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When it comes to shorts discourse, there is one preeminent question to consider: how short is too short?
In womenswear, it seems, the cheek is the limit. Micro-shorts took off as a trend this past spring, with everyone from Emily Ratajkowski to Hailey Bieber to Sydney Sweeney being photographed in the leg-baring style. FKA Twigs wore a crystal-adorned pair at the 2024 Met Gala.
But more brave are the men who dare wear shorts that end more than a few inches above the knee. As pants of all kinds have continued to get bigger in recent years, we may be reaching the other side of the “pants pendulum,” as Jonah Weiner coined it in his pants opus for The New York Times earlier this year.
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Both on carpets and in the wild, stars have become partial towards higher hems. First was Paul Mescal, with his London jaunts in Nike shorts, sweatshirts and wired headphones. Then Jeremy Allen White in his shirtless Runyon Canyon pap shots and Donald Glover‘s post-workout walks, each wearing tiny shorts on both ocassions.
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Most recently, Chris Pine offered a masterclass in “method dressing” while wearing khaki short-shorts to the premiere of “I Heart L.A.” “It’s called short shorts, isn’t it? It’s supposed to be short,” the actor told E! News.
But don’t take a handful of celebrities’ words for it. Nike’s new 3-inch Brief-Lined Running Shorts have been selling fast since hitting shelves earlier this month. The popular style is nearly sold out in certain colors, but there are a still a handful available on the Nike website — and they’re currently on sale for $34 so you’ll want to act fast.
Elsewhere, Adidas’s new Break the Norm shorts have received rave reviews on the Adidas website, with one happy customer describing them as “classic short-shorts.”
If you’ve been properly influenced, shop some of the best short-shorts to buy right now below:
Nike Track Club
Adidas Break the Norm Shorts
Fabletics The Kadence Short Lined 3in