Nice-Looking Swim Shorts for When You Don’t Want to Get Too Cheeky

I’ve been buyingswimsuits from Aeriesince I was a teen, so I was happy to see the brand is making swim shorts too. I tried these Mid Rise Boy Shorts, which are basically a less-expensive version of a pair from Wallein that I also tried, discussed below. The fit is similar — more hot pants than bike shorts — but they areslightlyshorter than the Wallein ones. I tried a medium, which at Aerie correlates to a size 8 to 10, and felt they fit me well. The fabric certainly feels thinner than the Wallein shorts’, but for less than half the cost, the Aeries are a good option.

Sydney Sarokin, the social-media manager at Margaux, is also a fan of Aerie’s boyshorts; she recently shouted them out as part of theswimsuit she’ll be wearing this summer. While the ones I tried are plain,Sarokin’s pairhas a vintage feel, thanks to the white piping.

These Popflex shorts are a nice balance of a traditional bikini bottom and a short. They certainly aren’tmodest, if that’s your goal, but they provide much more full coverage than any bikini bottom I own. I tried these in my usual size large and was happy with how they fit — similar to a bike short, though obviously much shorter. The foldover waist band and back pockets add to the “shorts” feel, even though they are still more revealing than a pair of board shorts. But the ties on the sides, with dangling starfish and seahorse charms, add a fun detail; you can also use the ties to adjust the fit to be more or less revealing. The fabric is thick and feels substantial, which I always appreciate in swimwear. Plus they come in a range of fun and tropical patterns, and Popflex makes a variety of tops that you can mix and match with the shorts. (I also tried Popflex’sSand Dollar Surf Shorts with Pockets, but at least for me, they fit much more like a traditional high-waisted bikini bottom than an actual short.)

For longer board shorts, Elly Ayres, writer of theLate Blooomernewsletter, likes this Roxy pair. “Nothing conjures upBlue Crushlevels of surfer-girl cool in my mind quite like these,” she says. With a five-inch inseam, they are long enough to double as daywear — perfect for a post-beach ice-cream run, Ayres says — and offer plenty of coverage for diving in the waves. She typically pairs hers with a white bikini top for swimming; outside the water, “I’ll lean into the retro vibe of the shorts and wear them with a raglan T-shirt repping my local surf shop — shout-out Lucky Dog Surf Co. in Sea Bright, New Jersey! — and some Vans slip-on sneaks,” she says.

[Editor’s note: Most sizes of these Roxy shorts are sold out, but you can sign up for restock notifications on the product page.]

Senior editor Jen Trolio was looking for the least cheeky swimsuit bottom she could find to wear to her local community pool with her kids and found her ideal pair in Athleta’s Surge swim shorts. The shorts offer slightly more coverage and a looser fit than some other styles but aren’t so loose and baggy that they lean into board-shorts territory. They include a built-in bikini brief, too, so you don’t need to layer the shorts over another swimsuit.

[Editor’s note: Most sizes of the Surge short are currently sold out, but you can sign up for restock notifications on Athleta’s website.]

I tried Carve Designs’s Lorenzo Swim Short, which is similar to Trolio’s Athleta pair but with a slightly shorter inseam. Like the Athleta shorts, these include a built-in bikini brief so they don’t need to be layered; the bikini brief is lined with a slightly grippy material, too, to keep it in place. These shorts are definitelyshorton me — I wouldn’t likely wear them outside of a swimming context — but the slightly looser fit makes them feel more like an athletic short than the hot-pants styles I tried from Aerie and Wallein. I could easily see myself wearing them for water activities like kayaking or paddle boarding. The Lorenzo shorts also have front pockets and a zippered back pocket — handy for adventuring!

If you’re looking for shorts with fun prints and a retro feel, digital creator and stylistZoë Veneziorecommends the designs from Kitty and Vibe. “As an active mom, I prefer swim shorts because they never need adjusting,” she says, “I feel contained and secure but sexy all day long.” Venezio says her Kitty and Vibe shorts offer comfort and coverage while still showing off her curves. She especially appreciates the high waist and “just the right amount of cheekiness” and adds that the shorts are thick and high-quality and have held up well after several seasons of wear to the beach, pool, and lakes. She also loves wearing them for water activities like kayaking, boogie boarding, and cliff jumping.

In addition to the range of prints, Venezio says Kitty and Vibe makes a nice variety of tops to pair with the shorts. She also notes the inclusive sizing (XS to 6X), especially for the tops: “They offer additional sizing for larger D–G cups with smaller band sizing, which is not common, and is what I need as a 34DDD,” Venezio explains.

