Five Plus One is our weekly series of buyer’s guides. We pick a specific category and dig up five great options along with one that’s a little outside the norm.
Sweatshorts are an undeniable summer staple. Remote workers know that sweatshorts are the true daily driver, but they’re a useful garment no matter what your life holds— especially in the warmer months. Sweatshorts provide a comfortable anchor that can be paired with a t-shirt or tank in the daytime, or with a sweatshirt/full zip hoodie in the evening.
Sweatshorts are a dime a dozen, but we’re here to show you a range of high-quality options from some mighty fine makers in this edition of Five Plus One. We’ve got interesting weaves, unique colorways, and of course something kind of strange for the Plus One. Enjoy and stay comfy.
1) Bather Sweat Short
Kicking off with something simple yet effective is Canadian label, Bather. Available in a range of 4 summer-ready colorways, Bather’s Sweat Short channels the brand’s leisurewear DNA through 100% cotton French terry and pale colors that evoke images of beaming seaside getaways.
Each pair is made in Portugal and comes fitted with a ribbed drawstring waistband, a singular rounded patch pocket at the rear, and dual side entry pockets.
Available at Bather for $85.
2) FahertyWhitewater Sweatshort – Shell Loop
If you’ve already got a stack of sweatshorts but want something to jazz up your rotation, Faherty‘s Whitewater Sweatshorts in Shell Loop are waiting in the wings. They’re made from a cozy brush cotton-poly blend that’s been jacquard-knit with a herringbone pattern. As well as adding visual interest, this pattern adds a subtle formality to the shorts that would allow them to pair nicely with a linen shirt for a more put-together look.
Coming in a slim fit, the Faherty Whitewater Sweatshort features side seam pockets, corozo nut button rear pocket, an elasticated drawstring waist, and a slim fit. There’s even a matching hoodie if you’re after a summer sweatsuit.
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Available at STAG for $98.
3) Dubble Works Tubular ‘Active Dyed’ Sweatshorts – Brick Red
Those of us who’ve drank the loopwheel Kool-Aid can often find it hard to go back to anything not woven on a vintage hanging machine. Thankfully, brands like Dubble Works bring loopwheeled goodness to the world of sweatshorts, in the likes of the Tubular ‘Active Dyed’ Sweatshorts.
The Warehouse & Co. sub-label specializes in knitted cotton garb and these Sweatshorts show you how they do things. This 100% cotton fabric is woven on vintage tubular knit machines that knit the yarns into a lightweight, breathable cloth with heaps of character from the slow and chattering weaving process. The finished fabric has been pigment dyed to inject further nuance and fading potential, making each pair of sweatshorts unique.
Inspired by vintage training shorts, these feature a ‘chopped’ hem with overlocking stitches to keep their shape. No shadowboxing in the coffee shop, though, please.
Available at Corlection for $125.
4) Merz B. Schwanen 356 12 oz. Loopwheeled Classic Fit Sweat Shorts Ink Blue
The Merz B. Schwanen name commands a higher price but can you blame them? They’re the only loopwheel manufacturers in Europe and they’ve been putting out end-tier cotton basics for years, receiving worldwide acclaim the whole time.
The 356 12 oz. Loopwheeled Classic Fit Sweat Shorts are made from 12 oz. loopwheeled cotton fleece, knitted on rare 100-year-old Loopwheel machines nestled in the Swabian Alps of southwestern Germany. They come in a regular fit with no bells or whistles, aligning with Merz B. Schwanen’s ethos of ‘simply good basics. With classic side pockets and a singular back pocket, the 346 Sweat Short lets the end-tier fabric do the talking.
Each pair is sewn up in Germany and finished with a natural cotton cord on the waist.
Available at Redcast Heritage for $153.
5) Devium Fleetwood French Terry Sweatshort
Devium‘s Fleetwood Shorts aren’t just another Sweat Short, they’re reactive garment-dyed and mineral-washed in small batches, making each short unique and imbued with patina from the get-go. There are 4 colorways to choose from, each with its own washed out, almost cobbled texture that will evolve even further with wear and laundering.
Like all of Devium’s goods, the Fleetwood Sweat Short is 100% American-made, from design to fabric milling and even the trims. Silhouette-wise, they’re your standard sweatshirt fare, elevated through the use of 100% cotton French terry with the aforementioned dyeing process, an custom tonal brand label above the left hem, and a singular rear pocket that closes with a custom cat-eye button from Pennsylvania.
Available for $98 from Devium USA.
Plus One – Frizmworks Pouch Pocket Sweat Shorts
They said Sweat Shorts couldn’t be weird and Frizmworks said ‘hold our beer’. The South Korean tastemakers are known for their range of menswear garb which often features widened or skewed iterations of iconic workwear pieces, but these Pouch Pocket Sweat Shorts issue a bizarro take on a classic athletic silhouette.
Coming in a classic heather gray, the Pouch Pocket Sweat Short from Frizmworks has a high-waisted, bellowing silhouette that takes the Sweat Short from staple to statement. The left leg is fitted with a rounded patch pocket that serves as another point of difference, whilst pleats at the waistband riff on classical menswear and articulate the wide fit ever so slightly.
Available for $106 from Wallace Mercantile.
