Business Insider & NPR: Short Suits Go Mainstream.
Many thanks to Reuben A. and Jon L. for sending in the style tips on this story. Of course it’s fine to not like a trend or a specific article of clothing. But throwing rocks at something without actually giving a reason (or reasons) as to why you don’t like it, doesn’t do anyone any good. That said, here’s an attempt to explain why the short suit might not be the best idea for most:
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1. Is it even practical? Are you really going to be that much cooler?
When it comes to staying cool while wearing a suit in warm weather, the pants are the least of your worries. It’s the jacket that causes the most problems. Often fully lined (and on the cheapest options, in suffocating polyester), suit jackets can smother your core. Yes, some jackets are made (like the Bemberg lined J. Crew jackets above) to be more breathable, and extra points for half lined jackets. But chopping the usually unlined or barely lined pants at the knee in an attempt to stay cooler, while wearing a jacket + shirt & tie, is kinda like having an AC window unit in the basement, but sleeping on the 2nd floor.
2. Male legs don’t look as good as female legs.
The hair. The stockiness. The overall unkempt state of the skin (y’know how much time & effort women put into the skin on their legs?). Us guys don’t have gams, we’ve got gahs.
40% off? Looks more like 60 – 65%.
3. You’re stuck going sockless
Sure, plenty of guys like going sockless, but for others, all that foot funk accelerates the mucking up of their nice dress shoes. There are ways to minimize this of course, but bare sweaty feet + dress shoes can also make for blisters. Sometimes a cool, fresh pair of socks feels better. But who’s gonna wear socks with their short suit? Because that would be crazy.
4. It’s a clash of formality. It’s too high/low.
This is why it visually looks “off” to so many. The high/low thing (mixing traditionally more formal pieces w/ more casual pieces in one outfit) works when the pieces aren’t really that far apart in formality. A tweed sportcoat w/ dark wash jeans works because traditionally, a tweed sportcoat was made for more casual activities (riding, shooting, etc…). Dark wash jeans are considered to be the most dressed-up version of denim (mainly uniform color in somber navy), so combining the two isn’t that big of a leap. But shorts? Shorts are really casual. And suits, even in summer fabrics, really aren’t. It’s this uber high/low conflict that drove the Beverly Hillbillies. Come to think of it, Jed would probably hack the legs off a pair of suit pants for summer.
Your turn fellas. Can you see it ever working? Or do you see these things rotting in the clearance section of the retailers who are selling them forever and ever? Leave it all below.