Shorts Set

Dressy or Casual Shorts Sets

The top tells everyone which one you are wearing. A collar, a quarter zip or a flutter sleeve makes a shorts set read as an outfit you planned; a plain tee and a drawstring read as a lazy Sunday. Both earn their place, and the dressier tops are the better buy when the set has to go to a lunch, a boardwalk dinner or a flight where you want to land looking put together.

Shoes finish the job. A clean white sneaker keeps a collared set sporty, a flat sandal makes a ruffle sleeve set feel like vacation, and slides belong with the softest lounge pieces.

Texture Does the Work a Print Would

Most of these sets are solid colors or quiet patterns, and the interest lives in the knit. Waffle knit is a grid of tiny squares that holds a thin layer of air and stands off the skin. Jacquard knits raised dots straight into the cloth, so there is no print to crack. Corded rib runs in vertical lines that lead the eye up the body, and a tonal check reads as texture from across the room.

Texture also hides the small creases a flat knit shows after an hour in a chair, which is why a textured set still looks fresh by mid-afternoon. Hang the raised knits after washing rather than pressing them; an iron flattens the very dots and ridges you bought them for, and a little steam from a short distance is all they ever need.

The Waistband Is Where Comfort Lives

Elastic does the holding and the drawstring fine-tunes it, so the shorts stay up with a phone in the pocket and loosen after a long lunch. Many of the pairs have real pockets, deep enough for keys and sunglasses, which means the bag can stay in the car on a beach walk. Look at the rise in the photos too: a high waist suits a top you tuck or half tuck, while a mid rise sits better under a tee left loose.

Shorts Sets Past Summer

A long sleeve top changes the season completely. The corded rib holiday set and the Fair Isle snowflake set put long sleeves over shorts for a warm house in December, the kind of outfit that works for opening presents and still looks good in the photos. Wide shorts with a cotton rich top are the coziest of the lot for a long evening on the sofa.

Start With Where You Will Wear It

Beach and boardwalk days want the striped knit or the jacquard dots. Errands, travel and a casual game want the waffle or the quarter zip with its pocketed shorts. Holiday mornings want the long sleeves. If you love a coordinated outfit but want your legs covered, the pants set page has the same idea with wide-leg pants, and the lounge set page gathers the softest pieces for staying in.