Shorts scare me but I need some please.

[HaveYouHadYourBreak]

Help! I need some shorts for city breaks in hot places. Below knee. Hand luggage only so they need to roll up small, not get overly creased (so no linen etc) and can just throw on with a t shirt.

They'll be worn with either practical trainers/walking shoes or sensible walking sandles.

I'm short and fat and my bum and thighs are huge. I'm very self conscious of my legs.

It is not going to be my best look(!) but I'd like to reduce the awfullness if possible. Any tips or spotted anything?

High Street budget.

You’ll look like a scout in knee length shorts. You may aswell just wear a dress or wide leg trousers much more sophistication anyway.

How about some stretchy culottes - v comfortable https://www.next.co.uk/style/SU851500/V00020

I've got a pair of the Feather Paisley harem pants for summer although I took the elastic out of the ankles. Really lightweight and floaty.

https://www.forgottentribes.com/collections/harem-pants-uk

https://www.landsend.co.uk/Womens_Lightweight_Pull_On_Shorts/pp/P_44323.html?dwvar_P__44323_sizeVariation=59&dwvar_P__44323_color=64G&cgid=16100&pageType=fp

https://www.landsend.co.uk/Womens_Creaseless_Cropped_Palazzo_Trousers/pp/P_44084.html?dwvar_P__44084_sizeVariation=59&dwvar_P__44084_color=ODC&cgid=11303&pageType=fp

Not exactly what you asked for but maybe these are good?

Tu at sainos has some lovely bits

https://tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/product/tuc147839783

This looks casual but put together

https://tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/product/tuc147956808

I have something a bit like these. I got them for a holiday in Africa.
Women's Roamer Capris Walking Trousers | Mineral Blue | Rohan - Rohan

Mine are by Colombia and they came from TKMaxx. They don't crumple, are very light and wash and dry quickly.

Those trousers you linked are bloody awful.

You don’t have to wear shorts, I am 5ft 2, pear shaped and I don’t suit shorts at all. I have several Tallahassee dresses from Weird Fish, just above the knee on me, all cotton, pockets and every year they have several different prints. Price varies according to the print but currently around the £33.00 mark, saves on buying tops as well. Think they are more flattering than shorts on me, you could always get some breathable underwear type shorts to wear underneath if you are worried about flashing your knickers.

Not trying to be goady but aren’t all high street stores also linked to sweatshops? I mean sure, they use the appropriate amount of smoke and mirrors but still…..

I’ve been considering a purchase from Halara - are they in some way genuinely worse?

https://thehalara.co.uk/products/Softlyzero-Airy-Crossover-High-Waisted-Wide-Leg-Cool-Touch-Yoga-Pedal-Pusher-Pants-with-Pockets-24-758?variant=3930332&locale=uk&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=ukcpcshopping&utm_campaign=22929217344&utm_content=&utm_term=3930332&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22929217344&gbraid=0AAAAAB_7KRFC-Icscg0BIH6vFm5t9G52C&gclid=CjwKCAjwzevPBhBaEiwAplAxvlxzZabdK5a0USW-_-8IVBHesDHZixcKNN41PhXpP0i5ZeGiwjPdHRoCMqwQAvD_BwE

Lol. I now have the theme tune in my head. Such a great show.

How on earth are those cropped capri pants or pedal pushers?

Are any of the Evans' ones suitable?

https://www.evans.co.uk/search?q=Shorts

I have the Ninepine shorts in navy and dusky green, they are lovely quality, don't crease, very flattering and they don't bunch up in an unbecoming fashion!

Sadly this is a time for actual shops. You need to go with an open mind and take a range of styles into a changing room. Trousers of all kinds have such a lot of different places to fit that you need to try. Worth doing it once as you will probably sort out a shop whose fitting works for you. Seasalt isn’t for pear shapes! linen is lovely but creases horribly. I find pleated/elasticated waist tapered calf length chinos are excellent. Wide legged loose fit trousers are usually too long and make me wide from thigh down.

As bad as Shein or Temu you mean? Not quite - but not good either. For instance, both Zara & Mango rate more highly on the sustainability, ethics, workers' rights etc. I'd try elsewhere first.

https://directory.goodonyou.eco/brand/halara

I'm an another shorts avoider. I don't know what it is, but despite a regular size thigh and leg, I never feel right in them, and I have tried many over the years. So I would echo others in a similar boat that floaty light pull on trousers are the very best thing ever, well for me anyway.

I never feel hot in them, (might be the air circulation!), whereas I always felt restricted and hot in shorts, probably because more skin was exposed, I dunno.

I have pull on Summer trousers in every colour you could imagine. They roll up to nothing and are terrific both home and away. That's me sorted anyway. I have to confess that I don't like cropped trousers that reach mid shin. Something odd and old fashioned about them, but each to their own.

The ones I have are wide leg, tapered, straight, you name it, mostly linen/viscose mix with some of a seersucker or other light fabric. I don't like pure linen either.

I think the H+M trousers above look great for the price. I don't need any more though, I've enough of a collection!

Perhaps so - I did say I don't know anything about the brand, & couldn't find much on their website - although it is entirely female-run.

And yes it's cheap - but I think a lot of that stems from the fact that they produce mostly one-size items, so the complexity & time are vastly reduced.

Unfortunately, paying through the nose for Valentino, Loro Piano or Armani doesn't necessarily mean that your Made in Italy designer clothing hasn't been produced in an Italian sweatshop full of Chinese migrants either. And their mark-ups are one-thousand-fold!!!

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/jul/24/made-in-italy-is-the-label-just-another-luxury-fashion-illusion

https://www.greenmatters.com/style/is-halara-fast-fashion

They’re unsustainable, use South Asian sweatshops and non biodegradable materials and have bad waste management practices. Yes other shops might do that too but to shop there knowing this is true is just crappy.

My go to is harem type yoga pants - easily bought on Amazon. They are cool, light weight, don’t crease. This is me at my fattest in Malta (in an ungainly pose)

I bought a very similar pattern and colourway to this from M&S last year. The photos don’t do them justice and they are easier on the eye in real life. So much so that almost everytime I’ve worn them I’ve been complemented on them.

Worth a try though, as (if the OP does want shorts) they're better than the other options IMO as they look more like a floaty skirt. No idea if the one size thing would work - but as she's mid-range in their sizing I should think they'd be ok.

Agree with your analysis of both long & short shorts!

I don't think the OP is aiming for city chic, & she's said pure linen is out. She's already wearing practical/walking trainers or walking sandals, which I would only wear if I was actually going on a walking holiday. So I read her post as implicitly saying that comfort while walking around a European city in the heat was a high priority - but that she didn't want to look too awful while doing so!

And I would, these days, stick with loose wide trousers, skirts or dresses myself - but was trying to find something that looked ok-ish IMO that also fulfilled her original request. Though she may have decided to move away from the shorts idea - possibly wise!

If you do go for shorts these from Matalan might be worth a look, they are above knee but are cool, plenty of room and flattering. They also travel well.
Clipper shorts
The model makes them look quite short but they come just above the knee on me at 165cm.

https://www.marksandspencer.com/pure-cotton-cropped-palazzo-trousers/p/clp60787377?intid=mobile_app_pdp_share

these, and the seersucker stripe versions are what you need - very light and cool

I've just bought these in Boden. Generous through the leg, the fabric is soft & they feel very light & airy

https://www.boden.com/products/women-double-cloth-crop-trousers-navy-r0947nav?_pos=8&_sid=327ad433b&_ss=r#product-reviews