Not to sound hyperbolic, but we’re in a rather polarizing moment for jean shorts. On one end, there are the jorts, which keep getting longer, baggier, and more distressed. Then we have the mini (sometimes micro) shorts with inseams of two inches or less that have me and my friends marveling at how large our hands look by comparison. Options for anyone like myself who wants a simple, rip-free pair of jean shorts that covers the butt but doesn’t span half the thigh have diminished to a few pairs per store in the best-case scenario.
It’s no coincidence that I can’t remember the last time I liked a pair of jean shorts in my wardrobe. I haven’t worn them regularly since middle school, when skintight shorts, both cuffed and ripped, were the style everyone begged their mom to buy them at the mall. So when I found myself interviewing teens at American Dream for Mall Month, I gave myself a side quest: Find a not-too-tiny, not-too-long pair of jean shorts that I could wear during this already exceedingly hot New York City summer. My dream pair would be low-rise or mid-rise with no rips, a clean hem, and a loose but not frame-swallowing fit.
After a few stops at American Dream’s typical mall brands, though, I realized my white whale might not exist, so I tried on several pairs that were high-rise or slightly ripped just to see. It took browsing pages and pages of jean shorts listing and a few trips to Tween Row to finally find a few pairs I’m actually excited to wear to summer picnics, on beach walks, and during morning iced-coffee runs. Below, every pair of jean shorts I tried across the mallosphere. (For context, I’m usually a size 26 in jeans. I tried on everything from a size 24 to a 27 and noted accordingly.)
