I know cargo shorts aren't the most stylish items, but they're essential to my summers and I'm looking for a new pair. Who makes your favorite khaki cargos?

There's a bunch of little things to keep in mind when buying cargo shorts.

First and foremost is the length. They have to go all the way to your knee. If they fall just above your knee they'll look like Tommy Bahama old man shorts. Don't get those. Most J Crew shorts are too short so watch out for those too.

Secondly, there are the pocket flaps. Some of them, like the Banana Republic, Hollister and Abercrombie brands have really chunky back pockets with big flaps. These are good quality shorts but if you're wearing a t-shirt or polo shirt (untucked, of course) that hangs past these chunky pockets the flaps will make funny bulges on your ass. If most of your shirts don't hang past the flaps I would recommend these shorts. If you want to avoid the bulges find a brand that has no flaps on the back pockets (like dress pants).

The third thing is the fasteners of the pockets. Buttons are best, snaps are okay and velcro is not that great. Here's the scenario with Velcro: You want to put your cellphone in your cargo pocket. You pull on the flap. The velcro doesn't detach so you end up just pulling the shorts way up exposing your scrawny bird-like thighs which the cargo shorts were specifically designed to cover! It's not a big deal but I find it annoying. Buttons are the easiest.

Last is the color. If you have dark skin every color of shorts is going to look awesome. If you have pasty white legs (like me) then you really need to avoid colors that are too close to the color of your skin. For me, the most basic standard Khaki color is a no-go. Make sure you pick something that is clearly darker or lighter than your skin color. If you tan well then the light khaki color (sometimes called stone) will look great. If you're fair skinned go for chocolate brown, navy, olive, or grey. These colors will look great with all your light colored summer shirts.