A roundup published by Us Weekly on July 21 identifies 13 loose, breezy shorts styles carrying the Hamptons-inflected "rich mom" aesthetic into summer 2026, with prices opening at $5. The pieces span Amazon, Quince, Nordstrom, and other retailers, and several of them feature exactly the kind of handmade-looking crochet detailing that crafters at Sweet Softies can replicate, adapt, or simply buy without emptying a seasonal clothing budget.
Fun Money Is Finite, and Crochet Hems Compete for It
he Pokeriukas Team, the editorial voice covering Lithuania's online leisure and entertainment scene, reads this trend with a practical eye. A household's discretionary budget stretches across more pulls than most people admit to themselves — fabric, yarn, a set of crochet-trimmed shorts that costs $10 but feels boutique. That same budget often has to accommodate a variety of other leisure activities as well.From the team's perspective, digital entertainment is simply one of many categories competing for those discretionary funds. Pokeriukas LT is one example within Lithuania's online leisure landscape, alongside streaming services, video games and other forms of entertainment. Setting a spending limit before choosing among these options, the team notes, can help households keep their monthly leisure budget balanced
The Crochet Details Crafters Can Actually Recreate
Two items in the roundup speak directly to the Sweet Softies community. Item 4 presents eyelet-style shorts with scalloped hems in a beachy hue, finished with crochet detailing that earns the editorial description "boutique-looking." The scalloped hem is the detail most accessible to crafters with basic skills. A crocheted scallop border added to the hem of any lightweight woven fabric produces the same visual effect without the retail markup.Item 9 carries crochet-style hems paired with a stretchy waistband and a $10 price point. The editorial team behind the roundup went so far as to call these "dainty wonders" already added to their own cart. For crafters, the stretchy waistband element is as instructive as the crochet trim itself. Pairing an elastic-channel waist with a crocheted hem attachment is a project well within the reach of anyone already comfortable with amigurumi finishing work.
Item 3 adds context for the print dimension of the trend. Gingham boxer shorts, a silhouette associated with Kate Middleton, Jennifer Aniston, and Jennifer Lopez, are currently priced at $10 on sale. The gingham print itself is not a crochet element, but the loose boxer cut translates naturally to fabric yardage projects, and the print signals what the broader trend considers elevated casual.
Linen, Gauze, and Tiered Volume as Handmade Opportunities
Beyond crochet trim, the roundup surfaces several silhouette and fabric choices that inform what handmade versions could look like. Item 7 is 100% linen and high-waisted, priced at $32. The editorial note that real linen is available without a hundreds-dollar spend points to the material's aspirational reputation. For crafters working with fabric, linen yardage remains one of the most accessible routes to a polished warm-weather silhouette.Item 5 takes a different approach. Airy gauze shorts offered as three pieces for the price of one move the wearer, according to the roundup, from couch to coffee shop. Gauze as a fabric choice is notably cooperative in handmade construction. Its lightweight drape requires minimal structure, making it forgiving for sewists working without a commercial pattern.
Item 8 enters more formal territory. Tie-waist chiffon shorts described as sophisticated enough for an office setting demonstrate that the loose-shorts trend is not confined to beachwear. The tie-waist construction is a detail that adds waist definition without a fitted seam, which translates well to handmade garments where precise shaping is harder to achieve.
Item 13 closes the silhouette survey with tiered shorts that read as a mini skirt. The added volume from the tiered construction is described as visually reducing the waist. For crafters, tiered construction is one of the more replicable structural choices in the roundup. It requires straight panels of fabric rather than complex curves, and the effect is immediately visible.
Item 2 rounds out the aesthetic range with a striped style described as channeling "yacht wife" energy while making legs appear longer. Vertical stripe placement is a straightforward consideration in fabric cutting, and the visual effect the roundup describes is grounded in the orientation of the print rather than the garment's construction.
Where the Budget Math Lands for Shoppers and Crafters
The 13-item roundup spans a wide enough price range to support genuine decision-making about when to buy and when to make. The floor is $5, which establishes that entry to the trend requires almost no financial commitment. Item 11, a bestseller described as working equally well with tanks and sweaters, sits at $15. Item 7's 100% linen shorts come in at $32, the highest specifically cited price in the roundup, and still earn the editorial observation that real linen need not cost hundreds.Item 12, described as combining Hamptons energy with a Mediterranean aesthetic while looking expensive, is positioned at the aspirational end of the roundup's styling language regardless of its price point. It represents the look the trend is chasing rather than the accessible end of the spectrum.
The practical sweet spot for crafters sits at the $10 crochet-detail items: item 4 with its scalloped hem and boutique detailing, and item 9 with crochet-style hems already in an editor's cart. At that price, buying and studying the construction costs about the same as a skein of cotton yarn. Either path gets a crafter to the same destination before the summer window closes.
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