Menswear is predominantly characterized by its sophistication and sound tailoring – structured suits, expensive fabrics and flawless cuts being the hallmark. However, designers, this spring, discovered the most unexpected season essential in menswear – the shorts. Welcome to the new world of menswear, where formal is deconstructed and chinos and shorts have replaced the trousers, bringing increased opportunities to players who specialize in manufacturing casual menswear…
There’s no denying that men are embracing the new, all-casual look with élan, and come spring, the trend will translate into a massive enterprising look. A recent report from NPD, a New York based research agency, not only points out at fashion going casual but also reported an 11 per cent increase in the sales of shorts, alongside active bottoms and socks.
With men taking to fashion, the recent season witnessed menswear in a multitude of looks, majority of which aptly suited to the spring season. While international runways had men walking in chinos, linen shirts, loose trousers amongst other things, designers were seemingly drawn to shorts. Hard to miss, men’s shorts chaperon versatile looks, paired with a semi formal blazer in some, and a casual denim shirt in another. Dolce & Gabanna’s Spring 2013 collection takes the load off formal wear, shifting from the strict cuts to light-weight fabric blazers complemented by crisp shorts in stripes. Easy and relaxed, the look is not necessarily casual but it evokes a strong sense of breathability. NPD also reported a 15 per cent rise in pyjamas, reaching to US$ 452.8 million last year, alongside Bloomberg, reporting an evident spike in the same. And while pyjamas have gone on to rule the masses, tailored and casual shorts have been touted to lead casual wear into Spring 2014. The research firm also reports a one per cent increase in men’s apparel sales in the US, the reasons of which were attributed to men taking fashion more seriously and adding colourful casuals in their wardrobe.
Shorts and active bottoms which sold the most at off-price, retailers clearly suggest that men spent money on “dressing down”. Taking online selling into account, Reemclothing.com, a designer men’s clothing stockist, revealed that casual wear brands like Farah Vintage, Original Penguin & Franklin Marshall and Canterbury are their top selling brands. Blending quality tailoring into casual wear, Farah Vintage boasts of sharp and crisp shorts and chinos whereas Original Penguin takes its inspiration from the American preppy look of the 1950’s upholding it with cotton dress shorts.
Contrary to the laid-back disposition of the traditional shorts, designers have veered away to incorporating shorts in the regular formal wear. Shorts, which previously were just restricted to the realms of casual activities, have been face lifted to tailored shorts under blazers or rediscovered with short suits, as seen in the collections of Wooyoungmi, Maison Kitsuné & Raf Simons. The introduction of tailored shorts also suggests a potential change in the office wear scenario, a change that will probably surface in the long haul. Until a few years ago, wearing short suits in office would have been an absolute bizarre outfit, but they have come a long way to be considered an alternative to suits. Henceforth, couturiers are bending towards the slimmer cuts in shorts which are not only smartly fitted at the waist, but are tapered along the thigh line too.
Whilst formal short suits strive for a mass acceptability, Bermuda shorts have been picked by high street retailers for their feasibility in the spring weather along side denim shorts ranging from the basic indigo and dark denim to the vintage and fringed one to the aggressively washed ones.
Owing to the fitted silhouettes, designers are belting out men’s shorts in a myriad of striking colours. Richard James’ bias towards bright colour tones came through with linen shorts in shades of electric blue and tangerine. Other than the coloured tailored shorts, James added eccentricity to the collection with candy stripes, paisley prints in bright red & yellow, bold patterned board shorts, further experimenting with tonal patterned shorts too. Mix & match is another interpretation on the short suits trend, as seen in Junya Watanabe’s collection which combined blazers and tailored shorts of contrasting colours like the double-breasted grey blazer with black shorts and a pale pink blazer with white shorts. A few inches above the knee, the short suits have been approved and endorsed by the fashion industry vanguards, as a smart summer accessory, which is every bit versatile and wearable.
Whilst formal short suits strive for a mass acceptability, Bermuda shorts have been picked by high street retailers for their feasibility in the spring weather. Already debuting in the shelves of Zara, cotton and linen shorts splashed in exceptional colours and bold prints have triggered the trend for the next season. The style is preppy, keeping afloat the classy demeanour with controlled elements of quirk. The collection at Zara puts floral and military on Bermudas, keeping up with the runway trends. While New Yorker’s Bermudas had floral print on dark backgrounds in random motifs, Bershka’s collection too cultivated the floral trend but a much toned down version of it, coupled with subtle nautical influences. Complimented by prints and silhouettes in bouts of diluted pastels and neutral tones, the collection has its share of deeper shades like burgundy and dark blue against the retro fluorine shade. Fluorine was picked by New Yorker too, in conjunction with chic geometric patterns.
Denim shorts are ubiquitous in all collections with high street retailers presenting versions of it ranging from the basic indigo and dark denim to the vintage and fringed one to the aggressively washed ones as seen in H&M, which had noticeable trace of boho. Comfort is definitely in the air, whether it’s in the lightweight fabrics, fluorescent colours, navy blue stripes or the folded hems in tartans as spotted in the spring/summer collection of Pull & Bear.
Many will argue that shorts can barely initiate a trend, as in the last decade, it has been confined to the leisure activities of a man. To think of it as a modern day wardrobe classic, one has to identify the overlapping domains of formal and casual wear
Many will argue that shorts can barely initiate a trend, as in the last decade, it has been confined to the leisure activities of a man. To think of it as a modern day wardrobe classic, one has to identify the overlapping domains of formal and casual wear, which with coming seasons, will see more functional and ground breaking juxtapositions. As for now, shorts have clearly made their presence felt, with design houses and retailer belting out sartorial renditions of it. Casual wear mania h as almost triggered an expectant reign of shorts and if analysts are to be believed, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren’s stocks have shown a great potential for the year, both are the barons of chic casual menswear, and have displayed a trendsetting collection of classic shorts for the spring/summer.
