skirt with cowboy boots or something with crazy, ... Fashion and first-date turnoff: women

They can even be athletic, as we've seen in the exploding popularity of running skirts and skorts. They're all over the place this year, from running trails to tennis courts to spinning classes.

echnically, the short skirt/compression short combo is functional because it doesn't — ahem — bunch up on joggers like shorts can. But lots of women are dropping cash on them just because they're sweet-looking.

I know how they feel. Sometimes, you just want something different to wear to a workout.

"I have a lot of girls that like them because they're a little cuter to jog in. It's more of a fashion thing," said Kerenina Volonnino, the women's apparel director for Scheel's at Fox River Mall. "I've had a lot more requests for them."

The skorts have features that make runners more comfortable, like small pockets, technical fabrics and strategic mesh placement. .

But the skorts are known for something that's completely priceless: "You get the specific girls looking for them. They think it makes their legs look thinner," Volonnino said.

OK, I'll admit that's not the first thing on my mind when I plug in my iPod and hit the road in the mornings. But if that's all it takes to get skinnier-looking legs, I might start wearing that thing everywhere I go.