These Effortless Linen Shorts Are the Heroes of My Heat-Wave Wardrobe
Cosplay a European vacation wardrobe—even if you're stuck in the city.
Light, breathable, and so lightweight I almost feel nude—this has been my fashion mantra for the past week as I try to wear summer '25 trends during the New York City heat wave. It "feels like" 101 degrees outside (and climbing, according to my weather app), but I still have errands and fashion editor to-dos I need to check off my list. Enter: my favorite linen shorts, the heroes of my OMG—it's hot stage of summer fashion.
As someone who extensively researched last year's boxer shorts trend, I'm familiar with the appeal of a relaxed, breezy bottom. But I have places to be and people to see, so I'm swapping my elastic-waist boxers for linen shorts, which offer the same effortless feel but come in a range of silhouettes that are more tailored, less I'm wearing pajamas out of the house casual.
NYC's fashion crew concurs with me: over the past few days, I've watched stylish, somehow not sweaty women beat the heat in linen Bermuda shorts that are refined enough to wear into their Manhattan offices but would work just as well in a Hamptons beach outfit.
Swap the bandeau top for a tee, and this city-goer could certainly wear this as summer work outfit.
Summer's linen market is also stocked. Taylor Swift's go-to brand Dôen offers cherry red, retro-inspired high-waisted linen shorts, and Reformation's nautical-striped Milas are an easy addition to the ongoing fisherman aesthetic. I also recommend you don't miss J.Crew's summer 2025 linen collection—its Stratus and Harbor shorts are so comfortable you might never want to wear heavy pants again.
Keep scrolling to shop these linen shorts and others that have become my go-to for staying cool when the heat wave makes things worse.
What's not to love about J.Crew's best-selling Stratus shorts? They're as comfortable as pajama bottoms, have a sweet $70 price tag, and come in all of summer's color trends, like baby blue, soft strawberry, and neutral sand.
It's no surprise to see the gingham trend emerge during summer. These belt-waist Bermudas do the classic print justice.
I can easily picture Audrey Hepburn wearing these adorable vintage-inspired shorts during a ride on an Italian Vespa, just like in Roman Holiday.
J.Crew's linen shorts Lucia are a prime example of being stylish, breathable, and, in simple terms, very cute.
The paper-bag waist, front pleats, and slight flare at the hem are simple yet effective design elements that make these linen H&M shorts versatile for upgrading styles.
Alex Mill's Riley bottoms are e-commerce editor Julia Marzovilla's top-rated and tested best linen pants, and its pull-on shorts rank very high on my own list.
Admittedly, I don't own Quince's linen shorts—but I do have the brand's featherweight linen bedding, and without it, I would've been sleeping in a puddle of sweat.
These ocean blue and orange pinstriped shorts from Madewell clearly pair well with a plain white T-shirt, but I plan to style mine with a girly, babydoll blouse I bought as part of the boho trend revival.
When you can't get to the beach, bring the beach to you with these shell motif linen shorts from Abercrombie & Fitch.
There's a reason the Reformation Mila are among the top searched linen shorts on Google—they're stretchy, made of 100 percent linen, and come in all sorts of cute colorways and patterns like picnic gingham and trendy chocolate brown.
Try as I might, I can't let go of the butter yellow color trend—and I don't want to, especially with these smart J.Crew linen shorts tempting me.
Fast forward to next week, when my recent Madewell order arrives at my doorstep, and I'll be wearing these with a tailored vest as laid-back summer suiting.
When it's too hot to pull out the fashion stops and you want to wear sweatpants outside the house, try these breathable, drawstring shorts instead.
I don't have any European summer travel plans, so these playful block-print linen shorts are my way of pretending I'm off the grid by the Aegean Sea.
I'm a ride-or-die Cos shopper; I've yet to buy a single item from the retailer that doesn't meet my quality standards. So, yes, these Bermudas are in my virtual cart as I type.
I've also caught the culotte bug. These oversized, multi-pleat linen shorts from Citizens of Humanity are my stepping stone before investing in the controversial baggy bottoms.
