandex is a totally acceptable choice of attire when performing in front of a crowd (at least according to singer Rainy Milo). Each story offers new perspective on styling your shorts so the more layers you shed from winter, the more outfit ideas you gain for spring.

Click through for our top picks from the collection and check out the UO campaign video to find out more about the women featured in "Short Stories."