13 Warm-Weather Style Pieces To Try If You Absolutely Will Not Wear Shorts
by The Candidly Team
If you know us at all, you know we have a complicated relationship with shorts. And that’s not to say that we don’t have an okay relationship with our not non-lanky legs, our ample butts, or even our stretch-mark-and-cellulite-streaked thighs.
We like our bodies. Or at least we try…and mostly succeed.
Nevertheless, take a survey of our team, and you’re gonna see a huge percentage of us just not liking shorts. And we imagine, since you’re here, you’re one of us.
The problem, of course, is that we also get hot. And we very much like to look cute and carefree and summery, and have something to wear our nice little tops with in the sweltering months that stretch before autumn.
For a long time now, we’ve been accumulating this highly selective (so far, internal) list of amazing things we wear instead of shorts.
And today we’re sharing the best of the best with you. Each one is airier and breezier and more flattering than the last. And one of them, we assure you, you’ll buy in 3 colors and wear on repeat all summer long.
1. A Lightweight Linen Pant
J. Crew Wide-Leg Seaside Pant In Linen
These pants are made in the most breathable, lightweight linen that graces the skin. Their relaxed cut looks excellent on legs while the high (elastic!) waist nips at your midsection. They come in 5 colors and size up to 3X. Toss them on with your favorite tank and any of THESE sandals, and poof, you have your summer uniform!
Price: $98
2. An Easy Wrap Skirt
In addition to the breezy, wrapped style that happens to be deeply flattering, this skirt is smartly constructed from something called Cool Weave, a soft crepe stretch material that’s designed to run 80% cooler than similar fabrics. So you get all the nice non-sweatiness of shorts in a chic midi skirt.
Price: $175
3. A Breezy Parachute Pant
Free People To The Sky Parachute Pants
You may think these are too loungey to be taken seriously. But oh you would be wrong. These pants are indeed very soft and spacious and easy to pull on and wear around the house, but the pleating and smocked bottom and light but durable material make them extremely flattering, especially on curves. Plus, they come in every color you could want.
Price: $78
4. A Gloriously Comfy Midi Skirt
Hill House The Delphine Nap Skirt
An airy A-line midi skirt is probably the chicest way to deal with a hatred of shorts. It just looks great on everyone. And this skirt, with its dreamily wide, smooth, stretchy waistband, is the finest of them all. And it comes in a sea of highly special colors and prints.
Price: $125
5. A Cropped Wide-Leg Pant
Maeve The Colette Cropped Wide-Leg Pants by Maeve
These pants are made of this sculpting, slightly stretchy fabric that feels better than possibly any other pant we own, but then somehow manages to look even better. The clean lines do a good job of balancing the wider fit, so it’s all very tailored and Coastal Grandma-esque. They come in Tall, Petite, and Plus and also a sea of really pretty colors.
Price: $120
6. A Gauzy Maxi Skirt
J. Crew Side-Slit Soft Gauze Maxi Skirt
This skirt feels and fits exactly how it looks like it would. Easy breezy on every level. It sizes up to 3X and also comes in white. But this exact poppy pink color with a heeled sandal and a chic button-down has become an essential look in our own summer wardrobe.
Price: $89.50
7. A Spectacularly Comfy Gaucho Pant
Free People Hard Rain Gaucho Pants
Long shorts look schlumpy and dumb. But this is something completely different - an extremely well-cut, wide-leg gaucho pant that fits like a dream. Pair it with your softest tee and a sleek tennis shoe, and you’ll be ready to get your 10,000 steps through any sunny city you happen to be in.
Price: $128
8. A Summery Jumpsuit
Pact The Coastal Beach Halter Jumpsuit
Nothing beats a one-and-done summer piece that makes it seem like you put in a lot of effort but you actually did nothing…except maybe pair it with THIS hat.
Price: $86 - $108
9. A Not-Too-Short Mini Skirt
J. Crew Smocked-Waist Linen Mini Skirt
If your whole reason for avoiding shorts is to not show an inch of upper leg, maybe this skirt isn’t entirely for you. Then again, maybe it is, because it has endlessly long smocking that looks great on any waist and then enough inches of fabric to not make you feel like your butt is about to peak out every time you reach for something above eye level. It’s an excellent skirt to throw on over your swimsuit when you want to get up from a chaise and walk to the bar to grab a lemonade. Just saying.
Price: $89.50
10. An Airy Chino Pant
A chino doesn’t typically do much for us, but we actually wrote about these particular pants as being one of the 7 best fitting pants on both butts and bellies precisely because of how flawlessly they fit, feel, and look on our bodies. They’re airy enough to be an excellent substitute for short things on even the hottest of days. We especially love them as part of this iconic seaside uniform.
Price: $98
11. A Poplin Maxi Skirt
Abercrombie Poplin Tiered Maxi Skirt
For some of us, summer has and will always be about a maxi skirt. This exact maxi skirt.
Price: $70
12. A Chic Culotte
Mare Mare Curved-Hem Chino Pants
Does this pant read a little bit formal? That’s exactly the point. It has all the good things we like about shorts, the nipping waist, the attractive pleating, but at a length that’s somehow “classy.” We really think Audrey Hepburn would have worn these shorts. And so too shall we.
Price: $130
13. A Perfect Sarong
J. Crew Convertible Beach Sarong
We wrote about this sarong as a key piece of our dream poolside-chic ensemble (we all have one, right?) It’s light and gauzy but shaped in the smartest possible way, for easy tying and a great silhouette.
Price: $69.50
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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