Give your leggings a rest day and embrace this sporty-chic look instead

Leggings have become essential, not just for workouts, but also for comfortable-cool, off-duty styles. In the warmer months, however, the clingy bottoms can feel less than breezy—suffocating even. Enter: sports shorts; the kind donned by athletes for basketball, soccer, and beyond. More than breathable, these shorts give a roomier silhouette but with a high-fashion appeal for a sporty-chic look that goes beyond the gym.

“Basketball shorts can be the most low-key but head-turning look of the summer,” says Simona Finelli, founder and creative director of the high-fashion activewear brand No Ka’Oi. The shorts look, which Finelli describes as “streetwear luxury,” is both versatile and cool. “They’re supremely comfortable pieces to wear 24 hours a day.”

This is a sporty-chic look that goes beyond the gym.

Candice Fragis, buying and merchandising director of the retailer Farfetch, says sporty shorts recently showed up on high-fashion runways—in the form of biking shorts. “Saint Laurent showed them in a classic ’80s-style: black lace under puffball skirts. But it was really Off-White that elevated the athleisure aspect by showing a classic lycra cycle short under a tailored jacket.”

Below, 7 sporty shorts to wear all summer long.

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Adidas Originals By Alexander Wang Manufacturing Print Shorts, $103

Wear this streetwear-inspired short with a tank and slides on the weekend (or everyday).

Also on trend for this summer, tie-dye swimsuits and chic cover-ups that double as sundresses.