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The simplest way to wear patterned swim shorts is to let the print be the only loud piece. Pair it with a solid top in white, black, navy or sand, add a simple shoe, and keep accessories to one detail. The rest of this guide covers the exceptions: mixing prints, bikini tops, cover-ups, shoes, and how to move from the pool to dinner without changing the shorts.
Every outfit below follows the same logic. A print draws the eye, so the pieces around it should not compete. British GQ quotes a menswear creative director with the same advice: when the shorts are printed, keep the shirt neutral, and a white shirt is the safest choice because it goes with most things. If the shirt has more personality, keep the shorts clean.
This works for any gender and any print, from tropical florals to geometric abstracts. It also makes packing easier: two or three printed pairs and a handful of solid tops give you many combinations.
Before building an outfit, look at the print itself. Count the colors in it. Two or three dominant colors give you a clear palette to pull from; six or seven give you more freedom but fewer matching options.
If you want a primer on the style itself, our guide on what tropical print fashion is explains the motifs, and why bold prints work on tropical trips covers when to go loud.
The cleanest women’s look is a solid top in a color pulled from the print. If the shorts have coral, green and cream, a coral or cream top ties the look together. Black and white tops are the fallback when you are unsure.
The layered “bikini shorts” approach is also a current swimwear idea: Who What Wear describes a bikini top with matching or contrasting bottoms as the base, with small, colorful or printed shorts layered over. It reads as styled rather than just worn to swim.
Mixing is possible, but it needs rules. A few that hold up:
Elle makes a similar point about accessories, encouraging readers to mix prints with similar color palettes and suggesting a printed headscarf as a playful touch. If you are cautious, put the second print on something small, like a scarf, rather than a full top.
Byrdie’s day-to-night swimwear ideas include a bright floral bikini with oversized pants and a graphic trucker hat, a laid-back but current ensemble. The same logic applies to printed shorts: pair them with something oversized and plain, such as a white linen shirt knotted at the waist, and add a hat.
This is the base formula. A white or sand linen shirt, patterned swim shorts, and leather slides or clean sandals work from beach bar to a casual lunch. Roll the sleeves, leave the top button open, and you are done.
We wrote a full guide on this, swim shorts with shirts, with eight vacation looks from pool to dinner. For fit and length questions, see how to style swim trunks.
A plain tee in navy, white or heather gray lets a bold print stand out. Choose a tee that falls at the hip so the shorts’ waistband shows cleanly. A boxy fit looks current; a very tight fit tends to look gym-bound.
For dinner at a resort, swap the tee for an overshirt in a neutral tone, keep the shorts, and add loafers or leather sandals. A dark-ground print is the easiest to dress up this way. Our men’s resort wear guide goes further on building a small travel wardrobe.
A good cover-up makes swimwear feel like part of an outfit. Vogue’s swimsuit styling piece describes a mix-and-match approach, for example a printed maxi dress cover-up with T-strap sandals for a city lunch rather than flip-flops.
| Piece | Works with printed shorts when | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| White linen shirt | Shorts carry the only print | Beach, lunch, dinner |
| Crochet or gauze layer | Top and layer stay solid and light | Hotel pool afternoons |
| Draped knit poncho | Shorts are plain or small-print | Cooler coastal evenings |
| Printed scarf as sarong | Colors match the shorts’ palette | Beach, poolside |
| Matching shirt-and-short set | You want one confident look | Resort mornings to cocktails |
For the knit layer, Elle reports draped ponchos as a summer item, styled with denim shorts for a boho look or with linen or cotton pants for a more polished coastal feel. A sheer layer also works; see our guide to wearing sheer beach cover-ups from sand to street.
Byrdie’s black-and-white example is a useful template: a black high-waisted bikini with a white crochet cover-up, buckled sandals and sunglasses. Replace the black bikini with printed shorts and the logic still holds, as long as the rest stays in the same two neutrals.
Forbes reports that swimwear is blurring into ready-to-wear, with coordinated shirt-and-short sets, printed shirt dresses and light separates replacing the basic sarong. The practical takeaway: you do not need a second outfit if the first one has a layer that changes its tone.
A simple sequence for a resort day:
Elle’s styling advice is to treat resort looks as a packing guide, since the components can be reworked for other summer outings. For more ideas, see our beach club outfits that pack light.
Styling only works if the shorts fit. A few points to check before you buy:
Try the shorts with the exact top and shoes you plan to wear before you travel. Take a photo from the side and back, since swim shorts look different when you move.
Our view: print is the point
We design swimwear around the idea that a good print should be the star of the outfit, not something to hide. That is why our pieces are built to sit well alongside plain, quality basics: a white shirt, a solid top, a simple sandal.
Attention to detail matters most in how a piece wears beyond the water. A pair of shorts or a swimsuit that looks right at the pool should look right at lunch with one added layer. We pay attention to the cut, the fabric and the way the print is placed so the piece holds up in both settings.
Our collections for women and men include bikinis, one-piece swimsuits, men’s shorts and cover-ups, so you can build the full outfit from one place, including collaboration collections with online fashion influencers.
Lital
The quote block above is our design perspective. The section below shows where to find the pieces.
If you are putting together a vacation wardrobe, start with the print and add basics around it. Our men’s shorts are the place to start for printed swim shorts, and our bikini collection and one-piece swimsuits give you solid and printed tops to pair with them.
For the layer on top, browse our cover-ups. The full range, including the Océane, Animal Instinct and Seaside collections, is on lanimal.co. Free shipping applies to US orders over $150.
Choose a solid top. White, black, navy and sand are the safest, and a color pulled from the print also works. For a women’s look, a solid bikini or one-piece top keeps the shorts as the focus.
Yes, with care. The two prints should share a color and differ in scale, such as a large leafy print with a small floral. If you are unsure, stay with one printed piece.
Slides, flat sandals and espadrilles are the easiest options. For dinner, leather sandals or loafers dress up the same shorts. Avoid heavy shoes with a light beach outfit.
Add a layer and change one thing. A linen shirt, a clean shoe and one accessory are enough for lunch or a casual dinner. Choose shorts with a dark or neutral ground for the easiest transition.
Yes. Wear them over bikini bottoms for a layered look, or as a standalone piece with a solid top. Keep the top and cover-up simple so the print stands out.
