What are your opinions on shorts?

[mhip]

 

[dieworkwear]

I like that better than the Basic Bro uniform. He looks like a fun guy to have a beer with.

 

[emptym]

I dislike this sort of thing

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I like shorts that have some aesthetic direction and don't like the "after" part of a before-and-after male makeover sponsored by Macy's.

Some examples of short outfits I like. Here are workwear and Americana type of outfits with shorts. In all these photos, notice the difference in shape, length, details (e.g. pockets), materials, etc. All these things swing the shorts into various aesthetic directions
...

I like khaki shorts. Maybe it's from my time in New England and DC. I have a pair from Patagonia that I got back in the early 90s. They're so soft but so durable. (Wish I could buy the fabric for a suit.) I'd wear them with LL Bean camp Mocs and a Red Sox t-shirt. Other shoes that go well with them include the original Tevas (with the thong and ankle strap) or the Alden LHS. Up top: a gray, heathered college tee, a navy linen sweater, any color sweatshirt, a rugby shirt, or buttondowns in linen, madras, seersucker, or an old ocbd.

I like all the shorts. Just depends on the context and use.

This type of fit just doesn’t make sense to me though. If it’s cool enough to wear long sleeves up top, it’s cool enough to wear long pants.

Sometimes it gets cool in the evening and you put on a sweatshirt or sweater because that's easier than changing to pants. Or a long sleeve t-shirt or collared shirt could protect your arms from the sun.

We often wear more up top. Or if it's cold enough to wear a down jacket, is it cold enough to wear down pants? Same for raincoats, windbreakers, etc.

 

[mak1277]

I like khaki shorts. Maybe it's from my time in New England and DC. I have a pair from Patagonia that I got back in the early 90s. They're so soft but so durable. (Wish I could buy the fabric for a suit.) I'd wear them with LL Bean camp Mocs and a Red Sox t-shirt. Other shoes that go well with them include the original Tevas (with the thong and ankle strap) or the Alden LHS. Up top: a gray, heathered college tee, a navy linen sweater, any color sweatshirt, a rugby shirt, or buttondowns in linen, madras, or an old ocbd.

I like all the shorts. Just depends on the context and use.


Sometimes it gets cool in the evening and you put on a sweatshirt or sweater because that's easier than changing to pants. Or a long sleeve t-shirt or collared shirt could protect your arms from the sun.

We often wear more up top. Or if it's cold enough to wear a down jacket, is it cold enough to wear down pants? Same for raincoats, windbreakers, etc.

Sure if you’re throwing something on at the end of the day for practical purposes then all bets are off. Generally speaking though, I’m only wearing shorts if it’s 85+ out, and if it’s that warm I’m sure as hell not wearing long sleeves.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

A long sleeve linen shirt with the sleeves cuffed/rolled back is fine.

 

[TomTom]

For me I wear shorts during the day in the summer or when in a tropical country (NOT CARGIO SHORTS, NEVER...you are not 16 anymore). I have started wearing Gurkha or double buckle military's type ones (https://labourunion-1986.com/collec...ucts/british-army-double-buckle-gurkha-shorts

I find them quite elegant and retro. In the evening I wear linen trousers or cotton chinos.

 

[Jan-Mikael]

I also like to wear long sleeves with shorts. I know it's contradictory to do so, but there's something aesthetically pleasing about the look.

 

[jko]

For me I wear shorts during the day in the summer or when in a tropical country (NOT CARGIO SHORTS, NEVER...you are not 16 anymore). I have started wearing Gurkha or double buckle military's type ones (https://labourunion-1986.com/collec...ucts/british-army-double-buckle-gurkha-shorts

I find them quite elegant and retro. In the evening I wear linen trousers or cotton chinos.

But... those are cargo shorts?

Also, if you're not allowed to wear cargo shorts because you're not 16, are you allowed to wear 40s-60s British army shorts if it's 2022 and you're not in the British army?

 

[rollerkilt]

Shorts are much easier than kilts, except where it comes to access.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

But... those are cargo shorts?

Also, if you're not allowed to wear cargo shorts because you're not 16, are you allowed to wear 40s-60s British army shorts if it's 2022 and you're not in the British army?

call cargo shorts “Ghurka shorts” and you’ve reinvented them.

You’ve turned the mundane and banal into something that drips with nostalgia and adventure. Sort of like the new Land Rover Defender.

 

[mak1277]

I have no problem with cargo shorts because if I’m wearing shorts I’ve already more or less given up on caring how I look.

 

[rjc149]

For me, shorts are for hot weather where long pants would be uncomfortable. That means any climate where the day's low temperature is over 75 degrees. So if we're talking about wearing long-sleeved shirts (linen shirts being the exception) or even sweaters, that's below 70 degrees and definitely not shorts weather.

I also don't live in a climate with large variations in daily temperature -- for example, in the desert, wearing shorts during the day and needing to layer up in the evening is standard. I've never been to SF or places in the Pacific NW, where this might also be the case. Something tells me that in milder climates, style and comfort can comfortably coexist. In NYC area, summers are torrid, winters are frigid, so the shorts and the big down parkas have a real functional purpose that take precedence over aesthetics.

 

[rjc149]

I have no problem with cargo shorts because if I’m wearing shorts I’ve already more or less given up on caring how I look.

But, this need not be the case.

 

[7_rocket]

For me, shorts are for hot weather where long pants would be uncomfortable. That means any climate where the day's low temperature is over 75 degrees. So if we're talking about wearing long-sleeved shirts (linen shirts being the exception) or even sweaters, that's below 70 degrees and definitely not shorts weather.

I also don't live in a climate with large variations in daily temperature -- for example, in the desert, wearing shorts during the day and needing to layer up in the evening is standard. I've never been to SF or places in the Pacific NW, where this might also be the case. Something tells me that in milder climates, style and comfort can comfortably coexist. In NYC area, summers are torrid, winters are frigid, so the shorts and the big down parkas have a real functional purpose that take precedence over aesthetics.

I live in Toronto. We have the same weather as NYC. So we get each other. At the end of the day this thread makes me realize we all have different tastes.

Summers in Toronto are usually brutal. So like you said function over me. When its stupid cold like -20C here, parka it is. I wouldn't try to convince people who are not for shorts. To each their own.

 

[rjc149]

I live in Toronto. We have the same weather as NYC. So we get each other. At the end of the day this thread makes me realize we all have different tastes.

Summers in Toronto are usually brutal. So like you said function over me. When its stupid cold like -20C here, parka it is. I wouldn't try to convince people who are not for shorts. To each their own.

Agreed, I'm not trying to convince anyone to wear shorts. I don't think there are viable alternatives -- I was going to try linen trousers this summer, but I have trouble finding a pair that doesn't scream "namaste."

Thing is, on a typical Saturday afternoon in July where I am, no man, woman, or child within a 1-2 mile radius is wearing long pants. The rare, odd man is wearing trousers, looking down his nose at the gross display of bare legs, as others look at him and wonder "how can you wear long pants in this weather.." The "no shorts outside of the beach" school of thought is a shrinking minority.