Shorts, for me at least, aren’t really that short anymore. Although if you’re still rocking the Daisy Dukes, all the more power to you. Instead, I’ve been drawn to longer, looser shorts. They have an effortlessness that can even feel elegant when you style it right, like the in the header image. Shop our favorite not-so-short summer shorts below, just in time for hot weather.
When I saw the pleated shorts in the header image, I immediately went on a deep dive for something similar. I love the sophisticated slouch, and especially the way she wears it with a trench for a perfect transitional look. Leave it to Banana Republic to have the perfect pair, although Denimist’s blue-and-white seersucker short is a decidedly more summery pair.
This season, I’ve been drawn to especially polished Bermuda shorts. The kind of pair I could wear on the golf course with cleats, but also at a long lunch with my favorite pair of espadrilles. You can always count on Vince, and I love their coin pocket short in either a deep navy blue or a classic khaki. J.Crew’s Bermuda stretch in a preppy khaki, or a bone white. The ten-inch inseam is great, but it also comes in a cheekier seven-inch length like this navy or an electric cobalt blue.
Last year, longer denim shorts starting sneaking onto my Instagram feeds. Daisy dukes aren’t going anywhere, but these swing-y, dark indigo jeans from Gap are going into my cart. And what’s the exact opposite of denim shorts? Sweat shorts. Varley makes beautiful shorts out of an extra-soft material that still drapes and hangs in what feels like a fancy way, they come in white. There’s a sportier, high-waisted short in navy.
Shop the rest of our summer shorts edit:
All of our recommendations are curated by Susan & the In The Groove editorial team. In some, but not all cases, we receive a small commission for leading you to what, how, and where to buy all this wonderful stuff.
