I'm tall - so "regular" shorts are way too short for me - unless we're at the beach or pool. In warm weather, for the parks I stick to capri-length and just above-the knee length bottoms. Sundresses are good too, but I wear stretchy bike-shorts underneath since I know I will be crouched down digging around in a stroller basket, picking up things the kids dropped, and tying kids' shoes all the live-long day. And if I choose to wear a sundress, you can bet that day will be very breezy (never fails!!).
I do wear denim to the parks - but it's usually a lighter-weight kind with stretch in them. Very comfy and they dry faster and better than plain old denim if we do end up on a water ride.
Places I shop: Rue 21, Old Navy, Charlotte Russe, Papaya, Aeropostale, Macys
Yes, I realize lots of teens shop at these places (including my 19 year old DD) - but I find a lot of the "womens" stores have clothing that's just too frumpy or boxy for me, and they are a bit pricey too. I just make sure to choose things that work well with my body type and I skip anything with too much glitter, anything with words on the front or butt, or skulls LOL.