By Adam Russell
With the summer sun reintroducing itself, albeit fleetingly, the risqué shuffle from trousers to shorts can begin. Unless you’re one of those guys that (against all that is rational and sane), decides to wear shorts and t-shirts in midwinter, like me you will be looking forward to mixing up your annual wardrobe by drastically shortening the length of your trouser legs. Whilst you deliberate on the all-important decision of “socks” or “sockless” let me take you through the shorts on offer for summer 2012:
1) Chino/tailored-shorts: As we all know the classic chinos have made their way back into the popular fold in the last few years. This is good news as it means that those of us who would have inevitably fallen into the typical category of ‘oxford-style’ have become effortlessly fashionable by the same power of co-incidence that has landed my grandfather with his thirty year old casio watch, burgundy cords and thick-framed glasses on the right side of cool (Editor – Never the less sounds like a very stylish grandfather to me!) Topman have a range of chino shorts in an assortment of autumnal shades so as not to disappoint those of us with a favourite wardrobe colour as well as those who fancy a bit of a change. For those more inclined towards a slightly smarter cut short, there are also a range of tailored shorts (bermudas), on offer with the banana , gold and aqua colours screaming summer in a big way. These linen bermudas from Zara also fit the bill.
2) Printed shorts: This year there has been a huge surge of the printed item which, for me, has added another much needed dimension to the sometimes rather drab world of men’s styling. Unlike the case of women’s fashion, where the matching items can be a perpetual success story (see: “Twice as nice”) I think it is best for us gentlemen to use these printed bits and bobs to add a dash of excitement to otherwise more patternless and plain-coloured attire. Accordingly the perfect partner for a plain t-shirt with a blazer thrown on top is none other than the printed short. These undeniably friendly safari print shorts are a great addition to a summer wardrobe as are these more toned down spiral shorts and this little paisley number. If you looking for a slightly more baggy pair of shorts these navy colonial shorts could well be the answer. However, if all these wild animals and patterns spread across your nether region gets you a little too excited maybe a return to the good old reliable nautical theme is a safer bet (nautical shorts).
