Summer style...how do you keep it when the heat kicks up?

[Mathematicus]

I wear shorts a lot in summer. Those who say that grownups don't wear shorts are very much in the wrong. When it gets hot enough, only a fool doesn't wear shorts.

It's not too difficult to find vintage style shorts. Do a search for Gurkha Shorts, for instance.

I respect you opinion, but I have to disagree. I live in Roma, one of the hottest cities in Italy; during summer months, from June to early September, the average daytime temperature is 32° Celsius. In July and August temperature it's every day over 35 C° Celsius.
I see a lot of people wearing shorts, but I never did: there's no reason of looking like a silly clown if you don't wear those skinny heavy jeans.
I wear shorts only when in holiday, going from home to the beach, that is 200 meters of village street.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Shorts at a resort, shorts at the pool, shorts on the tennis court, shorts at the beach, but around town and at my age, I don't think so. It's not a good look. No one wants to see these legs.

There are plenty of wonderfully light cotton pants that are sophisticated and stylish. That extra bit of material from the knee to the foot does not make any difference. I see a middle-aged man in shorts and I see a man who has not accepted the full role of adulthood.

This of course, is solely my opinion. For every one of me there are 1,000 shorts and t-shirt clad countrymen going about their lives in what ever measure of happiness that they have designed for themselves and completely free of any lasting criticism from me.

 

[dh66]

Shorts can look pretty cool if you got the argyles and sock suspenders going on.

 

[tropicalbob]

When I was at Buckingham Palace a few years ago waiting to see the Guards, a Japanese guy standing next to me was sporting that look, which I thought was very cool. When we got home, I decided to give it a shot, but my wife and kid laughed me to scorn and wouldn't let me out of the house. As Mom used to say, "Always listen to the people who love you."

 

[DAJE]

I love how everyone says "I respect your opinion" before heaping abuse on shorts-wearers, as if that makes it OK. It's not OK - I am a grown-up, I wear shorts, and if anyone doesn't like it, well, tough. I'm going to keep on wearing shorts, and if my shins offend you; GOOD!

 

[Glenville86]

I am a firm believer that people should wear what makes them happy. I used to wear cargo shorts when the weather was hot. Now, I tend to just wear them around the house or doing yard work. I wear t-shirts a lot when it is hot when not at work. I like to wear my fedora hats which many "mainstream" people find different.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I love how everyone says "I respect your opinion" before heaping abuse on shorts-wearers, as if that makes it OK. It's not OK - I am a grown-up, I wear shorts, and if anyone doesn't like it, well, tough. I'm going to keep on wearing shorts, and if my shins offend you; GOOD!

That's fine.

You just have to accept that most people on here will disagree with you.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do what you want, but we are technically responding to the question the OP asked.

In my opinion shorts look absolutely ridiculous on any adult over the age of 18 and if someone asks my advice (as the OP did), I will advise him against wearing shorts under pretty much any circumstances.

 

[Mathematicus]

I love how everyone says "I respect your opinion" before heaping abuse on shorts-wearers, as if that makes it OK. It's not OK - I am a grown-up, I wear shorts, and if anyone doesn't like it, well, tough. I'm going to keep on wearing shorts, and if my shins offend you; GOOD!

I'm sorry DAJE, I actually didn't mean to offend you. But you're right: if you want to wear shorts, it's in your freedom to do it. But you have to accept that not everyone could like this way of dressing, like me having to accept many disapproving glances wearing a 1930's suit.
It's right that you're OK with your clothing, but please don't say that "only fools don't wear shorts when it's hot" because it's not actually true!

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I love how everyone says "I respect your opinion" before heaping abuse on shorts-wearers, as if that makes it OK. It's not OK - I am a grown-up, I wear shorts, and if anyone doesn't like it, well, tough. I'm going to keep on wearing shorts, and if my shins offend you; GOOD!

Actually, Buddy, you were the only one to heap abuse in this thread. Others, including me, were stating opinion, but you were the one to go ad hominem by calling people who do not wear shorts "fools." BTW, as I moderate, this forum the only comments I usually delete are those that attack people personally, and although your comment crossed the line, I left it because it was too over dramatic to offend anyone.

