Pop quiz, gents. When it comes to shorts, which inseam length suits a man best? Nine inches,
seven inches, five inches, or maybe just three inches? I'm sure some of you guys are saying,
no, I need a full eleven inches because I was endowed with quite a manhood. The answer? Well,
to be honest, gents, it was a trick question.
Because in the right situation, every short inseam length can serve a purpose. Case in point,
the one inch inseam silkies, also known as Ranger panties. Now, silk,
these come in a wide variety of styles and colors, as you can see right here.
This pair is featuring St. Mattis of Quantico.
But what they all have in common, comfort and freedom of movement.
That's right, gents. Skies out, thighs out. Now,
some of you guys are saying, hey, these aren't practical.
Guys. Here is proof firing 80 1 mm mortars downrange
in silkies on a hot day. Yeah, nothing like it.
But seriously, Gents, shorts come in a wide variety of styles, colors and
lengths. And in today's video, I'm going to teach you how to wear them properly. Now,
in general, and we're talking about shorts that are above the knee.
The shorter the shorts are, the more casual they are. So if you're going to be wearing shorts with
a three inch, two inch, or one inch inseam, usually those are going to be swimming trunks
or shorts meant to be worn as underwear. But if the vast majority of men shorts that they
would wear on a daily basis in public, seven to nine inch inseams are going to be where it's at.
Now, how do you choose between the two? It's really about your height
and your leg length. You see, proportion is what we're going for here. In general,
the sweet spot is to cover two thirds of the thigh.
So for a man that's six foot two, a nine inch inseam is probably going to get the
job done. But for a man that's five foot two, he's going to want to look
at a five to seven inch inseam. But I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself.
Let's take a step back and talk about the history of men's shorts. Now,
shorts have been around for hundreds of years. In fact,
as long as they're have been trousers, they're pretty much have been shorts.
But seriously, they came about and they became part of uniform wear by
the military in tropical regions during the 18th and 19th century. In the 1920s, we saw
shorts popping up in swimwear. In the 1930s, in sportswear, specifically, the tennis courts.
Still, for most men prior to the 1950s, shorts were just too casual. In fact,
it was something that boys wore, not men. However, in the 1960s, and sports gear became more common.
As golf started to pick up, you started to saw men wearing shorts more and more out,
and especially here in North America, the United States shorts by the 1970s,
and 80s had really taken hold. And although today in still many countries it's considered
casual wear, shorts have really picked up. And it's hard not to travel the world and
see somebody in shorts in hot weather, especially if they're an American.
Now, gents, if you're enjoying today's video, if you like this type of content, do me a favor and
smash the like button. Seriously, when you engage with these videos, you tell the YouTube gods, hey,
this video is worth watching. Now, let's talk about the different styles of shorts.
First up, we've got athletic shorts. These are made to be able to perform
in athletic conditions. So you're going to see running shorts with a very short inseam.
You're going to see a little bit longer basketball shorts, depending on the style
and fashion trends at the time. Seriously, anyone remember these ultra long basketball shorts? Now,
the fit and material of these athletic shorts really depends on the athlete,
the level that he's at and the situation. So bicycle shorts.
Yeah, if you're going to be out there going the detour of French,
you bet you're going to wear something close to the body, which probably most
of us wouldn't want to just wear around town. Next up, we've got swim trunks. And swim trunks
are oftentimes made from material made not only be breathable, but is going to dry very quickly.
Now, swim shorts come in a variety of different styles. You've got briefs,
the speedo, you've got just regular trunks. You've got board shorts.
It really depends on the style you're looking for. I think most men are served better by trunks,
not necessarily board shorts, unless you're in great shape. And when it comes to the speedo,
again, if it's your thing, go for it.
But in North America, yeah, you don't see them very often. Now,
jump into a totally different style of short. Actually, one of the most formal styles out there.
We've got Bermuda shorts. And in certain parts of the world, including Bermuda, these can be
worn to semiformal events, oftentimes in tropical regions. Again, they adapt.
