Try a Sophisticated Pair of Dress Shorts This Season

Stay chic in the heat.

the essentials
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Welcome to The Essentials, our weekly series highlighting a must-have classic, key to building a timeless, pulled-together closet.

While a summer dress code embraces lightweight fabrics, brighter colors, and a general sense of ease, there's bound to be an important meeting, special occasion, or mandatory event that calls for dressier fare. Luckily, shorts that comply with dressier standards are no longer few and far between. Long tailored options can thrive in the workplace, while trims, embellishments, and stylish hemlines help shorts count as elevated party-wear. Skeptics will warm up to a slew of new, versatile short options that can be worn in a set, à la Chanel, or balanced out with summery separates. When you have to get dressed during a heat wave, at the very least, let your legs catch a breeze. Ahead we've got 10 dress short options to choose from.

Sara Holzman
Style Director

Sara Holzman is the Style Director at Marie Claire, covering runway trends and tracking down the latest finds to buy and wear. When she’s not writing about fashion, she pens about the best places to jet-off to. Over her six years with Marie Claire, Sara has reported on the ever-evolving world of fashion— covering both established and emerging designers within the industry. Sara has held fashion positions at Lucky and SELF Magazine and was a regular contributor to Equinox’s Furthermore website, where she wrote across their style, wellness, and travel verticals. She holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and currently resides in Manhattan. Follow her along at @sarajonewyork.