Laufey’s video for “Madwoman” just dropped. Featuring Hudson Williams, Alysa Liu, The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Lola Tung, and Kateye’s Megan Skiendiel, it’s packed with enough cameos to keep FYPs busy for the next 72 hours. But somewhere in the middle of all the madness, there’s one detail that we keep going back to: the Heated Rivalry star’s swim shorts.
From Tom Ford, cut in Italy and covered in lots of polka dots (a signature of creative director Haider Ackermann), they’re neither a long Y2K boardshort throwback or an overly steamy short shorts thirst trap. These get it just right, sitting on the mid thigh for a clean finish – and a very flattering choice if you’ve been on an ice hockey player fitness routine like Williams. At one point, he throws them on with a white vest stamped with a giant “H” across the chest. Subtle enough.
Tom Ford Polka Dot Swim Shorts
They also perfectly tie in with one of this season’s biggest trends. For S/S ’26, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Wales Bonner, and many others have been treating shorts like actual trousers, just with less fabric: neater lines, proper structure, sitting mid-thigh instead of halfway up it. Williams’ Tom Ford swimmers even come with a built-in belt fastening that looks genuinely smart.
And think of Williams himself. The Canadian actor is having an insane runs. In January, he walked for Dsquared2 in Milan. A few weeks later, he popped up as the face of Balenciaga. Then came a leading role opposite Dylan O’Brien in Apparatus, and now he’s being lined up with Peloton. Busy doesn’t really cover it. And somewhere in the middle of all that, he’s found time to throw the best parties in Hollywood and casually reset the agenda on what you should be wearing when the temp creeps up. He’s a menswear star as much as he is a TV one.
Listen, nobody’s saying you should step out in swim shorts tomorrow (it’s still 15 degrees, for crying out loud). But, when the weather does finally sort itself out, you know to reach for a classic pair just like Hudson Williams.