The inseams are shrinking and the confidence is rising. This summer, short shorts are everywhere – from city pavements to celebrity holiday shots – marking a bold shift in men’s style that’s more about self-assurance than showing off.

Style icons like Paul Mescal and Harry Styles have helped normalise the trend, but it’s catching on far beyond the millennial A-list. A recent survey found 76% of men feel more body confident than ever, with nearly half planning to buy a pair of short shorts this summer. Google searches are up 138% and TikTok is flooded with nearly 30 million #shorts videos.

Mark Hogarth, Harris Tweed ambassador and long-time champion of considered menswear, calls this “a renaissance in summer style”. He says the golden era of shorts was the 1980s: “Think Tom Selleck, footballers, tennis stars. The dark days of baggy board shorts are finally behind us. A well-cut short is elegant, confident and timeless.”

Even high street stalwart M&S is in on the action, launching its shortest ever men’s shorts with inseams starting from just 3 inches – a clear sign that the trend has truly gone mainstream.

But not everyone’s convinced it’s a one-size-fits-all look. Menswear expert Eric Musgrave offers a word of caution: “Short shorts can work, but only if you’ve got a mirror in your house. Know your angles – and your audience.”

Whether you’re thigh-shy or thigh-curious, one thing’s clear: the summer of the short short is already underway.