Not many men are confident in a pair of shorts. Not truly. Not in the cooler parts of the northern hemisphere anyway. And as a result, the menswear party line for the past decade or so has stubbornly been fixed when the weather is warm: stick on a pair of tailored shorts which hit just above the knee. End of conversation.

There’s no room for confusion and there’s no need to be ‘that’ guy in the shit shorts, vest and flip flops, with a patchwork of skin shades sprouting from the most unexpected places. Except that all that is now changing.

Such is the nature of menswear, just as you thought you were on solid ground in your tailored thigh-grazers, the rules are changing again. Yes, tailored shorts are still a solid option, but suddenly there’s a whole host of other attractive styles that play with length, texture and silhouette. Here are the eight pairs that offer a shortcut to sweat-free style this summer.

Cargo Shorts

In the not so distant past, cargo shorts were the de facto king of summer leg-barers. Unfortunately, under their reign, the people suffered. Cargo shorts became the lazy man’s summer legwear of choice and most often came paired with an offensively bad (or just plain offensive) slogan T-shirt and some scruffy shoes that had seen far better days.

Now though, menswear historians are reappraising this proudly pocketed style. Gone are the unflattering hem lengths and faux worn-in finishes (which just looked like you’d stuck your shorts in the wrong wash cycle) and in their place come the cargo 2.0. The newer, younger model is slimmer and doesn’t have disproportionately large pockets.

Pair these with a breezy streetwear sensibility. Immaculately clean luxury sneakers will mark you out as card carrying member of club menswear, while an oversized T-shirt shape will demonstrate that you don’t shop for your tees by bulk. Think minimalism, to offset the technicality of the shorts. Think clean. Think Alexandre Mattiussi, not Top Gear on tour.