I have been on the hunt for the perfect pair of denim shorts for approximately… all my life. I just love denim shorts, which is a natural extension of my love for jeans. I tried many pairs of shorts over the years, and have even have created my own from thrifted jeans. (Those are a strong contender, but are a tad sloppy these days.) This year, I decided to get started early because the styles I am interested in are often sold out by the time I get my head in the game. I ordered FOUR pairs of Agolde shorts, and I tested them all out to decide which wash and fit was best for me. You can see the styles and colors listed above.
Why Agolde?
My number one choice for denim is usually vintage, vintage Levi’s to be specific. But in the last year, my favorite vintage shop closed up and my current go-to vintage pairs got too big (yay for working out, sad for my outfits). This led me to dive headfirst into a love affair with Agolde jeans, which are the closest thing I can find to vintage. Sometimes, even better. Over the last year, I’ve tried several washes and fits of jeans and many of them have found their home in my closet and are in constant rotation. I love this brand because of their innovation in design and their high-quality material that comes in indigo hues and fades that are almost unmatched. I also love that they produce all their jeans in LA and are committed to reducing their imprint on the environment (more here). Naturally, Agolde is the first place I looked for denim shorts!
What about the price tag?
These shorts retail for $128 pretty much everywhere. Though sometimes you can catch them on sale. This may seem steep for shorts, but let’s break it down by cost per wear. A low-end estimate for me would be guessing that I wear denim shorts 3x per week for at least 12 weeks of summer. 12 x 3 = 36. $128 / 36 = $3.55 cost per wear (roughly). But, *spoiler alert* I kept two pairs. So that brings me up to $7.10 per wear. A bit higher, but still not too bad. And that’s only after one year. I expect to be able to wear them year after year. And if something doesn’t work out, the resale market is pretty good for Agolde.
I chose styles based on my body type.
As a girl with thick legs (which I finally have a better appreciation for these days!) I am always on the lookout for shorts with a LOOSE fit around the thighs. I chose the Dee High Rise, which I actually tried and returned a few years ago, but this time I came armed with new knowledge: size up! I also ordered Parker Long (in my true size) for its looser/relaxed fit and longer inseam. Agolde does have some great options for slimmer fits (the Riley especially!). For reference my approximate measurements are waist: 29″ and hips: 38.5″ and I usually wear a size 27 in jeans. In Agolde 90’s jeans, I wear a 26.
If your size is sold out on the Agolde website, you can also try Shopbop, Revolve, and Nordstrom which carry the styles I listed in various sizes. I ended up ordering one of my pairs from Evereve (first-time order!) to find it in my size.
Dee High Rise
The Dee High Rise has been on my wish list because the shorts have a high, tapered waist, and are almost an a-line shape. Sometimes in the summer, I like to rock a simple tucked tee or tank, and I love the way it looks with high-rise shorts. As I mentioned, I’ve tried these shorts before and didn’t love the way they looked. But this time I sized up and that made a big difference. They still fit high on my waist, but they are less tight through the hips and crotch which makes them more comfortable. In my experience with Agolde denim and denim shorts, the 100% cotton styles always relax with wear, almost half a size in some cases.
As you can see from the intro photo, I tried the Dee in two washes. I kept the Ricochet because I found the distressing made the shorts more interesting, and that’s what I was looking for, and not necessarily plain shorts. The Epic wash is a medium-light blue with minimal distressing.
Below you can see two photos of the Dee in Ricochet and the third photo is the Dee in Epic. Epic is a decent wash, but I think if you want something simpler than Ricochet, Dee in Chimes is a better option. I think the color and fade are a bit better.
Parker Long
The Parker Long is a new style for this year. It takes the popular (super short) relaxed fit Parker short and adds a few inches to the inseam. In my opinion, these seem to be almost a dead ringer for the Reese (relaxed fit) style from last year, which seems to be no longer available on most sites. I had a pair of Reese’s last year and I loved them, so I knew this style was one I wanted to check out. My Reese’s went to a new home because they no longer fit me, but I would have kept them in a heartbeat if they had. I opted for the Parker Long in the Swapmeet wash because I was looking for a good, light wash jean with a little bit of distressing. I feel like these could be lighter, honestly, but I think that will come with time and summer days in the sun.
The Parker Long lives up to its name and is a relaxed fit. These sit lower than the Dee, almost like hip-slung, but not quite that low. I’ve only worn these once but they feel comfortable and relaxed. I am sure they will get slouchier and more relaxed with wear. The Parker Long has a wide-cut leg and it does not feature the same side slits as the Dee.
I tried the Parker Long in two washes, Swapmeet, which I kept, and Skywave, which I returned. You can see Swapmeet in the first two photos below and Skywave in the third. Skywave is a bit darker with royal blue undertones and has little-to-no distressing. If you want a shade that’s even lighter than Swapmeet I suggest Parade.
The Winners!
To recap this long, a bit-in-the-weeds, post, I bought and kept two pairs of Agolde shorts:
->> The Parker Long in Swapmeet (left) in my usual denim size of 27.
->> The Dee High Rise in Ricochet (right) sized up to a size 28.
The Parker Longs seem like they will be my summer workhorse shorts. The kind I throw on with everything and I’ll love until they’re tattered and worn soft. The Dee High Rise feels more like something I’ll reach for when I’m trying to be a little more ‘outfit-ish’ and looking for that high waist fit. I do super love the distressing on them, so I think they’ll look great with all the tank tops too.
Thanks for reading along today friends! If you have any questions about these shorts, feel free to ask away!
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This is such a great post, Andrea! Both pairs that you kept look amazing on you. I am pretty obsessed with the Dee’s in ricochet too. I completely agree with your love of the distressing on this wash. Loved the post so much!
Thank you so much Michelle!!
So glad you did this post! I have been looking at getting the Dee High Rise in black and I think you’ve sold me.
Yay! I hope you love them!!