People tend to have great emotional attachment to denim trends. Millennials react to low-rise jeans the way picky toddlers react to broccoli, and when rumors of skinny jeans making a comeback from the Fall 2024 Denim Trend Report began to circulate, everyone but Meghan Markle, a known skinny jeans fan all of them started running for the hills. Then there is the low-pants, skater-adjacent baggy-jorts trend, a subset of denim that divides the jeans-wearing public in half.

By today's definition, jorts are jean shorts with a loose hemline from mid-thigh to the Bermuda-length region. Their hems are usually distorted, and half the Internet feels the same way; TikToks demonstrate the styling of the jorts trend with hundreds of thousands of views, but in the comments there is no consensus as to whether they make the trend list or not. Some say it's a summer must-have, while others say it reminds them of their fathers in the 90s.

I used to be in the camp of never wearing jorts. This was because I associated jorts with, yes, my father in the 90s, and the wolf pack in Twilight. But constant exposure has made me reconsider, as they share many of the same trends that celebrities are all over, from the chunky jewelry of the 80s to bubble-hem skirts.

Gigi Hadid is currently styling her frame jorts with a Miu Miu Arcadi bag, red Adidas sneakers, and a hilarious attitude to behold. Hailey Bieber was an early fan of jorts, styling her distressed hem jorts, which have been mid-thigh length since 2023, with an oversized jacket and It sneakers (her husband Justin also loves Frame jorts). (Husband Justin also loves Bottega Veneta jorts.) Charli XCX spent Brat Summer in baggy denim Bermuda shorts and a tiny crop top, not Brat Green.

Sure, being celebrities, A-listers can make anything look good, but they are not alone in this trend. Like the intrepid fashion pioneers who chased the athletic shorts craze and cleaned out the Nike racks of Dick's Sporting Goods, they, too, have jumped into the denim hall of fame to bring back jorts in real life and prove that they look good in them.

The street style of not only celebrities, but cool people in general, has been filled with knee-grazing jorts. They have been paired with baby T-shirts and semi-transparent button-downs, or with strong-shouldered blazers worn under a bra top. During this summer's Paris Couture Week, jorts were as common as kitten-heeled flip-flops and Kylie Jenner sightings (i.e., they were everywhere.) Madé Lapuerta, founder of Data But Make It Fashion, was the first in April to tweet analysis of jort pants and discovered that their popularity had increased by 75%. For Marie Claire, she revisited the numbers in July: analyzing a new data set from July 11 to July 16, she reported that jorts' popularity had risen another 13%.

All of these outfits achieve the perfect juxtaposition of high-low attire: carefree and practical ruggedness. Sure, baggy jorts with an equally baggy T-shirt and trendy sneakers are not that interesting, but pairing jorts with modest sheer tops or jacket and crop combinations, plus directional flats or low heels, is now a fashion story!

The controversial length of the jorts also works to their advantage. All the extra fabric is functional and wraps the legs comfortably. I ordered AGOLDE jorts for science and wore them to Marie Claire's office. My trusted colleagues told me that my combination of blazer, T-shirt, jorts, and mesh flats was “actually pretty cute.”

To those who dismiss jorts, I would say. Just like New Balance sneakers, flannel, and turtlenecks, our fathers in the 90s had found something better.