The Short Inseam Wars Are Over
This summer, let's all try something new.
It seems like just yesterday Paul Mescal set the internet on fire with his thighs, masterfully framed in all their thunderous glory by a pair of short athletic shorts. That beatific response reignited a never-ending debate about the proper length of men’s shorts—an already sensitive topic, given the article’s much-maligned associations with middle-aged shlubbiness and frat party prep. With Mescal’s brave display of quadricep shifting (shortening?) the Overton window around shorts, the menswear commentariat generally lined up behind the sacred 5” inseam. Landing above the knee while leaving a lot of leg to the imagination, the 5” inseam is cheeky but tasteful, providing a modicum of chic without the ostentation.
But a year removed and it would appear, to this humble blogger, that the inseam wars are over. The dust has settled; the discourse has shifted. Is there a reliable metric an average guy like me can use to judge the appropriate bagginess of a given pant? (Still unclear.) Anyway, gone is the artificial pressure to adhere to a certain length or style; in an age scrambled by the algorithm, the current approach to men’s shorts is a free-for-all of unprecedented proportions. Walk down any street in New York this summer and you’re as likely to see someone rocking shorts like a member of an early-aughts ska band as you are imitating that iconic photo of '80s Harrison Ford. The only certainty, as far as I can tell, is Golf Dad—a neutral take on chino shorts that never goes all the way in or out of style.
And yet, presented with a tyranny of choice, what is a shorts-buying citizen of the world to do? Should they enjoy, in the words of trusted menswear guy, Clayton Chambers, an “Armani long shorts type of summer”? Or should they pick up where things left off last year with internet boyfriend-approved micro shorts?
The answer to this, as with most style-related questions, is to dress within yourself. Balance risk with familiarity—when you’re trying a new inseam length, maybe buy it in a style you’re already comfortable with first. There’s no need to take a huge leap of short-related faith. If you’ve lived in that classic 7” zone (a short that tends to hit at the knee) but are interested in a more fashion-forward inseam, you might reach for a 6” before the 3”; if you’re curious about going the other way, you might opt for Adam Sandler-esque basketball shorts before slipping into a pair of taut, Euro-style capris (which only a handful of Americans have ever managed to pull off). As a rule of thumb, the higher they rise the tighter they should fit, while the lower they fall the looser they should feel.
At the end of the day, there’s no “right” way to wear shorts anymore, meaning there’s no “wrong” way to wear them either. So I’d implore us all to use this summer as an opportunity to explore some options that fall a bit outside of our comfort zone.
Here’s a little inspo to get you started (and, of course, some quality shorts of our own to try)…
