The male knee experiences its particular liberation.
The influence of sports and urban fashion in the luxury sector, the generalization of teleworking and the progressive relaxation of dress codes have come together in an unprecedented gesture in the history of men's style: for the first time, shorts enter the fashion plans.
The fault is the good weather, but not only. This is corroborated by the data provided by Lyst, the global fashion shopping platform. If the period from January to June is taken as a reference, searches for men's shorts have been growing for several years: in 2019 the increase was 28% compared to 2018 and in 2020 they grew by 32%. However, over the last year they have shot up to 174%. And, for once, the most sought-after firms are not exclusively sports. There is Nike, yes, but also Stone Island, Polo Ralph Lauren, Palm Angels and Gucci. Especially interesting is the growth of tailoring shorts, which have increased their interest by 127% compared to last year, and which reflect the evolution of the sector towards more polished and formal designs, with darts or tailoring fabrics,and firms such as Burberry or Tommy Hilfiger. From Lyst they attribute it to the hybrid clothing codes of the new blended work dynamics. If the office isn't what it used to be, dressing for the office doesn't have to be either.
In a way, the calf was a pending revolution. During the central decades of the twentieth century, changes in women's fashion were accounted for in the inches that the hem of the skirt rose or fell each season. The limit back then was the knee, a rubicon that was first crossed in the early sixties, with the miniskirt. Since then, the length of the skirt has lost its symbolic value. Men's clothing, however, has been more reticent. From the style manuals, the experts have spent decades throwing anathemas against the shorts, a garment apparently linked to free time. Up to now. “Shorts came to Madrid in the nineties through
skaters
, because in the eighties there was no one to find one ”, explains Goyo, owner of Sportivo Store, the Madrid multibrand store specializing in men's fashion.
Since its emergence, he assures, the shorts have slowly gained a certain prominence during the summer months, due to the increase in temperatures.
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The words of George Archer, one of the purchasing managers at Mr Porter, the online platform for luxury fashion for men, point in the same direction. "Beyond sports and vacations, men are incorporating shorts into their daily clothing, especially since the professional wardrobe has relaxed considerably in the last year and summer fashion is freer than ever," he explains. Among the best sellers, mention the lace-up models by Celine Homme, Fear of God Essentials and Brunello Cucinelli. “There are many options, from the sportiest ones to the minimalist ones with high waists and luxurious materials. The aesthetic is relaxed, and in some cases it includes striking prints that evoke the optimism of summer ”. Within that boom, Archer highlights the change in work habits.“The medium length shorts are a very realistic option for relaxed work environments or for the weekend, because they are versatile, they fit well and they combine with most of the clothes in the wardrobe,” he says. Mr Porter's purchasing manager points out one caveat: workplaces that still require a suit, shirt and tie. Times change, but not so much as to go from a suit to shorts without going through chinos.but not so much as to go from the suit to the Bermuda shorts without going through the chinos.but not so much as to go from the suit to the Bermuda shorts without going through the chinos.
Manuel García, creative director and founder of the men's fashion firm García Madrid, included for the first time a suit with shorts in his 2010 collection. At that time, traditional tailoring was looking for new variations, from the nostalgia of the double-breasted jacket or from the three-piece suit to the incorporation of Bermuda shorts, following the path opened by designers such as Thom Browne, who arrived at this formula on the trail of school uniforms. The option chosen by García Madrid was a tailored bermuda shorts combined with a matching jacket and shirt, a recurring formula in his summer collections since then. “I use it more as a stylistic device than as a piece that actually hits the streets,” explains the designer, whose business revolves around the relaxed declines of traditional tailoring."Throughout these years we have managed to evolve the suit in terms of pattern, color and combinations, but I do it with the aim of selling it separately".
From all this, however, a general trend can be deduced: although a majority of men continue to show reluctance to wear shorts on a daily basis, the tolerance threshold is changing.
In Lyst they have observed a curious phenomenon: the swimsuits are becoming shorter, more colorful, striking and daring, distancing themselves from the wide surf shorts.
In the last month, searches for short swimsuits have increased by 148% compared to the same period in 2020, and the demand for
slip-
type models
it has shot up 230% compared to the previous month.
Behind these data may be the need for liberation after the toughest phase of the pandemic, but also the realization that, in the reconfiguration of the body that is the latest object of fashion, the emancipation of knees, calves and men augurs a new kind of hedonism.
