We’ve written a lot about T-shirts before. But another essential to focus on when it comes to summer comfort is shorts. You can’t saunter around in anything less in hot weather but shorts are often added to the bottom half of an outfit as an afterthought. A sort of supplement to the other summer essentials. It’s rare to see someone focus on getting the shorts spot on but it pays to get it right. A great pair of shorts can complete an outfit.
So, on that, what makes a pair of summer shorts that you’re going to feel comfortable in the heat in? Here are four key factors to pay attention to:
1: Breathability
First things first, a great pair of summer shorts should be above all breathable. You can’t overlook this key aspect. If the fabric your shorts are made from is synthetic, or largely synthetic, then the shorts won’t be as comfortable. You’ll sweat more and get irritated skin. Simple as that.
So what you need for a pair of breathable shorts is a natural fabric - with cotton being the classic choice. On the other hand, shun shorts that are either made from synthetic fabrics like polyester or include them in a significant percentage in a blend (+10%).
SANVT’s summer shorts are made from 98% organic cotton, which is one of the most breathable fabrics. So on this front, we’ve got you covered. But cotton isn’t the only sensible fabric, there are other options that can work too, such as linen, hemp and even innovative new textiles that involve natural inputs, like Lyocell - which is made from wood pulp. We use the latter to make our sustainable boxer briefs.
Our SANVT summer shorts
2: Fit
A great pair of summer shorts must, we repeat must, have great fit. As we mentioned at the start of the article most people forget about the shorts and the substandard fit can make the whole outfit look lame and languid.
Don’t overlook the fit! Pick a pair of shorts that have been designed to give you a fit that’s tailored to your individual dimensions. At SANVT this is a central part of our philosophy, with shorts and everything else we craft. You don’t just have width to play with. You can select your shorts by both length as well as width - giving you the customisation needed to find a pair of shorts that fit your unique dimensions.
Not only that, our shorts also include an elasticated waistband for even more comfort. These can sometimes look a bit fiddly but in this case the drawstrings are subtle and hidden away to keep things minimalistic.
Chris Fraas is wearing our perfect summer chino
3: Functionality
While you will have to of course wear shorts, you do have to put stuff in them too - and you’ll often be carrying valuable objects around in the summer, like your phone.
To keep things safe, pick a pair of summer shorts that look great while also being practical. But that doesn’t mean massive cargo-pant-style pockets. Rather, we’re talking about little helpful details that are seamlessly integrated into the shorts without impacting the style.
SANVT’s summer chino shorts include extra deep side pockets with a cleverly hidden smartphone storage - and double-secured back pockets. All of this is useful but kept sleek on the surface. Perfect for the everyday and protecting that treasured new iPhone.
Extra deep side pockets and double-secured back pockets keep your stuff safe
4: Quality
We can’t not mention quality. We believe it’s better to own fewer pieces of top quality clothing vs. lots of pieces of low quality fast fashion items. This is a thought to keep in mind when various studies have shown that people wear clothes only a few times before chucking them away.
The longer your shorts will last then the less chance that you’ll have to send them off to landfill at any point in the near future. Rather, you’ll have your shorts to wear again and again, summer after summer. And if they’re timelessly styled then they won’t be falling foul of trends either, so you won’t chuck them away because they look weird or ugly even though they’re in fine condition. Quality and timeless style are also about sustainability.
And of course it’s ideal if you buy your shorts from a sustainable fashion brand like SANVT, who makes the best effort to keep emissions low and compensate for those emissions. Sustainability is about people as well as planet, so all of SANVT’s garments are also crafted in the EU under fair conditions for workers.
As a final note, don’t spoil a great pair of summer shorts with a bad T-shirt. Here’s some more info on finding the perfect summer tee.