It would serve you much better to keep your sense of entitlement in check and realize that people politely disagreeing with you, does not abuse make.

 

[nihil]

I like to wear shorts and short sleeved shirts in the summer. It's really nice to feel the breeze on your exposed skin, when the temperature is high.
But then again, I got an athletic build, and are not ashamed of showing neither arms or legs (or more like the lower half of either, that are actually exposed when wearing said garments).

Wear what you feel comfortable in, both physically and mentally (practicality versus style).

 

[DAJE]

Actually, Buddy, you were the only one to heap abuse in this thread. Others, including me, were stating opinion, but you were the one to go ad hominem by calling people who do not wear shorts "fools." BTW, as I moderate, this forum the only comments I usually delete are those that attack people personally, and although your comment crossed the line, I left it because it was too over dramatic to offend anyone.

It would serve you much better to keep your sense of entitlement in check and realize that people politely disagreeing with you, does not abuse make.

"I see a middle-aged man in shorts and I see a man who has not accepted the full role of adulthood." - That is abuse. Of me. I wear shorts, I'm middle-aged, I take it personally. You do not know anything about my life, and yet you feel entitled to judge me based on my wearing of shorts.

I'll tell you who else wore shorts in the summer until the day he died - my dad, the guy in my avatar picture; a WW2 veteran who fought in New Guinea. Australian troops, my father and several of my uncles among them, wore shorts the whole time in the jungle, while they were defending my country. Australian troops converted their battle dress trousers into shorts, and eventually convinced the British to see sense and start issuing shorts to troops in hot climates. And if shorts were good enough for them, they're certainly good enough for me, and for anyone. And your opinion on the matter does not enter into it.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

"I see a middle-aged man in shorts and I see a man who has not accepted the full role of adulthood." - That is abuse. Of me. I wear shorts, I'm middle-aged, I take it personally. You do not know anything about my life, and yet you feel entitled to judge me based on my wearing of shorts.

I'll tell you who else wore shorts in the summer until the day he died - my dad, the guy in my avatar picture; a WW2 veteran who fought in New Guinea. Australian troops, my father and several of my uncles among them, wore shorts the whole time in the jungle, while they were defending my country. Australian troops converted their battle dress trousers into shorts, and eventually convinced the British to see sense and start issuing shorts to troops in hot climates. And if shorts were good enough for them, they're certainly good enough for me, and for anyone. And your opinion on the matter does not enter into it.

Really??? Wow, you have a low threshold of abuse. I'll leave your comment up because I think it fairly well speaks for itself.

From this point onward though, anymore self-indulgence will be moderated away.

BTW, American soldiers wear paints.

 

[Dinerman]

I wear shorts a lot in summer. Those who say that grownups don't wear shorts are very much in the wrong. When it gets hot enough, only a fool doesn't wear shorts.

It's not too difficult to find vintage style shorts. Do a search for Gurkha Shorts, for instance.

There are some good threads around here with a bunch of vintage examples of men's shorts of the 1920s-1960s. It was something that was done, and in Australia during that period, it was quite common. For such an eccentric, niche fashion group, people are very quick to judge.

 

[Bushman]

Not to stick my nose into this, but my father, my grandfathers, my uncles, pretty much every man I knew growing up wore shorts at some point in their lives as men. It didn't diminish themselves as men, because they weren't stupid enough to wear pants when the thermometer turned 90. Working? Yes, they all wore pants. I come from a blue collar background, so every man I've ever known has worked some form a construction, be it plumbing (my grandfather), or heavy machines operation (my father and uncle), and wearing long pants is a necessity. However, when relaxing in their own yard, not one of them chose pants over shorts. So, I too think it's more than a little far fetched to say that men who wear shorts haven't fully accepted adulthood. I'm sure I can dig up a vintage picture or two from the 50's of my grandfather relaxing in his yard, wearing shorts.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Bushman,

If you read my posts you'll see that I stated that shorts have their place, pools, backyards, beach etc. To clarify, I am speaking of the people around here, and there are many, who only wear pants, even now, and it's ten degrees out! And the people I see in restaurants, nice public places in them. To me, that appears that there is something going on there.

