Is There Such a Thing as the Perfect Swim Trunk?
The fashion world has debated at length — pun intended — the perfect length of shorts. As a collective, we have moved from the shortest of shorts to shorts that aren't even really all that short and back, rested somewhere in the middle even, and returned in swings to on or the other extreme.
Shorts as pants allow for these polarities and our changing feelings towards them. But so, what's the deal then when it comes to the shorts we wear to the beach, the pool, the lake? Are swim trunks exempt from hem rules, however mobile these may be? Or do they fall under even stricter guidelines?
The swim trunk being an item few own more than a single pair or two of, both a seasonal and evergreen product all at once, and therefore expected to fulfill functional as well as sartorial duties, raises a pressing question: Is there such a thing as the perfect swim trunk? MR PORTER and I just had to know, what needs to be right for one's swim trunks not to look wrong?
In Search of the Perfect Swim Shorts? Shore Thing!
Length
So, unless you're doing it like the French and opting out of pant legs altogether, you'll have wondered about how long a swim short should ideally be, where it's to hit above or — God forbid — below the knee.
The objective truth, as always, lies in the middle, somewhere in between budgie smuggler and bermuda.
Though there's nothing wrong with a Paul Mescal-style short short, you'll likely find an added inch or two most comfortable, most versatile, most timeless.
Athletically and aesthetically speaking, just beneath one's center-thigh is thee sweet spot, trust.
To some an even more controversial debate than that over length is the matter of pattern. Do we want our swim trunks to be multicolored, covered in checks or flowers or, uh, starfish?
Yes and no: If one's water bottoms are to moonlight as regular bottoms, then you're best advised to stick with something simpler.
But there is, indeed, some fun to be had with what often ends up being an entire vacation's main article of clothing, so might as well have it embody that playful out-of-office spirit.
If camo cargo shorts are enjoying a renaissance, who in there right mind would complain about a teensy bit of Hawaiian tropic, much less a few stripes?
Companion
In reality, a good swim short is (and isn't) only as effective as whatever it's paired with ...
Granted, not everyone wants to play dress up on holiday, nor does it matter since — if the trip's any good — you won't be wearing much else than your trunks, regardless.
Still, the easy tee you throw over to be served at the tiki bar for refreshments, or head to the crab shack with after sundown, oughta match those shorts of yours.
But, you know, in a way that no one will know you've put so much thought into it. You feel me?
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