I’m not going to front, these abrupt fluctuations in temperature have my internal thermometer all kinds of fucked up. At this point my body is thoroughly confused. I’ll be posted up at home blasting the heat on high for no more than ten minutes before I start sweating bullets and have to turn it off while I try to shed as many layers as possible in a mad scramble to recalibrate. I spent a full hour yesterday trying to suss out the perfect degree of HVAC manipulation in an effort to make it through the day without losing my mind, and all I have to show for it are a few untested theories about, like, the tradeoff involved in wearing two pairs of socks with the heat turned off and vice versa.
All that’s to say, is there any piece of clothing more suited to this peculiar moment than the sweat short? The humble hybrid of two wardrobe staples from opposite ends of the weather spectrum is practically made for the weird in-between temperatures we’re about to experience. Forget the days of fiddling for hours on end to find that sweet spot of at-home climate control—sweat shorts are here to save your ass regardless of how hot or cold you tend to run. They’re as comfortable and easy to slip into as the best pair of sweatpants in your regular rotation, while providing all the cooling benefits of your summeriest pair of shorts.
The sweat short is a certified game-changer. So instead of counting down the days to the official start of Shorts and Hoodie Season, cop a pair of shorts made out of the same fabric as your favorite hoodie and have it both ways. Scroll through below to check out some of the best options available now.
Serious Sweat Shorts
Lands’ End landsend.com
$39.95
Serious shorts made for activities that are anything but.
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Reverse Weave Cutoff Sweat Shorts
Champion pacsun.com
$45.00
Perfectly frayed cutoffs courtesy of a brand that’s been making soft, comfortable sportswear for over a century.
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Retro Fleece Sweat Shorts
Nike endclothing.com
$45.00
To absolutely no one’s surprise, the Swoosh makes more than a few sweat short options, all of ’em solid. But right now, these retro reissues hit particularly hard.
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Ace Sweat Shorts
Mack Weldon mackweldon.com
$65.00
French terry shorts ready-made for an impromptu workout break (or for telling yourself today’s the day you’ll definitely take one).
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Loopback Sweat Shorts
Entireworld theentireworld.com
$68.00
The internet’s favorite sweatpants, now cut right above the knee.
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French Terry Sweat Shorts
Flint and Tinder huckberry.com
$68.00
*Cue dramatically shot, Rocky-style training montage of you wearing these shorts and doing nothing but shifting listlessly on the couch all day long*
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At Ease Sweat Shorts
Lululemon lululemon.com
$78.00
Leave it to the team at Lululemon—maestros of modern activewear, the whole lot of ’em—to come up with a way to make the brand’s streamlined sweat shorts look like the latest in cutting-edge athleisure design.
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Logo-Embroidered Cotton-Terry Drawstring Shorts
POLO RALPH LAUREN mrporter.com
$80.00
Up your horsepower and swathe yourself in terry-cloth sweat shorts from the brand that Ralph built.
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Hightide Sweat Shorts
Outerknown outerknown.com
$88.00
When your shorts feel more like a beach towel than they do anything else in your closet, you know you’re dressing right.
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Lounge Shorts
Fear of God ESSENTIALS endclothing.com
$89.00
Fear of God’s hit diffusion line returns with a fresh batch of precisely cut anything-but-basics.
Reigning Champ’s sturdy sweat shorts are rooted in the same design principles that make the brand’s sweatpants such a perennial best-seller, sans half a pant leg or two.
Todd Snyder’s chopped take on the style (made in collaboration with Champion) leans into a retro look ready-made for the university courts.
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Vintage Heavyweight Yacht Shorts
Les Tien endclothing.com
$229.00
L.A.-made, East Coast-ready.
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G.I. DEPT. Shorts
Gallery Department gallerydept.com
$295.00
Not sure if you’re ready to invest in a pair of the brand’s signature flared jeans? Spring for a pair of its just-as-good sweat shorts instead.
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DRKSHDW Lightweight Bella Jersey Shorts
Rick Owens endclothing.com
$345.00
Because even the most stringent Rick disciples need to unwind a little every now and then.
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Diagonal Stripe Track Shorts
Off-White farfetch.com
$354.00
Like the graphic sweatshirts the brand first made a name for itself selling (minus the Caravaggio prints, but in the same hefty cotton).
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Printed Cotton Bermuda Shorts
Missoni mrporter.com
$650.00
If you listen real close, you can almost hear the ocean.
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Avidan Grossman Avidan Grossman is the Style eCommerce Editor at Esquire, covering men’s fashion, shoes, grooming, and accessories.
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