Parents send their kids out to bus stops here in shorts in the winter.

Only by extreme extraction could one say that I was impugning anyone else, including the chaps you mention. Especially since I even stated that I didn't care what other people did. I was articulating my feeling about it, which is purely mine.

Remember, we are arguing about shorts after all.

 

[Bushman]

Bushman,

If you read my posts you'll see that I stated that shorts have their place, pools, backyards, beach etc. To clarify, I am speaking of the people around here, and there are many, who only wear pants, even now, and it's ten degrees out! And the people I see in restaurants, nice public places in them. To me, that appears that there is something going on there.

Parents send their kids out to bus stops here in shorts in the winter.

Only by extreme extraction could one say that I was impugning anyone else, including the chaps you mention. Especially since I even stated that I didn't care what other people did. I was articulating my feeling about it, which is purely mine.

Remember, we are arguing about shorts after all.

Ah, forgive me. My mistake.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Ah, forgive me. My mistake.

No worries, let's not let shorts come between us!

And to try to salvage this thread and put it back on track, allow me to share my most obnoxious shorts-wearing episode that I did impose on everyone who say me on that day; from the ground up: boat shoes, patch madras shorts, Lacoste hunter green polo, blue blazer, because I need the pockets. I actually felt pretty cool. I was in Miami.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Not to stick my nose into this, but my father, my grandfathers, my uncles, pretty much every man I knew growing up wore shorts at some point in their lives as men. It didn't diminish themselves as men, because they weren't stupid enough to wear pants when the thermometer turned 90. Working? Yes, they all wore pants. I come from a blue collar background, so every man I've ever known has worked some form a construction, be it plumbing (my grandfather), or heavy machines operation (my father and uncle), and wearing long pants is a necessity. However, when relaxing in their own yard, not one of them chose pants over shorts. So, I too think it's more than a little far fetched to say that men who wear shorts haven't fully accepted adulthood. I'm sure I can dig up a vintage picture or two from the 50's of my grandfather relaxing in his yard, wearing shorts.

I agree that it meaning that they haven't accepted adulthood is untrue. In the backyard/bbq and at the beach certainly are acceptable. I always wear shorts at home... basketball shorts even simply because they are comfortable. My grandfather wore shorts a LOT. He even wore them out a lot, but even so I never thought it looked ok. That has nothing to do with my opinion of his exceptional character.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Straw hat,
chinos,
White bucks or Chuck Taylors,
Aloha shirt, bowling shirt, guayabera shirt, plaid short sleeves old man shirt, plain white T-shirt or wife beater shirt......

I'm with my buddy Dale on this one. Chinos and an Aloha shirt or short-sleeved gab shirt do nicely for me. Sometimes a striped T-shirt for that vintage look too. Inspired by the posts of 1930s Esquire summer leisure attire for men, a couple of years back I bought some baggy khaki shorts that look vintage for when I got to BBQs, picnics, the beach etc. If I'm going somewhere else though I wears the chinos, dress pants, or even jeans where appropriate.

Here's a story I hope you guys will find funny. Some years back, when my Dad was still with us, we were in a shopping mall and there were some big baggy shorts for sale in a menswear store. That style was just coming back into fashion here after years of the the tighter 'Stubbies' dress shorts look being in, would've been the very early 1990s. Anyway, Dad saw some young guys buying the shorts and burst out laughing. I asked him what was so funny and he said, "Kid, we used to have to wear those big awful bloody shorts back in the Army (WWII) and we hated 'em, and here are these blokes paying for them!"

I wonder if he'd laugh at my attempt to look vintage in my looser-fit shorts!

 

[gamez32]

My summer outfit of choice is a guayabera shirt, linen pants, spectators and an Art Fawcett Duallist.