I asked my real (and platonic) internet friends: Why board shorts? Why now?
Irene! Leandra! Denise! Gigi! Nora! Nicole! Kelly! Rachel! + so many eBay links.
From my previous post as well as my copious IG stories (check out highlight SPF 101), you may have picked up on my enthusiasm for board shorts—what appears to be a long-lasting sartorial revelation, a commitment to an item of clothing I easily see enduring over time, the way it happened with midi pencil skirts when I discovered them at 13.
Considering this summer I’ve been wearing board shorts almost daily, I wanted to share the love with 8 women I follow/admire/love—each of whom is either already on board with the 🏄♀️🩳 resurgence, or has been for a while (like my first guest, Denise:)
1. Denise Soued
“To me board shorts represent an ease that any other material can’t. They’re practical, easy, comfortable, and I usually find them in a great floral print that is hard to be represented in other fabrications. I have found pairing them with unlikely textures is the best, but also love them with a great cotton t-shirt. That’s the beauty of them, I can be at the playground with my toddlers, then run to a dinner by throwing on a pair of heels! What a time to be alive! They’re a perfect contradicting element to anything, so that makes them great and that’s why I love them. Also, I can’t stop thinking about them since seeing them on our favorite style gurus—Julie Johnson, Laurel Pantin, and Leandra Medine Cohen.”
2.
“I think the way we create, participate in, and consume trends these days is much more thematic, and that every summer for the last several years, a different “vibe” has set the tone for the season. We’ve had the summer of the laid back, bright and colorful Spanish beach bum (think Gimaguas), the summer of cotton voile night gowns and boxer shorts (more English countryside/Doen) and now the vibe that is expressing most prominently revolves around aquatic sport. Bodysuit tops that look like Speedo bathing suits, tight-to-the-leg neoprene shorts styled with oversize sheer graphic tees and the board shorts to reflect a nod to surf.”
3. Nicole Ho
“Board shorts have become an unexpected yet welcome entry point for me into the world of color and print.
My wardrobe tends to lean minimalist—neutral palettes and rarely a pattern in sight—so embracing something bolder feels both refreshing and intentional. Having spent some of my teenage and early adult years in Southern California, revisiting board shorts (for the first time in decades!) also evokes memories of the laid-back surf culture that existed before the era of social media. It feels like low-stakes form of nostalgic escape. Does it replace the lipstick index for me? Perhaps.
I think board shorts are an unexpected and refreshing change from the usual, over-saturated summer shorts—and the more you think about it, there’s an ease and vibrancy to board shorts that other shorts sometimes lack. Long cargo shorts are close in structure and ease but fall short on color. Denim, too stiff, trouser-length bermudas too formal, bike shorts too clingy, and short shorts—well, sometimes just too short. Board shorts strike an ideal balance: structured but relaxed, sporty but not overly so, colorful without feeling garish. Am I overthinking this? Perhaps.
My current favorite "gateway" pair is a chartreuse green style from Leandra Medine’s collaboration with SOUER Paris last year.
They’ve become my go-to for experimenting with color in a way that still feels grounded. The board short silhouette provides ease and comfort without leaning too athletic. I pair them with everything from button-downs and T-shirts to, this year, a UV-protectant sports top (inspired by Laura). Worn over a swimsuit, the outfit gained another interesting layer. It became my effortless poolside look during a recent family vacation.
Now back in the Bay Area—where summer mornings arrive wrapped in fog—I’ve started styling my thrifted genuine board shorts (Brand: "Rusty" - the same ones Laura borrowed from her husband - thanks!) with oversized button-downs, my UV top, and a lightweight summer trench to avoid feeling too on-the-nose. I’m still experimenting, but they’ve already proven themselves a practical, playful, and surprisingly versatile addition to my wardrobe. They strike a joyful balance—bringing color and ease to a closet that often leans too serious. Because let's face it, fashion doesn't always have to be so serious.
It’s officially a board short summer.”
4.
