What Men Wear in Bermuda Should Stay in Bermuda

business, fashion, humor, travel, United States, Wall Street Journal 2 Minutes

It’s not unusual to see men in Bermuda wearing a suit with short pant legs, like a pair of shorts.

I’ve seen it, and didn’t think anything of it. I just knew it was something I would never dare to wear, at least in the U.S.

But others have.

Here’s LeBron James:

All I can say is, “Why?”

James’s suit is made by Thom Browne, America’s foremost authority on shorts suits (I wonder how much competition there is for such a title). The New York-based designer has been selling the knee-baring ensembles—which pair a jacket with shorts, not trousers—since he launched ready-to-wear in 2003.

Other designers have tried to make a go of the shorts suit, without too much luck (no surprise there).

According to the Wall Street Journal:

“A 1966 photo from the Evening Standard showed a pair of young men striding through a London park in shorts suits by British designer Hardy Amies. But even in swinging London, the style faltered. In the early 2010s, J.Crew introduced shorts versions of its popular Ludlow suit, but the option fizzled out after a couple of years. More recently, the envelope-pushing Japanese label Comme des Garçons has shown billowing shorts suits at its runway shows, but such experiments barely resonate outside the high-fashion world.”

But despite these failures, there seems to be an uptick in interest in such suits.

Once again from the WSJ:

“… might be surprised to find a growing, if still small, number of shorts suits in stores this summer. New York designer Todd Snyder has perhaps leaned the furthest into the shorts-suit concept. His website currently features five moderately priced Bermuda suit options in patterns from tone-on-tone blue seersucker to an eccentric striped ombre. Luxury labels are also embracing the trend: Giorgio Armani sells a navy herringbone suit with knee-length drawstring shorts (pictured) and Danish brand Han Kjobenhavn offers a gray suit with creased, knee-length trunks.”

I just don’t why designers don’t go full steam ahead and create a matching suitcoat that has short sleeves. There are already short-sleeved shirts, so it seems like it would be the perfect summer suit. Well, at least better than a suit with short pants but a full-length jacket. If the goal of such attire is to stay cool in the summer, then it seems to me that a short-sleeved shit and jacket with long pants would be more effective than the reverse.

Maybe I should start my own clothing line. I could call it “Who Wears Shorts Suits?”

By the way, it’s been a while since I did an article about a men’s fashion story from the WSJ, but once again, it does not disappoint. The stories are always good for a laugh…

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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37 thoughts on “What Men Wear in Bermuda Should Stay in Bermuda”

  3. “. . . it seems to me that a short-sleeved shit and jacket with long pants would be more effective . . .”

    I thought this was a family blog. Nonetheless, a short shit is probably cooler than a long shit, at least in a fashion way. But it’s probably physically cooler, too.

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  5. When we emigrated to Australia in the 1960s Dad swore he would not wear shorts for smart wear. He did in the end. In the summer our men teachers wore smart shorts with long socks and shoes and shirt and tie. It makes sense in summer, but of course we would laugh at their knobbly knees! I believe parliament was the only place where shorts were banned. Of course that was not quite the same as shorts suit – why would you want a jacket when it’s hot?

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  7. Although I do not find this the most attractive of fashion choices, it is not the uniqueness or eccentricity that keeps me from sporting this fashion trend. I just don’t have the legs for it anymore!

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  9. Wouldn’t want my husband wearing this either lol.. I feel like I draw the line at the suit jacket pairing.. I feel like there are other ways to stay cool and look professional too lol… But at the same time I do feel bad that men’s fashion is quite limited.. There’s only so many styles you can work with lol

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  10. Proof, if it were needed, that fools and their money are soon parted. I don’t watch fashion shows but when I see the occasional clip on a news programme it always brightens my day: we all need a good laugh now and again.

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  11. As I was reading this, the first thing I thought is that it would go well with short sleeve jackets, but you covered that as well. To be honest, I find suits (and the obligatory social norms and rules around them) rasther ridiculous to begin with, so this would be refreshing.

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  12. You just never know what will eventually catch on. If the rich and trendy start something in earnest, there will be a lot of wannabes to follow them. All we have to do is look back at European history for examples of strange fashion choices. Often the men were worse than the women. Perhaps short suits will catch on here in NS where it appears that many young men would wear shorts every day if they could. They stretch the season on both ends.

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    1. I agree that the sox don’t help with the look; and perhaps a short sleeve shirt and short sleeved jacket would make it look better, and be more appropriate in warmer environments…

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