My Hunt for Not-Too-Short Jean Shorts

I’ve been seeing high-schoolers fold over the waistband of their jeans for about a year now, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen the trend incorporated into the structure of a pair. I wish it was possible to turn these into regular shorts, butthe wash with a regular waistbandwasn’t quite right either — I thought the A-frame was too drastic, even in a size 24.

As a teen, I was loyal to American Eagle jeans and shorts, which were soft and stretchy, just how I liked them. I was into how these looked from the front: formfitting at the hips and waist but loose on the thigh. It was the side profile that I found too tight — picture a skinny jean in shorts form. (For context, I tried them in a size 2.)

I had to scour both floors of the H&M in Herald Square to make sure I’d found all the jean shorts, which were scattered on tables and racks throughout the store. The usual fare was on offer —thigh-length jortsandskin-tight micro shorts— but the one pair of shorts I could find that fit my criteria was too formfitting in both sizes 2 and 4. Onto the next pair.

Some brands, like Urban Outfitters and Pacsun, carried Levi’s in addition to their in-house selection. I tried normal Levi’s 501s a couple times (they’re a classic, after all), but they ultimately reminded me too much of my middle-school shorts, which I’ve since realized were all too tight from the waist to the bum. (The curve version below, though, was a different story.)

I’m not above discreetly putting my belt in my purse during the middle of an outing, so I was optimistic about these adjustable shorts, which have tabs at the waist that you can use to adjust the rise and gapping of the shorts. Perhaps I should have sized up (I tried a 0), but these low-rise shorts were decidedly high-rise on me, meaning there would be no adjusting the waist tabs. Still, they were too baggy on my thighs.

I grabbed these in a 2, but they were ultimately too baggy and veered on jorts territory. (They look baggy on the model, too, so it seems to be the style.)

I’m not sure if it was because the jeans were too high-rise (a couple inches past my belly button) or the inseam was too short, but these looked too boxy for my taste, even in a size 4. I could have tried a larger size, but I had already grabbed these in a size up, so I ventured on. After all, there are only so many 20-minute-long fitting-room lines a girl can wait in.

When I went to American Dream, I couldn’t find a pair of shorts at Pacsun that was longer than my hand (and I have small hands), but the brand’s website had a couple of options that looked promising, so I called them in. In hindsight, I should have known that these would be too short for my taste, but they’re a nice pair of 100 percent cotton shorts if you don’t mind showing a little bit of your behind. (I tried them in a size 27, my usual size at Pacsun.)

Here’s a prime example of the current shorts moment: While Pacsun’s Festival jeans were too short, these were too long. I appreciated that they were more low-waisted than the other pairs I’d tried so far (low- and mid-rise pairs are very rare), but I thought they were too baggy at my waist and thighs in a size 27.

Like Princess Polly’s Tropicana shorts, these were too boxy due to their similar combination of super-high-rise and short inseam. They seem to be made of the same denim as some of my favorite jeans,Edikted’s blue-washed Raelynns, but the structure was off. (And for what it’s worth, they don’t seem to fit the model right either.)

Before I pulled on these shorts, I wasn’t sure I was going to find a winner for this hunt. Everything I’d tried prior was too boxy, too baggy, or too tight. These had the dreaded frayed hem I’d been avoiding, but they accentuated my curves without suffocating me. They didn’t even have a gap at the waist. The shorts would’ve made the winner’s circle had I not found a pair of Levi’s I liked even better. (More on that later.)

I’m usually a fan of Abercrombie’s jeans (in fact,I once tried on every pair the brand sells), but I didn’t like how these bunched up at the crotch point. (Believe it or not, this is a technical term — I looked it up.) Otherwise, with a clean hem and not-too-drastic A-frame, they met most of my criteria. I’d just say they’re more high-rise than mid-rise in a size 25 (my usual size at Abercrombie).

Similar to the Abercrombie pair above, these werealmostwhat I was looking for. In a size 0, they were a true mid-rise (rather than the suggested low-rise) and tight enough to mold to my hips but loose enough that I wasn’t constantly adjusting them. I just wish the shorts didn’t have the same crotch-point bunching.

I tried these on in three washes — Anchor Gray, Indigo Dark, and Misty Blue — and they fit differently each time. (Three is usually my size at Garage.) While the Anchor Gray had a modest A-frame that accentuated the shape of my thighs and lightly hugged my behind, the Misty Blue was boxy but structured, while the Indigo was baggier and stretchier. The latter is the pair I ended up calling in, but they were too loose to make the winner’s circle.

When I called in the A-line pair above, the publicist threw in these shorts, which I never would have grabbed myself. (I’m anti-rip, sorry!) But I was pleasantly surprised. The rips give my thighs some extra breathing room, but the shorts are still flattering on my form. They feel like something I can throw on over a bikini when I’m going to the beach, and I imagine I’ll do just that this summer.

If I hadn’t looked online, I would’ve missed these shorts, which were my perfect shorts on paper. In a size 2, they were actually low-rise, rip-free, and long enough that I could bend over without worrying I was flashing someone behind me. I almost named them a winner, but they got a strike from bunching at the crotch point (yet again), likely caused by their high-stretch composition — just 76 percent cotton in a blend with Tencel and elastane.

Leave it to Levi’s to make me regain my faith in jean shorts. After trying more than ten pairs that were simply disappointing, I breathed a literal sign of relief after pulling these on. I feel certain that trying on jean shorts is a special kind of torture (far worse than trying on regular jeans), and these were (pretty much) exactly what I was looking for. Sure, they didn’t actually have a clean hem, but this frayed hem, which was at least the same length throughout, was good enough. After I trimmed the stray threads, I’d say it was perfect. In a size 27, the jeans are low-rise (at least in the 2026 sense of the word) and long enough that my butt feels truly covered. They’re so comfortable that I’d even wear them on a road trip.

If I were to make a chart plotting the bagginess and length of jean shorts, these would be my sweet spot. With about a two-inch inseam, they’re shorter than I would usually go for, but the bagginess and rise — a true low — makes the shorts feel like a Goldilocks pair in a size medium. And most importantly, they don’t have any rips, even on the hem. When my boyfriend first saw me wearing them, he said, “You should wear shorts more often.” Now that I have a few pairs that are both comfortable and clean enough to wear out of the house, I feel confident I will.