It makes sense you're going to wear them with a particular type of socks. But yes,
you can wear this with dress shoes. And the look not my cup of tea.
Has anyone actually out there worn or been or seen these? Let me know in the comments below.
Next up, we've got denim shorts. And I'll be honest, another look I'm not a huge fan of.
In general, I say there are better options out there. Next up, we've got cotton shorts,
and I've got two types here. I've got the chino shorts and I have cargo shorts.
Let's first talk about the casual option, the cargo short, which is one of the most common
styles we're going to see out there. Now, as a father of five and plus my two nephews, seven,
and having just been to Disneyland, I can tell you cargo shorts are useful for being able to
hold bottles of water on a hot day. That being said, understand, especially when they're in camo,
they are ultra, ultra casual and there's no reason to go for the frayed look on these things.
Just wear them in situations in which they're going to be useful,
but you don't need to dress up for anybody. But for the majority of situations when
you're going out in public and you actually want to look smart,
you want to look well put together. Wearing chino shorts that fit you properly are where it's at.
Now, the chino shorts I'm talking about are usually going to have an
inseam length of seven to nine inches. You'll occasionally see it shorter,
occasionally see it a bit longer. You always want to maintain about two inches above the knee.
Now, they come in a variety of colors and the vast majority will be solid. But you
usually want to go with something neutral, something similar to your trousers. That way
it's easy to match, easy to wear with any type of shirt in your wardrobe.
So variations of browns and grays are perfect. That being said, navy,
red or even green can work. Again, if you've got shirts that are interchangeable in your wardrobe.
And those colors work really well when you were going to wear them, perhaps like with a white
polo. Now, the fabric is going to be a Twill weave on the majority of these chinos and that is going
to give them a little bit of a sleeker dressier look. If they're made from a synthetic material,
these are technically not chino shorts and they are going to be more on the athletic variant.
And why that makes a difference? Because if you're wanting to wear them with, let's say, a polo
shirt, understand that the chino shorts are always going to be a little bit dressier. That being
said, this is always going to be casual wear. And that's what I want to stress about shorts.
Except for the Bermuda shorts, in every situation you're wearing them, this is a casual look. And
again, touching on materials. You've got cotton out there, that's going to be the dressiest.
Then you're going to see variations of polyester in nylon usually that's going
to be in performance shorts, that's going to be in athletic shorts. But if you see it in
a pair of shorts that look like could be wore with a polo, again, you're going to have to,
at your own discretion, make a choice here. And denim shorts are going to always be ultra casual.
Now, this next point is super important, and that is the fit of the short neff goes beyond just
the insane length. It actually has to do with how much excess material you have around the leg. Now,
if you don't skip leg day, if you've got thighs bigger than the average guy's head,
most of the off the rack shorts are probably going to suit you just fine.
They're not going to have a lot with excess material. If you were to crump
it up on the sides, maybe you want an extra inch at the least. You don't want
to ever wear shorts unless they're athletic shorts that are going to be skin tight.
But for the vast majority of guys out there, your legs are going to be a little bit thinner.
You're not going to have those thunder thighs. You're going to probably have an
extra three to four inches of material, if not more, in the shorts on the side.
And one quick tip here is if you really like those shorts, take them to a tailor or do it yourself,
but have them thinned up by streamlining the shorts. It's going to really enhance
the look. And if that's too much for you, then look at various brands.
Oftentimes you're going to find brands will make a slim cut short,
not all of them. Or you may go over and try one brand and say, hey, it's the same size,
but these fit me a lot better. And that's the key because every brand is using a different model.
I wish they would keep it consistent, but I really do appreciate it whenever
a company is creating a slim variation. And don't be afraid again to try three or
four different brands to find the fit that suits you. Speaking of tailors and fit, one quick tip.
If the shorts are too long, you could actually flip them up and hem them and actually have a
bit of a cuff. This adds just a bit of texture. It makes them look a little bit more interesting.
And as long as it works for the style, take a look at this. It's a little bit more advanced.
