When It Gets Too Hot, We All Wear These J.Crew Boxer Shorts
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The weather the last several days in New York City has been the kind of hot that makes you hesitate to leave the house. The moment you do, you’re sluggish, dripping in a fountain of sweat. Even being inside is tough unless you run your AC 24/7, which … in this economy? All you can really do is hydrate and dress to make it feel like you’re wearing as little as humanly possible. It turns out that several Strategist staffers have the exact same item for that endeavor: J.Crew’s women’s cotton boxer shorts.
We first wrote about these shorts back in 2021. Former Strategist writer Chloe Anello declared that on too-hot days, even sweat shorts and bike shorts felt too heavy and sticky. So she invested in these — and loved them so much she subsequently bought three more pairs. Since then, J.Crew has continued making them in various colors, patterns, and styles (a recent iteration features a couple of small decorative buttons in the front). Now, myself, Strategist senior writer Lauren Ro, writer Ambar Pardilla, and managing editor Kelsie Schrader have all bought them, too. Junior writer Bella Druckman even purchased one a few days ago after reading that both Pardilla and I rely on ours when it hits peak summer.
Ro, who has three pairs, sticks to hers in the house, both as pajamas and for lounging, as she likes something a little thicker for wearing out and about. Schrader, who has one pair, sticks to lounging for the most part, though she will wear them for quick neighborhood errands when she doesn’t feel like changing. The shorts are very thin (hence the major breathability) — but for what it’s worth, the all-white version I have is the only one that I find requires nude underwear.
Pardilla has a bleached-stained pair she puts on to sleep “when even a top sheet feels like too much,” she says, and another that — though she’s not generally a shorts wearer — she will go out in when the temperature hits above 85 degrees. “They’re the equivalent to a sea breeze,” she says. “You forget you’re wearing them, which is what boxers should be but often aren’t.”
I like mine (I have four pairs) with a tank top or T-shirt for hanging around and for running errands, but I find they can be dressed up enough for park birthday parties, backyard barbecues, and even dinners at not-too-fancy neighborhood restaurants. With an oversize button-down and a cute pair of shoes, I feel even more put-together than when I’m wearing jean shorts. They taper out from your hips in a way that seems to be flattering on everyone (and that allows for more airflow than tighter pairs). The waistband isn’t too restricting. And, when you do sweat in them, they don’t cause irritation on the skin and dry down quite quickly without looking or feeling gross. Really — because some sweat is inevitable — that’s the best we can ask for.
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