Men In Shorts
Originally published on BitchBuzz.com
No. Shorts do not crack the code. They break them. The dress code, that is.
The New York Times Style section – a place I usually consider a trustworthy Style Bible of sorts – recently revealed a shocking menswear solution to uncomfortable heat, a climate that San Francisco is experiencing now – the Indian Summer, our brief relief from the fog. This latest trend? Wearing shorts, and short suits, to work.
My first inclination? If women are not allowed, not encouraged, or get scorned for wearing shorts or anything too-above-the-knee to work, why should men be granted this luxury?
My second inclination? I do not need to see my co-workers’, let alone my boss’ or my CEO’s, thighs.
My third inclination? Loafers + No Socks = No Thank You. I smell feet…clammy ones.
I understand that this trend is meant particularly for hotter, and especially more humid, climates. That was the article’s whole point: the short-suit, or chino shorts + shirt + tie + blazer, can replace the traditional suit and trousers during the summer, because yeah – I bet men do get hot in that same ol’ long-sleeves-and-long-pants get-up every day. But frankly, there are very few company cultures that would allow this.
Bankers? No. Real estate agents? No, unless we’re talking beach realty…maybe. Anything involving client meetings? I hope not!
Short suits, however, are not the only options for hard-workers in warm climates. Oddly enough, and I’m not sure how they got away with it, the NYT makes short-sleeved shirts sound foreign and risque:
“The willingness of men to expand the amount of skin they are inclined to display can be gauged by the short-sleeved shirts Senator Barack Obama has lately favored; the muscle T-shirts Anderson Cooper wears on CNN assignment; and the Armani billboard in which David Beckham, the soccer star, appears nearly nude.”
Since when is the polo shirt a new, surprising concept in menswear? And even more so, when did a polo shirt ever hint at too much skin?
Please people. If you’re wealthy enough to be tailoring your new Obedient Sons or LOVA short suit, then do us all a favor: stop worrying about the shorts; start pairing polos with trousers – or even jeans! Avoid polyester (totally not breathable) and wear linen when you can (I know it wrinkles, but are we more worried about wrinkles or massive sweat stains during that meeting?), and turn up the AC in your freakin’ office.
But please, unless you are Beckham, do not show me your ankles, knees, or thighs.
Image via Miodestino.co.uk