Pulling on a pair of cargo shorts is the ultimate summertime indulgence. Sorry to the other styles of shorts that exist out there, but I say give me more pockets than I’d ever need or give me death.

There’s something paradoxically freeing about a good pair of cargos, considering they’re literally named for garments soldiers wear to store field gear, maps, and ammunition. The nooks and crannies stitched onto the sides are there if you need them, ready and willing to store your daily essentials (ideally, not ammo), though they really look best when entirely unencumbered by things. 

Call it a hot take if you must but the best way to wear cargos is to keep them cargo-free, treating the extra space as the concept of an object rather than an actual physical object — à la René Magritte's “this is not a pipe” — that would just weigh down the fabric. 

Digging through White Mountaineering’s Spring/Summer 2027 lookbook, I felt seen: the collection has a range of really great cargo shorts. There’s a more traditional silhouette in khaki (or a plaid that honestly wouldn’t feel out of place at Burberry), given a technical twist with cords and slanted pockets, plus a thicker denim pair comes with double-zip side pockets. It’s surprising that this collection hits so hard, given that it's the brand's fitst without founder Yosuke Aizawa, who left the label in March after two decades. 

But then again, the formula for good cargo shorts is both hard to botch and easy to remix, as evidenced by brands at every level incorporating the style into their offerings.

There are the straight-shooter, bare-basic Dickies or Carhartt (or its more fashionable WIP offshoot) offerings which feel downright pedestrian compared to the high-end camo-print ones that go far beyond cargo’s utilitarian roots, like Chrome Hearts’ $9,420 Cross Patch shorts and CELINE’s $1,100 wide-leggers. And then you have transcendent examples from the likes of Dior, where creative director Jonathan Anderson introduced ruffle-draped cargos that trade functionality for artfully exploded silhouettes. 

This is the magic of summer’s best shorts: there’s no wrong option here (besides not buying into the cargo hype at all). Personally? I’m typing these words as I sit slightly hunched in my favorite brown pair from GAP — snapped up secondhand on Vinted for a cool €7.50 and a companion to my other GAP pair in green. 

Sorry to the jorts and running shorts of the world, but really, what other style but a cargo can balance a bit of mystery (inspiring all who see you to wonder: what is in those pockets?) with a bit of utility?

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