Do Short Shorts Have Legs With Male Consumers? Retailers Say Not Yet
Despite numerous heat waves and the prevalence of short shorts on the runways, male consumers aren’t ready to buy in to the trend just yet, according to retailers.
While searches for the term “shorts” were up 40 percent this June compared to the same time last year, data analytics firm Trendalytics found those with less than 5 inches of inseam — the standard for “ultra-short” — remain just an aspirational search with most sales of shorts in the men’s category clocking in at 6 inches.
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“Whether it’s Paul Mescal front row at Gucci or Chris Pine at the Poolman Premiere, showing some skin seems to be everywhere this summer,” said David Thielebeule, a former editor and stylist who earlier this month joined Bloomingdale’s to oversee its menswear division.
While Mescal’s preference is for 3-inch shorts, Thielebeule’s advice to guys is to start with a 5-inch inseam and adjust. “Experiment and wear what feels right,” he said. “We are truly in a no rules era in menswear when it comes to length.”
But men weren’t always encouraged to show off so much thigh meat. Up until the 1950s, shorts were still considered indecent in many American cities. Yonkers, N.Y., even made it illegal to wear them in 1937 and the town of Honesdale, Pa., followed suit one year later. “Honesdale is a modest town, not a bathing beach,” one city official reportedly said at the time.
Today, shorts are hot, but they’re not yet HotPants hot, a term coined by WWD in 1970 to describe women’s micro-shorts. The overall consensus is that a slightly ambiguous mid-thigh style hits the sweet spot, even as luxury brands play up extremes.
Throughout the spring 2025 menswear season, Bruce Pask, senior editorial director of the Neiman Marcus Group, said designers waged a battle over length. “Dior, Fendi and Ralph Lauren all showed above-the-knee tailored shorts in their collection presentations, while Ami, Wales Bonner, Dries Van Noten and Officine Générale opted for longer lengths,” he said, noting that both have credibility from a fashion standpoint.
Reginald Christian, senior fashion manager for menswear at Saks Fifth Avenue, agreed, although he pointed to short shorts as the fresher option. They add an element of “playfulness and retro-sportiness to the modern man’s wardrobe” that should appeal to more “youthful and body-affirming consumers,” he believes.
Still, when it comes to sales, the New York-based retailer is seeing the most traction with Bermuda shorts in the 7- to 10-inch range. Ditto for Nordstrom where men’s fashion director Jian DeLeon said shoppers already acquainted with baggy skater-shorts and dressy pleated versions “reminiscent of old Armani” are just now warming up to the idea of microshorts.
At Orlebar Brown, the resortwear brand’s best-selling short, the Bulldog, falls exactly to 6 inches. “It is most popular for a man who is tired of loose-fitting shorts and wants to wear something a little more designed, fitted and premium,” said chief marketing officer Trevor Hardy.
Orlebar Brown’s 4.5-inch Setter shorts are gaining momentum, but Hardy said the brand’s shortest short, the 3-inch Springer, remains niche and “any shorter seems to be a step too far — at least for now. Who knows, 2025 might bring a new, adventurous customer.”
Bonobos is confident the shorter trend will find its legs in the near future as well. “Our customer’s preferred inseam is a 7-inch,” said Hazel Morley, vice president of design, “but there has been a significant increase in sales of 5-inch.” The brand is shifting its merchandising strategy accordingly to offer a greater number of the shorter shorts.
Chubbies too hinted it will be hiking up its assortment past the 4-inch mark come spring 2025. Thought-up by a group of friends as a cheeky antidote to high fashion, Chubbies bills itself as a pioneer of ultra-short men’s shorts in the contemporary space.
“Looking at the market back in 2011, our founders saw nothing for them in a sea of knee-length cargo shorts. They wanted to bring back the short shorts look of our fathers and uncles,” said Bryan Easterman, vice president of product.
Easterman said that while the 5.5-inch chino-style Originals model is Chubbies’ most popular short for leisure, customers are starting to look to the brand more for athletic wear, like the tear-away swim trunks that reveal briefs underneath “for the ultimate thigh liberation,” he joked.
With the Paris Olympics in full swing, a focus on sports, where shorter lengths are embraced by sprinters and swimmers alike, may fuel demand for shorter lengths. Adidas has seen a 53 percent increase in search volume year-over-year for 4-inch shorts. Conversely, searches for longer shorts with 7-inch inseams have fallen by 19 percent. “The shorter the inseam length, the faster the search volume,” said a spokesperson for the German athletic brand.
Matthew Hranek, founder of luxury men’s lifestyle magazine Wm Brown, traces his love of micro shorts back to athletes from the 1980s such as tennis champion Bjorn Borg and pro basketball legend Larry Bird, both of whom played in Dolfin shorts with 3-inch inseams. “I grew up with that fit,” he said. “It was the standard, not controversial at all.”
Today, Hranek said, “I honestly see a mixed bag of short lengths, but the shorter lengths stand out to me and are usually on smartly styled guys.
“We know how circular fashion and style is, so the ‘80s were bound to make an impression again,” he continued. To him, exposing the upper thigh is not only a sign of “confidence and positive body image,” but also gives the illusion of height.
Hranek, who doesn’t wear shorts that go past 5 inches, gets his custom-made from Mason Linens by bespoke Miami-based tailor Fayad & Co. “They look great with a blazer. There’s a formality to them I like — they seem less casual and more serious,” he said. Brown is hoping to promote his leggy look via an ongoing collaboration with British brand Hemingsworth. The two recently launched short shorts in olive-colored herringbone inspired by French military gear.
At 3.5 inches, they’re certainly pushing the limit for most guys. The majority of those hanging around New York’s Washington Square Park on a day when real-feel temperatures hit 100 degrees weren’t too keen on that length.
Jack Whitney, a music-industry professional visiting from Nashville, said his limit is between 5 and 6 inches, but pants are more his thing. Whitney won’t be trying out a pair of short shorts anytime soon, but he did admit he likes them on others. “I just think short shorts are what’s in right now,” he said. “They look stylish and like you tried.”
Jan-Willem Winckel, dressed in a smart-looking lavender pair of shorts chosen by his girlfriend, was certainly proof of that. An Amsterdam native, Winckel explained his preference for an exposed knee stems from avid bike riding, “but they can’t be too high,” he stressed, “because it becomes too feminine.”
Local fitness trainer Joel Ramsay was the most willing to give a pair of 3 inchers a shot, saying: “When it’s this hot out here, I don’t want to wear that much clothing.”
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