“I love that board shorts are inherently sporty, so when I pair them with something softer or more feminine up top, it hits that mix I’m always chasing. That contrast of masculine/feminine is where I feel most like myself. They look best worn low slung on the hips” (think Alaïa! Lk)
5. Rachel Starrett
“Board shorts to me are the epitome of cool and I love the way I feel in them- at ease, chill, like myself (I have forever been a tomboy). They remind me of my youth in the very best way having grown up in the 90s. These are 90s Ocean Pacific board shorts I recently found thrifting and slid them on and couldn’t believe it. I’ve been searching for a good vintage pair thrifting for years. They just make me so happy when I’m wearing them. They go with everything! I can wear them to work (I’m in a creative position), out for the night, and of course to the beach. You can style them hundreds of ways, and they knock more fancy pieces all the way down to low key— which is my favorite thing about them.”
6. Nora Fabian
“When we were kids my parents often took us camping to the South of France. Most people surfed, but everyone, including the ones who didn’t, wore surf apparel. You would see board shorts from Roxy and Quicksilver and all those 2000 brands everywhere. That’s why seeing them making a comeback really made me nostalgic (and look at my husband board shorts with different eyes —in his defense he does really do surf!). I do think they need some kind of balance, to not make it look like I am actually going to the beach (unfortunately, I am not) without over-styling them so it doesn’t look like a costume. Something like a basic t-shirt and a fancy shoe really does that for me.”
7.
“I lump board shorts into the category of ironic, sporty bottoms — those unexpected pieces that instantly dial down the formality of an outfit while adding a playful dash of subversion.
If you’re not a surfer, they might seem like a stretch, but remember, the same could have been said about biker shorts, basketball and running shorts (Adidas’ three stripes were everywhere a few seasons ago!), running shorts, joggers, and nylon track pants.
None of these started out as fashion staples, but with a little styling (and a rebrand), it’s easy to incorporate them into your wardrobe by swapping one sporty bottom for another.
I don’t own a pair of board shorts, but here I am trying on a pair of athletic shorts in Hey Mrs. Solomon’s closet. Mentally sub in a pair of board shorts!”
8. GIGI
“Where I was born there was an abundance of wheat fields, and a desperate scarcity of sunshine, and olive trees, and a shameful lack of sea salt on my skin.
Board shorts meant independence, a type of detachment from old transcended patterns through generations and ancient unwillingly memorized habits, it was a revolutionary act even to keep them in my drawer to one’s own resistance to spontaneity even though they may never be physically tried -used- on a board.
So I packed two of them for a short summer vacation of 4 days at a dreamy resort along the Aegean Coast and used recklessly day and night! One time I added my mom’s vintage organza night robe and a very unpractical hat for a casual stroll in the area during the day:
Another time, I put a hand made crochet beaded top —purchased in another Aegean town last summer—and lots of neck candies and a metal belt: all vintage, collected over years
For an occasion at night -live music and dancing- I used a halter neck bodysuit from FP and a giant bead necklace for which I found the beads in a very humble small town along the coast of Black Sea annnd a very wrong shoe which got lots of hatred attention on the site.
For the very last dinner, I wanted to make a tribute to my internet friend Laura and her creative land so I grabbed a big flower pin and paired them with slides. I felt good, but more importantly, I felt liberated from all I’ve kept inside for a while.”
and I (Laura) couldn’t resist the urge to insert myself in the group chat because, as Leandra pointed out, isn’t fashion all about the possibility to participate?
To make us feel part of something?
And last but not least. Triggered by this legendary Prada gem:
My take:
That’s it from me.
Thank you Denise, Nicole, Leandra, Gigi, Rachel, Nora, Kelly, Irene: may your generosity be retributed in the form of even more soul-filling, nihilist-defying creativity.
<3.
L.
or
A TREASURER TROVE OF INSPIRATION!! I love the voices you pulled together because they are powerhouses- each in their own right. Bravo!
I genuinely appreciate that we’re at the stage in the cycle now where what was cool when I was a kid (still cool!) is making its way back.
There’s nothing cooler than cool people rocking interesting/unconventional pieces. The underline is shape and drape is for everyone and even season.
Your eye for composition, synthesizing cultural and social info, playing shape & feel, and then throwing it on is incredible. This is the shit I like to see. This is what style actually is. The Jitney is going to be 90s fly af this year 😆