in a weird place and for a majority of women that need shorts long enough to cover garments, capris are far more flattering.
I think it depends on the capris because they can look sloppy, as can shorts.
That's cool your wife found a style she likes. I think a lot of it depends on body type, too. I have a really long torso, and shorts just look weird. Capris balance it out. But I have a sister with super long legs and she can rock shorts, no problem.
But I would choose pants or a cute skirt over capris or shorts anyway.