Women's Shorts

How to choose the right length

Length decides where a pair of shorts can be worn, more than fabric or colour does.

• Short (mid-thigh) is holiday and garden wear. Cooling, easy, and rarely appropriate for anywhere with a dress code.
• Mid-thigh to just above the knee is the workhorse length. Passes as smart-casual with a shirt, works for a pub garden or a summer commute.
• Bermuda and knee-length reads as tailored. The length that goes to work in July when trousers are unbearable.
• Capris finish mid-calf. Cool without showing leg, which suits anyone who wants to be comfortable and covered, and they work with flat sandals or trainers.

How to choose the fabric

• Linen and cotton-linen blends are the coolest thing you can wear in genuine heat, because the weave is loose enough to move air. They crease. That's linen, not a fault, and blending with cotton reduces it.
• Cotton holds its shape better, creases less, and washes at higher temperatures. The everyday choice.
• Elasticated waists matter more in shorts than in most garments. Heat makes everyone swell slightly, and a fixed waistband that fits at nine in the morning can be uncomfortable by three.

How to wear shorts in Britain

The practical problem with shorts here isn't heat, it's the twelve-degree swing between morning and afternoon. Two things make them work:

• Choose a length you can wear with tights or bare legs. Bermuda and knee-length shorts work over opaque tights in spring and autumn, which more than doubles their season.
• Pair with a layer you can remove. Shorts with a shacket or a light jumper covers a British summer day properly, where shorts with a vest covers about four hours of it.

How to get the fit right

Shorts are the garment where people most often buy the wrong size, because the waist and the hip rarely agree.

• Fit the hip, not the waist, in a non-stretch fabric. A waist that's slightly loose can be belted; a hip that's tight cannot be fixed.
• High-waisted styles run smaller at the waist by design, check the measurement rather than assuming your usual size.
• Elasticated and tie-waist styles accommodate a range, which makes them the safer buy if you're between sizes or shopping for someone else.
• Check the rise if you're tall or short in the body. A high rise on a short torso sits at the ribs; a low rise on a long one sits uncomfortably low.

How to care for linen shorts

Linen has a reputation for being difficult, and it's mostly undeserved. It just needs different handling.

• Wash cool, on a gentle cycle. Linen is strong wet but the fibres break down with agitation and heat.
• Don't overload the machine. Linen needs room to move or it comes out permanently creased in the folds.
• Hang while damp and most creases drop out on their own. This is the single trick that makes linen easy.
• If you do iron, do it damp, on a medium setting, inside out to avoid a sheen on the surface.
• Skip the tumble dryer. Heat shrinks linen and makes it brittle.

Which shorts have pockets

Several pairs here have functional side pockets, and it's worth filtering for if it matters to you, shorts with real pockets get worn considerably more often, because you can walk to the shop without a bag. Pockets are noted in the key features on each product page.