Best Shorts for Women of 2026

If our top pick's six-inch leg sounds short to you, this is the same idea stretched to eight. The extra two inches put the hem just above the knee on most people, which is the difference between a short that covers your thighs and one that covers them when you sit down. On a taller frame, the 8-inch version reads as a proper short rather than a bike short.

Coverage is where this pair wins, and the details back it up: a heavyweight, buttery knit and a high waist that holds instead of rolling. Three pockets — a slip pocket on each leg plus a smaller one set into the waistband that lies flat — is more than any other pair here offers. That waistband pocket is the one we use for a key when we don't want to carry anything else.

The trade-off is warmth. That heavy knit is exactly what keeps it opaque, and it's the wrong choice for a humid August run; our top pick breathes better. The waist also runs snug by design, since that's the tummy-control panel doing its job, so if you sit between sizes, take the larger one.

These are not gym shorts, and that's the point. The Delaney is a woven short with a 3.5-inch inseam — closer to a chino than to anything else on this list — so it reads as an outfit with a blouse or a tee in a way a compression knit never quite does.

The cut is the reason it earned a place. It sits flat across the front, the back pockets are set high enough to do something for a flat profile, and the black is a solid, true black rather than a washed-out charcoal. The stretch lets you move, too, which is more than most woven shorts manage.

Our advice is to size down. The stretch is generous enough that the shorts relax through a long day, and the legs run wide, so most people land a size below what the chart suggests. It's also the priciest pair here, and it earns that on looks rather than on versatility — for summer lunches, vacations, and anywhere you want to look put together, it's worth the money.

If you run in heat, you know the failure mode: everything bunches, the waistband creeps, and by the third mile you're adjusting instead of running. The BMJ short is built for that runner — a 2.5-inch inseam, a wide high waistband, and a light woven that moves air instead of holding it.

The rise does the heavy lifting. The back is cut high enough to keep you covered mid-stride and the front sits flat under a tee, so there's no gaping when you lean forward. The fabric is thin, quick-drying, and holds its shape after a wash instead of going limp. There's a single zip pocket, which is enough for a key and a card and not much else.

Sizing is the catch. These run small, and the waistband doesn't have a lot of give, so order up if you're between sizes or you'll spend the run tugging at them. The colors are the fun part — there are enough of them that the pair you run in can also be the pair you wear to the farmers market.

Two pairs for less than most single shorts here is the pitch, and for lounging it's a fair one. Nothing about these is built for performance, and nothing about them pretends to be.

The fabric is a soft cotton knit with a t-shirt hand-feel — the kind of short you pull on after a shower and forget about. The elastic waistband is gentle, the curved dolphin hem keeps the leg from cutting in, and they're breathable enough to sleep in. We like them best for exactly that: the house, the bed, and the walk to the mailbox.

Know what you're getting, though. The leg is short, short enough that they read as sleepwear rather than streetwear, and the fit runs small — go up one size, or two if you like a loose short. What you get for the money is a soft, breezy two-pack that does lounge duty better than anything else on this list.

A zippered pocket changes where a pair of shorts can go. On these, the zip sits on the side seam, swallows a phone, a key, and a license, and stays shut when you sit down or climb into a kayak.

The knit is soft, smooth, and not remotely compressive — closer to a sleep short than a running short. The leg is roomy, the length lands around the fingertips on an average frame, and the colors have held up in the wash for us. There's an inside drawstring, so you can cinch the waist if the elastic alone isn't enough.

The set is the whole value argument: five pairs, which works out to less per pair than almost anything else here. If you want one drawer of shorts for everyday wear, sleep, and errands, and you don't want to think about it again, that's a real convenience.

Two things to know. The sizing runs large and the cut is loose, so order a size down unless you genuinely want a baggy short. Pocket depth also varies from pair to pair — one zip will be roomier than the rest, and that pair will quietly become your favorite. Neither is a dealbreaker at this price per pair.

Denim shorts live or die on the cut and the finish, and these get both close to right: a mid rise that sits below the belly button rather than over it, a raw hem that's already frayed, and rips that arrive finished instead of hacked in with kitchen scissors.

The fabric is a stretch denim that moves when you squat, sit, and drive, then springs back instead of bagging at the seat. It hugs through the hip without needing a belt, and the mid rise works with a tucked tee and a cropped one alike.

They're not for every errand. The leg is short, the rips are a statement, and the fabric leans closer to a heavy jegging than to rigid denim — if you want a classic unripped cutoff, this is the wrong pair.

For a night out or a summer Saturday when you want to look like you made an effort, we prefer them to stiff denim cutoffs: the stretch means you can sit through dinner, and the fraying is even enough that nobody asks whether you did it yourself. Order your usual size, and wash cold and line dry so the rips don't travel.

The first thing to know is the sheer factor. This is a very thin, very stretchy knit, and it shows when the fabric is under tension — bending, squatting, sitting — with lighter colors the riskiest. Worn under a dress, or in a dark color, it matters a great deal less.

At the price, the appeal is obvious: two pairs of 6-inch shorts with side pockets for less than most single pairs here. The knit is soft and genuinely stretchy, the high waist stays up, and the pockets hold a phone. For a first pair of bike shorts, or a set you don't mind sweating through, that's fair value.

Sizing is the other thing to plan for. These run small — noticeably — so ignore the letter on the label, buy from the measurements, and go up if you're between. Do that, wear the dark pair for workouts and the lighter one under a dress, and this two-pack earns its place in the rotation.