In the spirit of almost anything goes in fashion and style these days, cast your minds back to clamdiggers. They are long, slim shorts that end right on, or just below, the knee. Some retailers use terms like pedal pushers, capris, and clamdiggers interchangeably, while others describe clamdiggers as shorter. Clamdiggers are sleeker and narrower than Bermuda shorts. They were popular in the ’50s, and came back in the ‘90s and 00’s. If you look hard enough, you’ll find some options in retail today.
Clamdiggers are not on-trend, but of course, that doesn’t matter one bit. If you like the silhouette, wear it. They’re like skinnies or straight legs that you can wear in hot weather, and are especially appealing if you like “long over lean” outfit proportions. Clamdiggers are an option for those who don’t want to showcase more than their lower legs and prefer to wear pants. They’re usually casual, although smart casual options do exist. Denim clamdiggers are the easiest to find. Dress them up or down.
Clamdiggers are super when paired with longer, flowing, asymmetrical tops. They are excellent for Team Untucked Top. But you can style them similarly to a pair of shorts, so there are lots of possibilities. You can even repurpose an old pair of skinnies or straights into a pair of clamdiggers. Keep the hems raw, rolled, or hem to the desired length.
To my eye, a great fitting pair of clamdiggers looks modern classic, elegant, flattering, and can provide the desired coverage. I wore clamdiggers a lot back in the ‘00s, and I’m still a YAY today. I’ve worn some too-short dresses over them in the past, which was fun. I’ve hacked multiple pairs of skinnies into clamdiggers too. I’d wear them in blue and white denim as an alternative to shorts, if we lived in a hot-weather climate. But on this leg of my style journey, I’m prioritizing my Summer dresses and skirts for our short Seattle Summers. I’m also into wider bottoms at the moment, and leaving sleek clams to another leg of my style journey.
Over to you. What’s your take on clamdiggers? Have you worn them?
