Personally, I associate the sport short trend back to the year 2000, when our favorite Upper East Side writer Carrie Bradshaw wore a pair with a cropped white prairie top and red heels. The girls who got it, got it, and the girls who didn't, called her sense of style ridiculous. Love her or hate her, she was undoubtedly a trendsetter. We, of course, support mixing high and low style codes, clashing aesthetics and pairings that don't necessarily make sense—and we're far from the only ones.
The Spring/Summer 2026 runways offered athletic shorts of varying styles paired with unexpected pieces, silhouettes, and aesthetics, like Fendi’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection included sport shorts paired with matching jackets, as well as sport shorts paired with bohemian style tops—a testament to Silvia Venturini Fendi’s love of functional utility, artisanal detailing, and playful pairings.
Fendi SS26 // Launchmetrics
Louis Vuitton Cruise 2027 // ShutterstockOver at Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2027 show, athletic shorts took a bold turn in true Nicolas Ghesquière. Shiny yellow shorts were paired with silver statement shoes and a black leather for a look that towed the line between futuristic and an homage to the past. Meanwhile at Ann Demeulemeester Spring/Summer 2026, the collection featured a monochromatic satin sport short and top set with white piping, following the house's monochrome code and affinity for fluid silhouettes.
Ann Demeulemeester SS26 // Launchmetrics
Lacoste SS26 // LaunchmetricsFor Lacoste's Spring/Summer 2026, creative director Pelagia Kolotouros stayed true to the brand's sporty elegance aesthetic with sport short pairings that, in terms of colors, materials, and graphics, felt playful and nostalgic.
Launchmetrics
LaunchmetricsOff the runway, the sport short trend was on full display on the streets of Copenhagen throughout this month's fashion week. We've also taken note of how Zoë Kravitz styles a pair of blue Adidas shorts with the waistband rolled over, a black tank, and black ballet flats to beat a heatwave and how Hailey Bieber styles the trend both up (a black pair with heels and a leather jacket) and down (with a hoodie).
This is all to say that, regardless of their intended purpose or use, the styling opportunities for athletic shorts are endless. And if anything, this should encourage us to pull more unexpected pieces, style them unexpectedly, and give them a new life.
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