In contrast to the “one-inch inseam summer” of 2022, this year’s fashion trend is all about thigh coverage. Knee-length jean shorts, also known as jorts, have taken over the fashion scene, with a surge in sales and prominent celebrities like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber leading the way. Retailers like John Lewis have seen a 52% increase in sales compared to last year, and brands like Mother Denim and Browns are reporting high demand for longer inseams and wider leg jorts.
The trend is not limited to women’s fashion; it’s gaining popularity in men’s fashion as well. Balenciaga and Givenchy have showcased longer length inseams on their catwalks, and rapper A$AP Rocky has been spotted rocking jorts with white socks and Timberland boots.
But embracing this trend doesn’t have to break the bank. Secondhand retailer Beyond Retro offers affordable jorts with a 10-inch inseam, and some creative TikTok users have gone viral by DIY-ing their own pair of designer-looking shorts from old wide-legged jeans.
Comfort is a significant factor in the appeal of this trend. Unlike the revealing Daisy Duke-style shorts, jorts sit lower on the hips and provide a looser fit around the thigh, reducing the risk of chafing. Even with the heavy rain this summer, which affected sales of seasonal clothing like dresses and sandals, jorts have remained popular due to their versatility in transitional weather.
Ida Petersson, buying director at Browns, shared her personal experience, stating that she started wearing knee-length jorts in April and continued wearing them despite the less-than-ideal weather. She highlights the ease of layering jorts with jackets or sweaters for different styling options.
During Copenhagen fashion week, Danish influencers cleverly paired knee-high boots and extra-long rain jackets with longer jorts to combat the unseasonably cold and rainy weather. When the rain stopped, they simply dried off the exposed skin.
Jorts first gained popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s, thanks to hip-hop artists. Nowadays, they cater to the Y2K trend, which is driven by gen Z. TikTok users suggest styling jorts with other Y2K essentials like ballet flats and camisole-style tops. The shift towards baggier and more relaxed denim styles is also a contributing factor to the popularity of longer and looser fit jorts, according to Tim Kaeding, the creative director and co-founder of Mother Denim. People are gravitating towards comfort and style with looser fits.
Olivia Buxton Smith, fashion editor at Drest, notes that jorts align with the casual office dressing trend that is prevalent in the post-pandemic world. With hybrid working becoming the norm, people want clothing that can transition from office to weekend outings. Buxton Smith personally wears her knee-length dark jorts with a blazer and dainty shoes to the office, and with a T-shirt for casual weekends. The versatility of jorts makes them suitable for various occasions, unlike shorter shorts that are reserved for vacations.
In terms of historical context, the popularity of cutoffs began in the 1960s as a form of rebellion against shorts being illegal in some US cities. Over the years, shorts became shorter, culminating in the iconic micro jorts worn by Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard. In the 1980s, inseams grew longer, with Madonna popularizing knee-length styles. The 1990s saw baggier silhouettes with hip-hop artists embracing jorts paired with sports socks and sneakers. The 2000s had a grungy DIY cutoffs revival, and in 2018, Beyoncé made waves with her denim thong style at Coachella. Now, in 2023, jorts are making a comeback influenced by 90s fashion, with models like Hailey Bieber, the Hadid sisters, and A$AP Rocky leading the way.
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