The end of spring can be a real mess here in the northern 48. The mornings are still a little chilly, the afternoons are hot, and the evenings are a grab-bag of fluctuating temperatures. Dealing with all of it calls for [extremely Liam Neeson voice] a very particular set of wardrobe staples. You know damn well what time it is: shorts and hoodie season.
Nothing wrong with sticking to the basics, as Justin Bieber proves.
Star Max / Getty ImagesAs ramps season is to foodies, the shorts-and-hoodie micro-season is brief and beautiful and worth unabashedly celebrating even if most people around you don't get the excitement. You get everything: legs free to bask in 55-75 degree weather. An upper half that keeps you toasty on brisk morning dog walks, but lets you shed your top when that 4pm coffee run comes around and the sun's beating down. The anticipation of warm weather but the stylistic opportunity that comes with layering. Sunshine, but not sweat. Shorts-and-hoodie-season is fleeting but glorious. Just don't be limited by the name.
Jonah Hill knows what season it is.
Alo Ceballos / Getty ImagesA leather jacket over shorts is called The Pharrell.
Bauer-Griffin / Getty ImagesMake no mistake about it—we’re down with shorts and hoodies, alone or in pairs. But as a catch-all term, it's too confining. The layered, long-on-top, short-on-the-bottom combo that ensures your comfort in confusing weather should also include beefy long-sleeve tees, flowing button-ups, baggy sweaters, and jackets lightweight enough to be considered seasonally appropriate.
Tyler twists the look at every turn (mary janes!). But you should absolutely hijack the bucket-with-a-sweater combo.
Gregg DeGuire / Getty ImagesSome of menswear's greatest have paved the way for us. Kanye West made reverse layering a household term (in households with at least one hypebeast in them, anyway). Jonah Hill, Pharrell, Tyler, the Creator, Justin Bieber have all put their own spin on the combo. They've shown us that you can pair athletic shorts with droopy designer sweatshirts without looking like Adam Sandler, or unite pleated Bermuda shorts with shaggy knitwear. If you're inspired but need the right pieces, keep scrolling for our picks. Then get out there and enjoy the beautifully confusing weather while you still can.
THE BOTTOM HALF
Nail the fundamentals and you're halfway there. Don't be afraid to get beach-y or sporty—the whole point of long-over-short is to be ready for anything.
In the Hood
We firmly believe you can go beyond the hoodie. But there's a reason it's a classic companion.
Big Tops
Long sleeve tees, cardigans, tennis sweaters—this is how you long-over-short without getting lost in the crowd.
The Full Pharrell
His legendary legacy includes perfecting the leather-jacket-with-shorts look. It may be the one thing he does that you, too, can pull off.