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Begone hot pants and Daisy Dukes—mom shorts are back and look better than ever. Also known as Bermuda shorts, the mom cut typically hovers just above the knee and comes belted at the waist. They have been beloved by vacationing ladies for decades. Throughout the 1950s, Jacqueline Kennedy put a nautical spin on the look with a sleeveless button-down, while her husband, John F. Kennedy, wore a pair of roughly the same length. Julia Roberts sported a soft red pair in the 1990 film Pretty Woman, complete with a polished matching jacket. They’ve had their moment in Vogue, too: The 1988 April issue featured Christy Turlington in Ralph Lauren tropical-print shorts, an image happily captioned with: “Walking shorts! Skimming the knee, tailored or softer, they’re a warm weather constant.”
Now, the waist-cinching shorts are making the rounds once again; as men’s shorts are getting shorter, women’s appear to be getting longer. For Spring 2018, Chanel sent out elevated tweed versions with kicky fringe at the hem and at Isabel Marant, they were bedazzled and boasted a utility belt. (It’s no coincidence that it’s occurring in Paris, either: Brigitte Bardot loved a good pair of figure-skimming mom shorts.) Most recently, mom shorts appeared at Altuzarra Resort 2019 complete with dressed-up pleats in a pert shade of blue.
Want to get the look? Lisa Marie Fernandez has a floral-print cotton pair that will bring out your inner Turlington. Chloé can give you that Bardot attitude with a sunny yellow incarnation, and Thierry Colson’s striped shorts put a modern spin on Kennedy’s sailing uniform.
Here, see the best mom shorts for summer.
