Denim Tears Shorts & Sweatpants

Which denim tears shorts are the safest first purchase?

The Mono Wreath Sweatshorts in black at $84.99 are the easiest place to start. The wreath sits tonal on tonal, so it reads as texture across the room and only resolves into cotton blossoms up close.

Black fleece hides wear and sits quietly under a pullover hoodie or a plain crewneck. Our team reaches for this pair more often than the other three, and it is the one we would hand to someone buying denim tears black hoodie fans from the label for the first time, alongside a black denim tears hoodie if they want the matching top.

What separates one pair of denim tear shorts from another

All four pairs share the $84.99 price, so the decision is fabric and print rather than money. The Cotton Wreath Denim Shorts in "Vintage Blue Wash" are woven denim; the remaining three are cotton fleece, the same weight you would expect from a denim tears sweater, and the same range that includes black denim tears pieces across the line.

The Cotton Wreath Shorts in pink put the graphic print in open contrast against a pale ground, while the Black Cotton Wreath Shorts Tonal Print keep the same wreath almost hidden, not unlike a pink denim tears hoodie holding the print in reserve. Between those two, the pink pair gets looked at and the black pair does not, which is the whole trade-off, and it is a fair test of whether you prefer denim tears shorts loud or quiet.

Fleece weight against denim weight in our denim tears shorts

The fleece pairs feel heavier in the hand than the denim pair, and they behave differently once worn. Cotton fleece holds warmth, gives at the drawstring, and softens with washing; the vintage wash demin tear denim stays flat, cool and structured.

We tested both through a warm week and found the denim shorts better in still heat and worse when you sit down for long stretches. The fleece pairs move with you but hold more heat, so the choice tracks how you spend the day rather than which print you prefer, the same logic that applies to picking a denim hoodie for cooler evenings.

Lengths we stock, and what denim tears pants would change

This group is shorts only. Anyone searching for denim tears sweatpants or denim tear pants is after a full length that sits outside these four pairs, and the fleece here is the closest thing to that feel, the way denim hoodies sit closest to the shorts in weight, and it is worth trying a pair of denim tears shorts before committing to the longer cut.

Around them, a denim tear hoodie with a drawstring hood and ribbed cuffs works with any of the three fleece options, since the wreath repeats at a similar scale. A grey denim tears hoodie black option or a blue denim tears hoodie keeps the pink pair in charge of the outfit, and a red denim tears hoodie does the same from the opposite end of the palette.

How our team picks between the four

Start with the black sweatshorts, add the vintage blue wash denim if you want the Levi's-era side of the label, and treat the pink pair as the loud option. The tonal black pair is the quietest of the denim tears shorts and the hardest to wear wrongly.

Every pair carries the Cotton Wreath, the motif Tremaine Emory built denim tears. into the label in 2019. That is the constant; the weight, the colour and the volume of the print are what change.