I confess: I was once afraid to wear shorts.

I love comfortable clothes as much as the next gal…but shorts seemed TOO sporty.

Then I went to Anthony’s, and bingo! I discovered the right shorts could be just as flattering as a beautiful pencil skirt.

Take a trip to Bermuda

If you’ve ever been wary of wearing shorts, do this right now: Go to the “bottoms” tab at the top of this website, and look at the photos of the models wearing the various styles of Bermuda shorts . “Bermuda” is the key – these shorts are close to the leg but not tight and they cover the top of the knee.

Check it out – the Bermuda shorts on this anthonysfla.com website are really flattering, and not just because the models are thin. Bermuda shorts camouflage the part of the knee that tends to be bumpy, and because the shorts are not wide, they make you look thin.

Case in point: My Coconut Row stretch pull-on Bermuda shorts. They hit my knees at the perfect spot, and the stretch makes them so comfortable, I can do everything in them – from golf with Marv to lunch with my girlfriends.

I also love my paisley Bermuda shorts from Anthony’s, the women’s fashion experts. These shorts are so pretty and classy, they scream “Palm Beach” – and they’re under $50.

I wear mine with my embellished Apache sandals by Amanda or my wedge sandals by Easy Street and my colorful T-shirts from Anthony’s.

Knee-length shorts didn’t actually originate in Bermuda. British troops brought them to the island at the turn of the 20^th century. By that time, Anthony’s fashion store was already established in Palm Beach and dressing the world’s most fabulous women in sunny resort style.

The original khaki Bermudas measured 22 inches from the top of the waistband to the hem. To make sure ladies didn’t show too much leg, Bermuda`s policemen carried yardsticks.

I don’t need a yardstick to know how much leg I like to show. I measure my style by buying my Bermudas at Anthony’s – they’re the perfect length, and they follow the lines of my legs without clinging.

My shorts are long in style – and perfect for a Florida summer.

Love theme-park rides? Put on your Bermuda shorts and try the scariest roller coaster in Florida!

Val’s thrill-seeking tip of the week: Do you dare ride SheiKra?

You’re never too old to ride a roller coaster. Especially if you go to Busch Gardens in Tampa, which has the most thrilling coasters in the state, including SheiKra. This coaster takes riders to the precipice in a single 24-passenger car that has no floor – or sides or back. The cars are basically seats bolted to a chassis. You’re dangled from the top for a few seconds, then dropped straight down a 200-foot hill. It Then it swoops around, soars up again, then slows as it approaches a second 138-foot, 90-degree dive. Yikes! You better be wearing shorts on this one – or they’ll see your undies clear to downtown Tampa!