THE BEST MEN’S SHORTS FOR YOUR SUMMER PROVOCATIONS

Reconnect to your delicate side with cropped short-shorts elegantly decorated with cross-stitching and floral motifs. Take a trip to the botanical gardens or simply take the time to touch the overgrown grass at your local park (before it gets sheared by the city’s ride-along lawn mowers) and contemplate the gentler things in life. BODE leads the trend with printed flowers and embroidered sparrows, while cotton poplin shorts from CMMN SWDN keep it light with broderie anglaise trim.

Are your summer plans missing a sense of whimsy? The fanciful hygge feel isn’t just reserved for the springtime. Followers of Björk should not despair—there are plenty of shorts that capture the woodland fairy essence and open the door to comfy layering. Paneled denim shorts from London-based label STRONGTHE combine playful proportions with a high-waisted button fastening to perfectly complement your adorable cottage lifestyle. New York–based collective SC103 takes a graphic approach with the SSENSE Exclusive Navy and Pink Cotton Shorts, ideal for styling with a charming vest and a sack of magical beans.

What’s summer without a little bit of regression? Fire up the Limp Bizkit and grab your Bagel Bites hot out of the microwave: The summer you dreamed about as an angsty boy is here. From baggy denim styles to edgy graphics, the knee-length short is the must-have choice for playing Mortal Kombat with a Fruit Roll-Up sweating in your hand. From warm evenings causing trouble around the neighborhood to giving it your all at the skate park, menswear designers are tapping into the golden age of ’90s misbehavior. From the king of Venice Beach cool, Eli Russell Linnetz’s ERL captures the rambunctious spirit with bold two-tone board shorts. The voluminous B1 Archive Denim Carpenter Shorts mix the baggy volume of ’90s style with contemporary workwear signatures for your new go-to that works with everything.

If you’re not keen on tanning your knees this summer, SS24’s shorts have you covered with uniform- and tailoring-inspired options, ranging from subversive takes on staples to clean-cut culottes. The HODAKOVA Gray Suit Shorts take inverse trousers to command attention while you present the last quarter’s numbers. VAQUERA and WILLY CHAVARRIA step in to represent New York, with Chavarria’s signature workwear celebrating a love for the city’s pragmatic style. VAQUERA offers its singular insider perspective, mixing artful irony and native attitude with the fringed-edge Black Pleated Shorts.

Step outside the box with the ultimate alternative: skirts. Feel the breeze flow through your kilt or petticoat and integrate a new silhouette into your summer rotation. The breezy plissé Chopova Lowena skirt is a must-have for distinctive summer looks that juxtapose a graceful floral motif with a touch of tough. Opt for shape and statement with the tulle tutu from Simone Rocha, exclusively available at SSENSE, or keep your cool composure with the cargo Dion Lee miniskirt.