Men's Linen Shorts

Linen comes from the stalk of the flax plant, and the fiber is stiff, hollow and much thicker than cotton. Those properties are the entire reason linen shorts feel cool, since the cloth holds itself off your skin instead of sticking. So air moves through the gap and sweat evaporates rather than pooling. Linen also absorbs up to about 20 percent of its own weight in moisture before it feels wet, keeping it comfortable in humidity where cotton turns clammy.

Pure linen wrinkles hard and creases across the lap within an hour of sitting, which is why most shorts sold as linen are blends. Adding 30 to 45 percent cotton softens the hand and calms the creasing while keeping most of the airflow. Adding viscose or rayon makes the fabric drape more and breathe less. Weight sits low, usually 5 to 7 ounces per yard. That is where opacity becomes a problem, since a pale open weave goes translucent in direct sun. Waistbands fall into two camps, where a flat band with belt loops looks like a trouser and a drawstring commits the shorts to the beach.

Cotton twill shorts occupy the same smart end of the wardrobe, hold a press better and trap far more heat. Denim shorts are the heaviest and least suited to humidity. Athletic shorts beat linen on sweat management and lose completely on appearance. What linen offers that none of the others can is genuine air movement in still, humid heat. What it costs you is a permanently rumpled surface.

Coastal summers, tropical travel and anywhere above 85 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity is where these belong. A 7 to 9 inch inseam in a mid tone reads as clothing rather than swimwear. Creases will bother some people permanently, and pressing them out buys about twenty minutes. Pale colors are a poor choice if you plan to sit on anything, since linen picks up grass stains and dye transfer easily, and anyone who needs to look sharp from morning to evening is better served by cotton twill.

Take the shorts to a window and look through the fabric, because sheerness shows there and never in a fitting room mirror. Crush a handful in your fist for ten seconds and release it, since a good blend relaxes most of the way back and pure linen keeps every line. Wash cool and pull them out of the machine damp, then hang them so the weight of the water drags most of the creases out, which saves you the iron entirely.