We regret to inform you that jorts are back.

There are a handful of trends we millennials can cope with seeing a second time around.

Cargo pants. Heeled thongs. Those rimless sunglasses with the rhinestones in the corners.

One scroll on your socials will tell you we're in an era of deep reverence for the style of the early 2000s (see: the movement back to pencil-thin eyebrows) and no one is more surprised than the generation that lived through it the first time.

We can't stop Gen-Z doing what they do — they're young, they're experimenting. They're rediscovering the fashion treasures of our youth. Lord knows we've all learnt a thing or two about style since then, but what harm could some glittery jeans do?

But in our collective fashion archive there are some things we want to stay hidden. 

Watch: Mia Freedman — Inside My Wardrobe. Post continues below. 

Somewhere deep in that archive, below the Ed Hardy trucker caps and the elasticised cotton waist belts, we buried long jean shorts in what we thought was their final resting place.

Last seen in the early 2000s, bermuda-length denim shorts were a staple of the time. Popular among the skater set, and originally synonymous with wallet chains and big chunky sneakers, long shorts got a mainstream boost when singer Avril Lavigne came onto the scene and started giving skater culture her own sartorial twist. 

From punk singers to pop stars, low-rise baggy shorts started making their way onto red carpets and into music videos, and because we were an impressionable young bunch, they quickly became a big part of our wardrobes too. We layered them with tunic dresses and dared to wear them with crop tops and pointed kitten heels, their versatility truly unmatched. 

It was a time, and that time ended.

In the decades after, jean shorts got progressively shorter until they settled on the thigh-grazing denim cut-off, a style we millennials have become very attached to. 

But like so many Y2k icons, long jean shorts have been *discovered* by a new generation determined to wear them unironically.

To chart their rise, we must start with the queen of the noughties fashion revival, Bella Hadid. The model was first seen wearing above-the-knee denim shorts way back in 2022, where street style photos captured her in a variety of experimental cuts and washes. She seemed determine to spearhead their rebirth.

The trend bubbled away slowly. Last year, over the American summer, celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish and Gigi Hadid were seen in variations of the "jort" - or jean short.

Eilish's predilection for baggy jorts even helped spawn a new sub-trend, the Adam Sandler aesthetic.

@jadehoney62 Adam sandler aesthetic all day pls, wearing @Sisters & Seekers on top 🥹🫶🏼🤍 #adamsandler #adamsandleraesthetic #adamsandleroutfits #outfitinspo #outfitideas ♬ 

@yourfavoriteelbow97 Adam Sandler style >>> #adamsandler#adamsandlerstyle#fashion#fashionicon#fashiontrends#fashioninspo#ootd#fashionweek#fashiontok#fashiontrendpredictions#fashiontips#adamsandleroutfit#menswear#menswearfashion ♬ i dont even like phonk songs - cqpquartet

Denim jorts were everywhere at Glastonbury, taking over from the tiny cut-offs that used to be a staple of the festival.

Search for "jorts" on TikTok and you'll find upwards of 70,000 videos showing how users are shopping and styling the divisive look. It's enough to make a compelling case for their comeback.

Which leaves us elders scratching our heads and wondering if we, too, will succumb to the trend... again.

Brands like Dissh, Zara, Blanca and White Fox have already come out with updated versions of the denim bermuda that give a nod to the old vibe but feel refreshed for now: think wide blue jean shorts cropped just above the knee. No rips, no rhinestones (phew) and tailored enough to feel, dare we say, grown-up?

The "Joplin" short by Dissh.

Blanca's "Velo" denim shorts.

Zara has come out with several variations of denim bermuda shorts.

They'll be all over the stores next season, some of the baggier "dad short" variety and some in a tighter capri cut, so best prepare your calves.

And if the very thought of capri pants sends you spiralling, we regret to tell you that they're back in fashion, too.

Feature image: Zara; Tiktok/Floramayhew1/Canva.