Like mother like daughters.

The original Condit ladies and their shorts.

Sometimes something becomes such a fashion hit that it begs to be brought back again and again as a classic. Sure, you may be thinking of the little black dress, over sized sunglasses, or cigarette pants. But when I think of a fashion statement worthy of bringing back, I have to go right for the red checkered matching bottoms. They are timelessly hilarious, painfully matching, and infinitely nostalgic of good times at the beach.

The photo above is circa 1995, taken at the Condit family reunion in Hilton Head Islands at the first pig roast. The ladies, in order, are my Aunt Barbie, my Aunt Susan, my momma, and my Aunt Connie. The shorts are from Kelly's Kids, and my mom was a rep and therefore must have been the mastermind behind the matchy-matchy shorts. The photo below is circa 2009, taken at the Condit family reunion in Hilton Head Island at the second pig roast. The ladies, in order, are my sister Anne, me, my sister Ellen and my sister Claire. The skirts are homemade by me and the brilliant idea of my sister Ellen, who thought it would be a riot to mimic the matchy-matchy shorts from the previous reunion. She was right. It was a riot.

The plaid shorts, reinvented for 2009.

We changed into the shorts just before the pig roast started. Giggling, we walked downstairs and my sister Anne declared to the family mixing gin and tonics in the kitchen, "We know just what four sisters are supposed to wear to a pig roast!" Everyone laughed and laughed, remembering the original shorts, and then the feasting commenced. A good time was had by all, and I like to think our checkered bottoms added to the festivities.

Somewhere in the photo albums there is the funniest photo of my aunts and mom sticking their heinies out for the camera. If you look closely in the below photo you can actually see my grandma shooting the picture in the background. The heiny shot is MIA right now, but we did our best to recreate it on the beach this go around.

In case you are interested in the technical details, you should know that rather than sewing long shorts, we opted for skirts. They are ultimately more fashionable, flattering, and easy to fit from afar (I sewed everything in San Antonio and they all live in Denver). I used my ultimate favorite skirt pattern, the Asymmetrical Folds Skirt from Stitch Magazine. As with the last skirt, I fully lined these ones in red to make it both stiffer and also reversible. They are a snap to sew, taking only a couple of hours a piece.

I believe it is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well, mom and aunts, I hope we did you proud. We can't wait for the next reunion.

Anne, Kate, Ellen, and Claire.

Aunt Barbie, Aunt Susan, Mom (Sarah) and Aunt Connie.