Well, I'm so late to the conversation I have nothing to say except I love the pants. LOL. I'd have worn them with white sneakers (I know, not your vibe) or my new loafers and/or higher booties with a snug shaft. I actually love that particular length -- it works great for me -- but I'm short and relatively shorter legged, and I think this is all a matter of proportion. As Janet pointed out, being tall makes a huge difference to how it feels and how it looks.
As shorts, these will be quite different. The looks above are mostly low contrast (i.e. the tights are not too far off the tonal value of the shorts). If you are okay with high contrast you can wear dark tights with them. Or maybe a charcoal grey? Or a lighter grey.... Are you okay with light tights in winter? You are one of the tights queens on the forum, so you might find they work. They might be nice to wear in "cool spring" when you are fed up with all your dark things and want to brighten up.
