40+ Summer Shorts That Aren't Denim
A 2025 State of the Short, if you will
We’re weeks into warm summer weather and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve reached for denim shorts — gasp!
I’m not the only one — jorts are undoubtedly having their moment, but I’ve yet to see the sea of Daisy Dukes that usually marks this season of dress.
It feels the tides have turned on the go-to short, and classic denim might have to sit this season out (or at least wait patiently while other players get a little air time). Let’s dive into the 2025 State of the Short.
A few takeaways from the current shorts market:
The people crave color
Sporty styles aren’t going anywhere
The more pajama-like, the better
Stripes are king
Any hemline is appropriate, from barely there to basically pants
5 styles making waves this summer & 40+ options on the market right now.
…& in the next letter, all the vintage and secondhand picks ☻ ✩
This one is loooong so make sure to read in a web browser or on the app so it doesn’t get cut off in email. Ok see you at the bottom!!
Board shorts:
There was no one cooler to me growing up than a Roxy girl. You know her when you see her: salty waves clinging to a hibiscus-printed rash guard; sandy Rainbow flip-flops and an impossibly undisturbed pedicure; a neon zinc stick painted across her freckled cheeks like an accessory. The Roxy girl lived in slow-motion between beaches and surf shops, exuding a sense of freedom you can only feel in the ocean.
I was born in San Diego where Roxy girls surround you. They were my lifeguards, my babysitters, my friends’ older sisters, and some of my first style icons. Now that I live in New York, I encounter far more Sandy Liang girls than Roxy girls on the day-to-day — but who says you can’t live out your Blue Water High fantasies on the streets of Manhattan?
hits that pre-iphone childhood summer nostalgia
practical for water-related activities
endless vintage and secondhand options
The market:
Made Some Sportswear Short Shorts
The platonic ideal of perfect board shorts imo. (I own a very similar pair that I snagged for $15 on eBay.) Two lengths and many a colorway to choose from.
Secret third length option… pants!
Metallic board shorts, be still my beating heart. Their Marco boardshort is more of a classic style and even comes in leopard.
My personal color of the year. Such an enticing blue.
Birdwell Women’s 400 Boardshorts
Mentally, I’m wearing these on the beach with Aquamarine playing through my headphones. Bonus points for actually picturing a woman surfing.
The floral motif is so nostalgic of the Y2K surfcore look. And if you want to get even more retro with it, these longer trunks will get the job done.
Athletic shorts:
Apologies for a second Carrie reference in one piece but this is the athletic shorts + frilly top origin story. For the past few summers, you can’t walk more than five blocks in NYC (or scroll more than five videos on an NYC fashion girl’s FYP) without seeing an iteration of this outfit.
It’s an old faithful for good reason: the airy top and heat-friendly shorts combo is one of the most practical outfits we ever see Carrie wear. The desire for high contrast sporty and feminine looks is exactly what fostered the creation and subsequent popularity of Blokette style. As per usual, Pat Field is wildly ahead of her time.
easy piece to play with juxtaposition
made of materials designed for sweating
perfect for high energy outdoor activities
The market:
Nong Rak Handwoven Raw Thai Silk Unisex Contrast Shorts
These have been seared into my brain since I first saw them. Nong Rak has a range of other silk fantasies including sun hats, Mary Janes, and bandanas.
In 3 inseam lengths and 27 colorways, these are by far the most versatile option I’ve come across for a classic jersey short. High function sportswear for the fashion-minded.
I am an avid Tracksmith shorts wearer, specifically their split shorts, but this pair is so good I might have to switch sides. I love this true lemon shade.
You know there’s a strong appetite for athletic shorts when With Jean has entered the market, a brand more known for gram-worthy corset tops and matching sets. I have to give it to them though — these are great shorts! Blue and red always speak to me in athletic wear. Very Olympic.
And you see how the model is styled exactly like Carrie?
Adam Jones Stripe Ribbon Shorts
These give circus tent in the best way.
And these give cemetery in the best way.
Adidas without being Adidas. Doesn’t get more classic than a couple stripes down the side.
Boyshorts:
I’m differentiating boyshorts from micro shorts here — the current state of tiny shorts is much more entangled in swimwear than the micro shorts we’ve been seeing on the runway.
This feels like the 2025 version of the bike shorts trend that dominated the end of the 2010s, only the hemlines have risen quite a few inches. They’re tighter, loungier, and more amphibious than the bloomers-adjacent micro shorts of recent seasons.
stretchy and comfortable
playful colors and patterns
many function as swimwear too
The market:
In lace-up and pocketed versions, made from terry cloth like your favorite beach towel.
