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The history of shorts

by jagath
March 10, 2024 1:00 am 0 comment 347 views

Words: Nirosha Rajapakse

Whilst being battled by the scorching sun, worrying on a poor wallet that cannot facilitate my stand in need of buying a good deep epidermal moisturiser, I feel like even doing a podcast about the guys who wear shorts in some vulnerable areas where excessive heat would even make you dehydrated.

Wearing shorts may be a style that resembles the people who prefer calling themselves ghetto chic. My young nephew who is armed with wings told me that he was charmed and intrigued by dingy and gaudy accessories and high-waisted shorts.

In contrast, I assume that his intended sweetheart would just flame broil his shorts apparently on the grill for she may fall into the category of nearly 34% of people who consider that wearing shorts, except at some specific informal occasions, may make the wearer unprofessional.

A prominent figure in the London West End Theatre once inclined his theatregoers to burst into laughing with a captivating declaration where he remarked that only three men in the world are authorised to be attired in shorts and they are none other than Brad Pitt whose character of Tyler Durden in David Fincher’s Fight Club revitalised the aspect of converting a book into the style of a film, Tom Cruise who has been the ever gracious synonym for Misson Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick and Johnny Depp whose box office success including pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pear is an inspiration for amateur actors.

Tropical environment

Being troubled by the increasing temperature and whilst looking for shorts that can make you much more refreshing and bracing in hot weather presumably in a tropical environment, you might be recollecting on your synopsis written on the famous line of the Bard’s sonnet 18, “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date”. Shorts worn by you facilitate your skin’s need of having a satisfying breath when you complain on an extremely hot day. There is a popular belief that compared with pants, shorts are more breathable where they effortlessly infiltrate into your wardrobe.

A certain fashion designer told me that the history of shorts is much older than we assume. It is widely believed that the earliest known example of shorts is found as early as 1800s during which shorts were noticed to have been worn by the military in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal.

Despite shorts being

used as a part of a military uniform, the concept of men’s shorts that has evolved into the necessities even of the 21st century is said to have come into the limelight in a tea house on Bermuda Island during the latter part of World War I.

Despite both destructive and constructive criticisms as well as absurd and humorous remarks, wearing shorts is predominantly noticed even among the royals. As told to Harper’s Bazaar by William Hanson, an expert on Etiquette, boys of the royalty and nobility are generally dressed in shorts, notably as they attend to formal occasions until they reach at their eighth birthday.

Anyhow, research indicates that it was during the middle of the 20th century that shorts became solely evident as attire for boys. Seeing the pictures of boys being dressed in short trousers instead of wearing knickerbockers almost became a regular sight in some European cities during the initial years of the 1920s.

During the same period, boys, reaching at the age of 13 were encouraged to replace their shorts with pants as a sign of maturity. Meanwhile, towards the 1930s, shorts were able to make an influence on the men’s wardrobe as a dress code that gives the wearer a casual comfort for some specifically arranged events.

It is also revealed that the shorts which were initially known as “Knee Pants” were the basis for the introduction of school and scout uniforms. Troops serving in the tropical climatic conditions started to wear shorts in order to combat the oppressive heat.

A researcher commented that the shorts worn by the militaries were exquisitely demonstrated in the sketches and portraits of the British Eighth Army in North Africa from 1940-1943; they were popularly known as “Desert Rats”. It is further divulged that Free French forces, Italian army and the German Afrika Korps were among the shorts worn fighters in the front line. Shorts belong to the category of casual garments. During Summer, they become a staple of warm weather clothing; they become rather popular with an increasing demand, their prices take wings.

Apt gear

On the other hand, even the street hawkers who sell shorts boast on a high sale that makes their pouch rich during summer. Shorts are not just summer wear but a form of convenient and apt gear for an array of uses; swimming, walking, climbing are among the most highlighted.

Dr Carolina Estevez, a clinical psychologist, based in Florida notes that a man’s crave for grit, resolve and virility may have a considerable impact on choosing to be dressed in shorts. Men in shorts may speculate that the onlookers may be dazzled by their ability of enduring the onerous and arduous temperatures; it could perhaps be a strategy which is able to make a statement whilst they make it a point to reveal themselves in a distinctive way.

The lure, rizz and aptness of the shorts are of immediate prominence. A heavily-Victorian lass might find fault in slapdash and slipshod shorts, worn by her fiancé. In contrast, the same woman may encourage him to settle himself with shorts once relaxing on the beach, notably during excessive summer times.

Bulky and hefty are the knacks that shorts have got in adding a bit of spirit and verve into your look. The place reserved to shorts in every man’s closet is beyond substitution. A wearer of shorts would not be in short of the marks, scored in turning the shorts into a potent and formidable weapon in his arsenal, as long as his research finds its kosher fit and setting; it would handily deal with wagging tongues that ought to be swallowed up

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