Flattering Women’s Boxer Shorts Are This Summer’s Surprise Essential

The “borrowed from the boys” concept long ago influenced our jeans and shirting styles – and now, it’s infiltrating our intimates (well, sort of). Women’s boxer shorts are on the rise: versions created in women’s sizes, and specifically designed to flatter and fit better than men’s styles, are fast becoming a wardrobe essential.

“I was inspired by how many women I knew, including myself, had a ‘borrowed’ boxer short in their wardrobe,” Olivia Francis, founder of luxury men’s underwear and loungewear label Hamilton + Hare, tells British Vogue. She recently joined forces with leading London-based women’s shirting specialist With Nothing Underneath on a pair of women’s boxer shorts. Together with WNU founder Pip Durell – who established her brand by creating the “perfect everyday women’s shirt”, using the classic boyfriend shirt as her blueprint – she’s created a crisp wear-anywhere style using WNU’s 100 per cent organic linen-cotton weave fabrication. 

“It was a mix of little details like slightly curving the hem to be more flattering on the thigh, and also keeping the fly from a design perspective, but closing it for a better line,” Durell says of catering to a female customer. “We have already had a customer review which said the wider waistband didn’t dig into her curves like her husband’s boxers did – and that was exactly what we wanted! We are all about taking the traditionally masculine basics and making them more suitable for a women’s body.”

HommeGirls is also helping to fuel the trend. Designer Thakoon Panichgul created boxer styles to match the brand’s popular classic and cropped shirts, but he also recommends wearing them “peeping through jeans” as another flattering way of embracing boxer shorts. Panichgul retained the traditional fit of men’s styles, but altered the bottom to make them “less droopy”. 

Women’s boxer shorts have been a resounding success for the fledgeling Parisian label, Alfie. Just over a year after launching, the Classic Boxer Shorts are flying off the brand’s (virtual) shelves. All pieces are fashioned from deadstock materials sourced from luxury houses, ensuring high quality at an affordable price point. Alfie’s cool-girl, ’90-inspired aesthetic has been a hit with the Instagram crowd, and fans post snaps of themselves wearing their boxer shorts with Alfie’s cult Boxer Top bralette.

According to founder Alice Fresnel, not a single menswear item was on the moodboard while she was designing the boxer shorts. Instead, she looked to “inspiring women in their most comfortable yet elegant outfits”. The designer cites Christy Turlington and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy as her key muses. “Like art prints, they will be produced in limited quantities based on the amount of available fabric, and numbered, making each piece a one of a kind – just like everyone of our Alfie girls,” she says. 

Similarly flattering unisex styles can be found at Les Girls Les Boys. The brand caters for both men and women, and the majority of designs are shared across both categories. “Our boxers have always been designed for both boys and girls to wear from bed to street, or even to the beach!” says founder Serena Rees. In the past year, Rees has witnessed a 300 per cent rise in female customers purchasing the brand’s classic woven cotton styles, with white, baby blue and leopard print among the most popular.

Elsewhere, influencer-approved brand Yaitte – its loyal clientele include Camille Charrière, Blanca Miró Scrimieri – recently launched its Palma set. Comprised of elasticated-waist shorts and a matching shirt, the separates are available in two colourways: blue stripe and crisp white.

Below, British Vogue’s pick of the best boxer shorts to team with a coordinating shirt.