15 Pairs Of Athletic Short Shorts Like Harry Styles

Photo: The Mega Agency.

Today’s trends are anything but straightforward, with belly chains, sporty gym shorts, and upside-down bikinis all making waves. Ensuring that your wardrobe is up to date can often mean searching for shoppable items in a sea of puzzling options. Where does one actually buy a belly chain? What differentiates regular gym shorts from fashionable gym shorts? Is shopping for an upside-down bikini as difficult as wearing one? Our new column Sourced answers all your market-related questions, as well as offers you an endless source of styles that will make snagging today’s top trends easy, so you can spend your precious time learning about the next wave of trends.

The summer of short shorts is well underway, thanks to Harry Styles, Milo Ventimiglia, and Paul Mescal, all of whom have been known to rock gym-ready styles with next-to-nothing inseams. Hailey Bieber, Sophie Turner, and Zendaya, too, have shown an affinity for the sporty style. Now, we want to join in on the action. But while there’s no shortage of options to choose from, with every brand from Nike to Prada serving up some version of the athletic summer staple, finding a pair that’s just right is harder than some might think.

For instance, if you want a pair with high slit sides for 360º movement, your best bet is to try and buy them vintage from the ‘80s or ‘90s (see Ben Covington, played by Scott Speedman, running in Season 1, Episode 4 of Felicity), since the modern versions rarely offer styles that are quite so breezy. Do you plan to wear them more as a fashion piece than a gym look? Perhaps you want to opt for something a bit more exclusive than Nike’s ubiquitous swoosh. Lining, pockets, drawstrings, and rise all play an important role in the short shorts shopping process. Really, it just depends on what look you’re going for.

To ensure that you find a pair that checks off all your sartorial boxes, we went ahead and rounded up the best bare-all pairs on the market. Now, there’s nothing standing in the way of you achieving your Harry Styles style goals — that is, besides 3 to 5 business days for shipping.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.