Why boxer shorts are the answer to a stylish summer – and we've found the best 17 pairs, from £11

I bought them last summer: two pairs of crisp, candy-coloured cotton poplin boxer shorts by Speltham. Initially for bed, but they didn’t stay there for long. Light, loose – and with no front opening! – they quickly drifted from sleepwear to staple.

Over the summer, I wore mine with tank tops, T-shirts, soft knits slung across shoulders, and they worked with my FitFlops and Adidas sneakers. One hot night for a holiday dinner, I even tried them with kitten heels and a silky T-shirt – and this worked, too.

Why? I put it down to the wide elasticated waistband, the slightly boyish cut and the all-important wide-cut leg opening, all of which conspire to elongate and slim the thighs. Also, unlike denim or thick linen, these shorts don’t cling, and they’re cooling and breathable in the heat.

Perhaps their best attribute, though, is how astonishingly easy they are to incorporate into your life and wardrobe. Their soft pastel stripes call to mind a classic shirt so, when wearing them, the same logic applies. If a striped button-down feels right in the heat, so do similar-looking shorts.

I’m not the only one who’s caught on, either. With the UK facing its hottest summer on record, the boxer short has broken out of the bedroom. It’s on the street, in the café, at the park. Women of every age are wearing them, and brands and designers have responded.

Anthropologie’s Wren cotton boxer comes in 15 colours and prints, including nine in plus sizes (up to a UK 22). Arket’s striped version leans longer and sporty. Damson Madder, Hill House Home and With Nothing Underneath do versions in menswear stripes or breezy floral prints, often with matching tops, while Free People’s We The Free boxers are loose cut and very chic.

Even high-street players are in: H&M’s are £11 in the sale, Topshop’s are £28. The funny thing is, this wasn’t supposed to be a trend. No one set out to make boxer shorts fashion’s new summer hero. But comfort, especially when stylish and practical, travels fast. In a season too hot for stiff fabrics, they’ve emerged as the soft, easy alternative that just works. Practicality made pretty, and I’m all in.