How to wear boxer shorts this summer

Boxer shorts are comfy, lightweight, cool, more versatile than we think and ready to return to our wardrobes as a passe to reconcile style and comfort on these hot days. A companion to a rediscovered passion for the early 2000s, this garment, often in bright hues and made from materials like satin or silk, is a candidate to be a viable alternative to miniskirts and dresses, even and more interesting than their cotton version, which comes straight from men's underwear and has recently conquered Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. Remember their pictures that went viral in Los Angeles and New York in pantsless looks? Lo and behold, boxers are the athleisure evolution of those boxers, popping up mischievously under Miu Miu's longuettes, low-waist skirts and shorts, N.21's slinky outfits or Etro's pyjama sets. 

Boxing shorts on the catwalks

It was 1995 when Karl Lagerfeld sent Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer and a number of models down the catwalk in men's boxers converted into women's shorts. Chanel's SS1996 collection marked the triumphant and chic entry of this garment into women's wardrobes. From that moment until today, men's underwear items take on a new genderless soul. However, to discover the true origin of the boxer shorts, we have to go further back in time. As the name suggests, their fate is linked to the world of boxing, and the earliest examples may date back to ancient Greece, to the Olympics in 688 B.C. Hand in hand with the development of the sport, we arrive at the beginning of the 1900s, when athletes in the ring wore them along with a solid leather belt that supported them at the waist but left them free to move to throw and dodge punches. The replacement of this belt with an elastic band would have to wait until 1925 and Everlast, the historic boxing apparel company. After famous heavyweight boxers Bob Fitzsimmons and Jim Corbett were seen wearing the new model, mass production of boxer shorts began for all consumers, but it was not until World War II that they were accepted as underwear. The real boom came in the 1980s and 1990s, thanks to the Rocky movie saga and the iconic 1985 Levi's commercial in which Nick Kamen takes off his 501 jeans in a laundromat, clad only in white cotton boxers, waiting for the wash to finish. And how can we not mention the influence of pop-punk, rap and hip-hop stars like Blink 182 and Tupac, whose underwear peeking out from under their trousers (the sagging) defined the aesthetic of the moment, which was also picked up by female counterparts like Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne.

How to wear boxing shorts

Today, the boxer shorts are taking on more and more space, paving the way for their athleisure version. In fact, the signature boxer shorts are always in the spotlight and reinterpreted on the catwalk in different seasons and by different brands, from Versace FW19 to Fenty x Puma SS18. One of his most recent moments on the catwalk? In Dior's SS22 collection. And there we can get inspired on how to wear it this summer. The rest depends on our personal taste. There are those who prefer to take advantage of the sporty nature of the garment by pairing it with a simple tank top and trainers, and those who, like their underwear "cousins'," prefer matchy-matchy sets with a matching shirt and perhaps a pair of sandals or ballet shoes on their feet. A different styling to try out? Like Gilda Ambrosio, co-creative director of The Attico, who wears a tank top, maxi blazer and high-heeled sandals with white socks with boxers.