INSPIRATION AND ADVICE

STYLISH GUYS IN SS19 SHORTS

By Matt Glazebrook, May 19, 2019

Feel that? The warm breeze around your knees, the slight stifling sensation in your chino-clad calves? Yep, shorts season is upon us. And whether your high-summer lower-leg exposure is strictly a sweat-induced necessity, or you celebrate the first day of shorts weather like a holiday, we’ve pulled together to handy guide to navigating long days and short pants with confidence and clout. Remember, just because you’re working with half the material downstairs, there’s no excuse for slacking in the style stakes.

Scandi simplicity

We’ll start with a strong option for the shorts-agnostic. Mr. Scandi here is rocking regulation minimalist basics — tan jacket, black tee, black socks, smart black brogues — but in the middle, where we’d expect to see a nice pair of work pants or some selvedge denim — he’s snuck in a strong, tonal pair of knee-length shorts. Low-key cool, summer-fied.

Chairman of the board shorts

At the opposite end of the shorts scale, this dude’s selection is anything but subtle. With a tropical print and board-short-adjacent cut, you might think these statement knee-grazers wouldn’t make sense outside of a sun-lounger or poolside cocktail bar. But accessorized with shiny black sneaks, a layered-up button-down and general air of glossy-haired confidence? They’re ripe for a sunny Sunday brunch or a (really quite) casual Friday work shift.

Resort to this

This fella’s flipped the script and matched tan, tonal simplicity down below with a resort-ready top half for a lesson in bossing "beach to bar to doing a few things around town" without breaking a sweat. Bonus points for tying the colors on his freshly-exposed leg tat in with the hues on his printed revere-collar shirt and Gucci logo tee.

High noon neon

You don’t need us to tell you that neon is a big deal for SS19, but on shorts? Outside of the safe space that is your local swimming baths? That’s a whole extra level of confidence, vis-à-(hi-)vis getting your legs out. Luckily, for the more cautious shorts sporters among us, this guy’s here to show us how to tone down fluoro green with crisp white kicks, an oversized black tee and an over-this expression — before toning it back up a little with a reflective silver cross-body bag. It’s a look we’re calling "steezy off-duty pool lifeguard."

White light/white heat

Anyone for tennis? This ice-cream-fresh dude wouldn’t look out of place flicking feather-light backhand slices on the green grass of Centre Court, but his ultra-clean aesthetic is equally suited to brightening the concrete streets of central London. Top-to-toe white with just a sneaky Lacoste logo or two to break up the blank canvas, it’s comfy, summery sports chic elevated to untold heights of put-together.

Pictures: Getty

Campsite cut-offs

The key to successful festival-dressing lies in the seemingly contradictory compulsions to prepare for every climatic eventuality and to pack light. Unpicking that particular paradox with aplomb is this guy. Waterproof jacket to ward off rain; cap and shades to guard against glare; sturdy sneakers and socks in case its inclement underfoot; hydrating beverages to help out in a heatwave; and finally, a skater tee/solid pair of mid-length shorts combo for that glorious moment when it all comes together, weather-wise.