Another good place to shop for prints and patterns is Australian brand Poolside Paradiso. I tried two pairs of shorts, this hibiscus-printed pair and theMai Tai Shorty in Mint. But the brand offers a range of other bold and tropical-inspired options as well as textured terry jacquard fabrics for a unique look and feel. The shorts I tried fit well and the fabric feels substantial. I like the slightly retro cut, with a high waist and short legs, which reminds me of swimsuits from the midcentury. But the modern prints keep the shorts feeling contemporary.

Ayres recently bought these Triangl shorts as part of a three-piece set with theSofi Bikini, and she’s been thrilled with the purchase so far. “This set gorgeously pulls off a higher-coverage fit on the bottom in a genuinely cool way,” she says says. Triangl’s shorts are designed to be worn with or without a bikini bottom underneath, but Ayres likes styling them with the ties of the bikini bottom up above the shorts for “a little Y2K-inspired edge.” Ayres says the shorts are high-waisted on her, hitting right at her bully button, and compared to her other swim shorts, they are relatively cheeky.

Wallein specializes in women’s swimwear that’s functional for sports like surfing and diving. I tried the brand’s Hot Pant shorts and absolutely loved how they fit. Some other short-short styles I tried ended up fitting me more like a full-coverage bikini bottom than a trueshort,because the “legs” weren’t very long and rolled up my thighs (I’m very pear-shaped, if that helps paint a picture of the issue I was facing). But the Wallein Hot Pants actually still looked like shorts when I tried them on. I wouldn’t recommend these to someone whose primary goal is modesty — they cover my whole butt, but just barely. But for me, the Hot Pants are exactly what I wanted from a pair of swim shorts: still very much a swimsuit bottom, not a swim trunk, but with slightly more coverage. Plus, the shorts feel sturdy and very well-made. The only drawback is that Wallein doesn’t offer a ton of variety in prints or colors.

“These Sundek shorts are on heavy rotation in my beachwear lineup,” Ayres says, especially on days she’s boogie boarding. She appreciates the low-rise and short inseam, but says they still provide enough coverage in the back, with “zero cheek slippage.” The shorts also have a small zippered pocket, which Ayres likes to use when collecting sea glass. These shorts are meant to be worn over a swim suit. Ayres likes the bold color options because they match nothing, and thus by default, match everything, so she can wear them with any suit she already owns. “The zippy tricolor stripe on the back is a playful detail that keeps the shorts fun without veering into cheesy territory,” she says. “A loose cabana shirt on top and some unfussy flip-flops are the perfect finishing touch for getting to and from the beach.”

Content creator and surferChi Huynhlikes Tan Madonna’s swim shorts, which are designed specifically for surfers. The fit is more similar to the Popflex shorts I tried — a cross between a true short and a regular swimsuit bottom — with a slightly cheekier fit than the Sheila shorts that Huynh recommends below. In addition to handling rough waters and staying in place while she’s surfing, Huynh loves the brand’s bold, reversible prints.

Huynh also told me about Sheila’s swim shorts, which are designed with full coverage in mind. She particularly likes the Mini swim shorts, but the brand also offers aMidandLonglength, which are similar to bike shorts. Huynh is a surfer and a yoga instructor who appreciates that she can wear these shorts straight from a hot yoga class to the ocean — she wears them any time she’s “getting really sweaty or basically drenched.” And through all those activities, Huynh says the shorts still look and feel good. She especially likes this purple colorway, which she says looks great on her olive skin tone.

Of the fitted shorts I tried, I was also very impressed with the Araks Polly Short. Like the Wallein pair above, the Araks Polly shorts just barely cover my whole butt; it’s a flattering cut that fully reads as “shorts” but still feels like a swimsuit bottom. It has a mid-rise that I also found quite comfortable and nice looking. The drawstring on the front is actually functional, so you can tighten the waistband if needed, but it also adds a sweet detail to an otherwise plain pair of shorts. These aren’t as thick as the Wallein shorts, but the fabric feels luxe — as it should, for a nearly $200 pair of swim shorts. Though they are simple, I can easily see myself wearing these shorts for the rest of the summer, whether on a hike to a swimming hole or swimming at the beach. You can easily pair them with any of Araks’ bikini tops, or a top you already own. The brand sent me itsQuinn topto try with the shorts, and it feels like a more high-end version of my favorite Aerie swimsuit top.