Stripes is the overwhelming theme in boyshorts at the moment.
Sold out but worth the wait for a restock. Matching tops too!
My Mum Made It Ruffle Beach Shorts
Olivia Rodrigo recently wore a butter yellow babydoll dress from this brand and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t tempting.
A literal callback to bike shorts! I own and love this brand’s mega-viral tank, which I can confidently say exceeded my expectations and is indeed worth the price tag.
I love this dusty lavender, especially with a metallic bikini string peeping out the top.
I can’t go more than two days without a Fruity Booty swim ad popping up as I swipe through Instagram stories — do we have the same algorithm? And because they’re technically swim shorts, they have several matching bikini top/tankini options to complete the set.
Uniform for the president of the Itty Bitty Boyshort Committee.
Gil Rodriguez Benton Hot Short
More of a classic bike short style, only shorter.
Easy shorts:
Loosely defined here as easy-to-pull-on shorts usually made of woven fabric (non-denim for our purposes today, though denim is also woven). We’re talking about airy linens, crisp cottons, and everything in between.
It’s never more annoying to deal with zippers and buttons than it is in 90% humidity. These are a summer staple for an obvious reason — they’re easy!
it’s literally in the name
basically pajamas
breathable and loose to combat swamp ass
The market:
The bare bones easy short, in 17 colorways made from hemp and cotton.
Colorful Standard Linen Shorts
The linen version of the bare bones easy short, in 16 colorways.
Another similar option in a silk jersey.
Boxers at a premium is a hard sell for me when my favorite ones are routinely on sale at Gap for less than $10 a pair. For all the options on the market though, this pair with a ruffled hem might be my favorite.
And this double layered boxer design could easily be DIY’d.
Dries Van Noten Silk Mini Shorts
Lace silk tap shorts speak to the most romantic side of me. A dreamy jumping off point for a good vintage hunt.
Le Laboureur French Cotton Easy Shorts
100% cotton with a drawstring and an athletic stripe down the side.
If your sweat shorts went to the opera. If your gym teacher was an Issey-Miyake-obsessed mermaid. If you need to be the best dressed alien in the canned goods aisle.
Damson Madder Pippa Waffle Short
Same sporty stripes but in a fabric cozy enough to be pajamas.
Mid-thigh draped away from the body is the ideal throw-on short.
Culottes:
Bermudas, long boxers, easy shorts that are a smidge long to be called “shorts” — anything long and loose I’m sticking in the culottes category. Longer and looser styles have big momentum as denim shorts hemlines dip below our knees, and there are plenty of fun non-denim choices too.
I’m particularly drawn to a shape that disguises itself as a skirt when the legs come together, only to reveal the split as a surprise when you start walking or doing squats.
can be easily dressed up
a way to dip your toes into the jorts trend but with a more versatile piece
effortlessly able to transition into other seasons
The market:
These are both perfectly shorts and perfectly a skirt.
Chan Luu Million Pleats Fisherman Shorts
Beach bloomers. About as close to pirate dressing as you can get on day that’s not Halloween.
Cawley Studios Silk Dupion Hilda Shorts
Also come in cotton colorways!
Another option in both silk and cotton.
In my fantasies I’m wearing these while painting a mural on the interior walls of a beach house and they’re splattered and smeared with color but I’m too locked in to even care.
TOAST Summer Camp Stripe Organic Cotton Shorts
Toast makes my favorite cardigan in the world, so I trust them with my life.
Of all the long boxers on the market, I like this chocolate tone and below-the-knee length best.
Not quite long enough to be true culottes, but long and loose enough to be in this bucket. Shorts for brunch and jungle trekking.
I especially love this navy twill with white stitching. These feel like the middle section of a 3-circle Venn diagram of board shorts, easy shorts, and bermuda shorts.
Damson Madder Tatianna Culottes
We’ll conclude with a pair that is far too long to be considered “shorts” but would fair well for a breezy summer evening. And come fall, they’ll be the easiest piece to transition into cooler weather.
If you made it to the end (congrats), please indulge me in letting me know what your favorite non-denim pair of shorts is at the moment.
As always, you can in touch with me at mackinley@yeehawt.com if you’d like to work together or find me doing other things on IG. See you soon for vintage shorts!
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The going out top is alive and well! (And in my closet.)
Verrrrrry into those Le Bonne Shop City Shorts and that whole look/vibe yes please!
I love this!!!