Gents Fashion: Shorts For Men – What’s Hot For Summer 2013

Shorts For Men – What’s Hot For Summer 2013

Shorts for Men

In previous articles for MenStyleFashion I have spoken about my general repulsion of men in shorts; the fact they make us look like over grown public schoolboys running around red brick, ivy strewn buildings or sportsman long past their peak, trying to revel in those halcyon days which have become nothing more than a distant memory best left to a by-gone era. Shorts on a man, I just can’t get my head around it but I’m trying. No really, I am.

I am signed up to a whole host of mailing lists from fashion brands and e-commerce retailers the world over, something I highly recommend. If you can resist the allure of spending your months wages at the rapid click of a button, signing up to these mailing lists is great for personal inspiration; you don’t have to buy anything from them – of course, indulge your sartorial dalliances from time-to-time, you’d be foolish not to – simply use them as a visual tool for your own style, to give you hints and ideas of what you can do to liven up your sartorial choices.

Short Suit Jacket Combination

In recent weeks I have been inundated with brands sending me their weekly/monthly newsletters with all their latest product and one thing that keeps jumping out at me are the matching shorts and suit jacket combinations. Now, for someone with a disdain for shorts you can imagine my initial reaction to this fashion monstrosity but, whisper it quietly, I’m actually quite enamoured with this look.

I can’t actually place my finger on what it is about this look I have become so smitten with but from Topman Design, Acne and Margaret Howell to Cos, Oliver Spencer and Billy & I (a fabulous Swedish brand I discovered at London Fashion Week) there’s something about this trend which captures one’s imagination.

There are two ways you can play the short/suits combination: casual or incredibly casual. There’s no room for smart casual with this trend, it will just make you look like a golfer and if you saw the sartorial choices of both fans and players swanning around Augusta at the Masters last weekend you’ll know this is most certainly a trend to avoid.

For the casual look you’ll want a plain, well fitted t-shirt tucked into your shorts under your blazer and a pair of smart brogues. Socks are optional but this can often make the outfit resemble the schoolboy look so tread carefully.

The uber-casual look

The uber-casual look (and the one I happen to favour) is where we become more fashion led, a touch more avant-garde and free of spirit. Topman Design has done it perfectly, the whole outfit says I like to look smart but that doesn’t mean being boring. This look makes me think of the 1970’s and California’s Z-boy skaters if they were attending an interview. Jackets are slightly oversized and so bright you’ll be thankful for your sunglasses, the shorts are cut neither loose nor tight, sitting just above the knee, shirts are loose, socks are simple and be it white hi-tops (I’ve just got myself a pair from the Comme De Garcons PLAY X Converse collaboration) or black patent leather shoes, this look really is the suit in the midst of youthful, rebellious angst.

Have I been converted to shorts then? The jury is still out. There’s a great divide between some svelte like Adonis sauntering down a catwalk and the man avoiding crowds on his journey to the office and in that is where my dilemma lies. I guess, as with everything in life, you can’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Who knows, if the sun ever does come out here in England, you may just catch me at the up-coming London Collections: Men in a blazer and shorts so watch this space