August 11, 2021 |
A complete 180 to last season’s XXS short shorts, this year’s summer must-have is the ultra-wide Bermuda. It may be August, and it’s still chucking it down with rain, but this signature style brushes across your knee – making it perfect for all sorts of crappy British weather conditions.
The SS22 shows saw designers near and far adapt to this post-lockdown way of dressing. It made both fashion designers and consumers think about what fashion means to us; how we want to feel when wearing clothes. Start redesigning your wardrobes now. Be optimistic, brave the shorts. Here are our best picks from this season.
Paul Smith
This season, Paul Smith was able to transform traditional outdoor items such as parkas, climbing shoes, coats and most importantly, shorts into street centric staples. Taking parachute nylon shorts and dyeing it into the romantic hues of his summers spent in Tuscany – Sir Paul has plenty of colourways for these easy-going shorts. Grab your pair and get adventuring!
Giorgio Armani
Amongst a sea of tailored suits, Giorgio Armani offered numerous casual options this season; a stand-out being the shorts. The idea of what a ‘suit’ actually means is constantly being confronted by designers. Describing the collection as channelling a “comfort that is more in sync with the times we are living in”, Armani takes formal attire on a casual route – the Bermuda short being the ideal way to do so.
Dior
Collaborating with La Flame AKA Travis Scott, Dior’s SS22 collection blended themes of the Texan desert – which has travelled with Scott throughout his career in both music and fashion – and Kim Jones’ love of nature, creating a trippy background for the pair’s joint catwalk show. The outfits combined Cactus Jack’s instantly recognisable colour palette of reds, browns and pinks with Dior’s intricate patterns and illustrations. Together, the two parties pushed boundaries of both streetwear and high-end silhouettes, combining narrow-waisted blazers with flared trousers and shorts. The shorts differ between an oversized basketball style and more formal itterations. Whatever option you prefer, add a bit of La Flame to your wardrobe.
Homme Plissé Issey Miyake
Titled Human Ensemble, Homme Plissé Issey Miyake’s SS22 collection upholds the brand’s status as one of the most desirable in any man’s wardrobe. With, as expected, a new selection of pleated garments on offer, the collection’s shorts came either in a three-quarter-length, or a loose-fit Bermuda style, in a range of neutral hues.
Hermès
Inspiring a new optimistic way to dress, now we are slowly returning to normality, Véronique Nichanian has created a collection that mixes vividly bright colours and natural tones, light fabrics and relaxed shapes. Hermès collection was underpinned by collective optimism and determination. All loosely fitted, there were reversible parkas, tailored jackets and shirts. In a lighte, soft fabrics, elongated Bermuda combinations came in smokey grey, blush pink and maroon. All ideal for the unpredictable British summer.
Casablanca
Casablanca’s Charaf Tajer came into this season with a new ethos. He is now focused on ‘après sport’ – the idea of creating sportswear that you can go out in without actually doing any sport. The whole collection – inspired by ’80s Japanese culture in both colour palette and patterns – offers two different types of shorts. First, a smooth, white option falling just above the knee with a deliberate fold down the middle of each leg, and a vibrant blue short plastered with an abstract pattern inspired by ‘80s design and architecture collective Memphis Milano.
Top image: Dior SS22. Catch up on all the menswear SS22 collections here.