But if you're taking your shorts to a tailor to get them adjusted, maybe consider it.
It may actually really bring new life to an old pair. Let's talk really quick
about body types. If you are really thin, again, you're going to want to
get the shorts tailored because that excess material is not going to look good on you.
If you take care of your body, you don't skip like that. You've got very well defined legs. Guess
what? You are blessed to be able to wear shorter shorts because your legs are just going to look
good if you are a heavier set man, in general, you have to be really careful with shorts.
And I would recommend again, you don't want to go past the knee,
but it's okay to have your shorts be a little bit longer to basically balance
out the proportions. Now, really quick gents, if you're enjoying this content, if you want more,
go over to Realmenrealstyle.com. That's my free website where we have infographics,
tons of information that you can go through and read free downloads.
And there's our Style Score quiz over there. So if you're making mistakes,
we talk about this in the quiz. It's a really simple quiz that
you can take absolutely free and get feedback on how to improve your style.
You get an actual number and how to improve your style so that you can be the best dressed man in
the room. So now let's talk about styling those shorts. So you got three major shirt options here.
You have the T shirt, you have polo shirts, and you have casual button downs. Now,
one thing I love about keeping your shorts simple is that you can wear a variety of T shirts with
this. That being said, if you want to make it look a little bit nicer, go for maybe a Vneck.
Go for a darker color. You can go for a monochromatic look there.
But if you really want to step it up, look to the polo shirt.
So polos are great. They've got 100 years of history in menswear,
so it's a classic item. And that collar dresses it up.
On top of that, they're incredibly comfortable, often made from a moisture wicking material,
and it just feels right with the short combination. Now,
what about casual button downs? Yes, you can pull this look off,
and it looks best when you roll the sleeves. Some guys even go for the half tuck.
If you're that fashion forward, what are you doing? Watching my
videos. You should be helping me make them. But seriously, guys,
I do think and I've seen some great looks where they tuck in the shirt.
Other guys leave it untucked. In general, though,
if it has long tails, you're going to want to wear it tucked in. All right, so we got shirts.
Now let's talk about your footwear. First up, the socks. Crew socks you want to avoid in general,
ankle socks fine if you're going to be wearing running shoes.
Running shorts, and you just want a little bit more coverage. But for the
majority of situations at least this year and what the current fashion trends are,
I really like no show socks. And in case you're not familiar, quality no show socks should
actually have a bit of a stick and elastic inside of them that adheres to the back of your heel.
And yeah, if they keep slipping, if they keep disappearing down your foot,
you need to get a better quality or better fit. No show. That being said, now let's get into shoes.
So we talked about with athletic shoes, of course you're going to be wearing
running shoes or whatever your sporting event requires. Now, if you're heading to the beach,
sandals are perfectly fine. I do like sandals over flip flops.
Flip flops for me, are just simply wearing right there at the situation. They really don't give
you much traction if you were to have to run or move around. Yeah, you're going to lose.
You're going to be barefoot very quickly. At least sandals,
you have a little bit of traction on them. And do not wear sandals with socks.
Guys, that combination come on. So what about sneakers? If you're in your twenty s, thirty s,
I think they are an excellent option. If you're in your forty s or fifty s and
you're going to be walking throughout New York City putting on 20 miles sightseeing.
Yeah, sure, wear sneakers. Maybe look to step it up a
bit. Especially if you're wearing that polo, that casual button down.
Look at some leather sneakers. You got tons of options out there. That being said, if
you're trying to dress up the shorts just a bit, should you go for Oxford's? No, go with loafers.
If you're looking at dress shoes, go with the dress shoes that slip on and off. A
classic pair of penny loafers or maybe horsebit loafers. You got quite a few options out there.
Find the loafers that work for you. And James, if you enjoyed today's video,
you are going to love this one. Yes, stop wearing your Apollo shirt.
Wrong. So many of you guys are messing this up. I've got you
covered in this video right here because I want you to look good.
So check it out, guys. A solid video. Boom.
Right there.