Men can wear Shorts

Without Pharrell Williams to shake up the menswear fashion scene, we would be left with the fashion antics of Kanye. But haven’t we all seen enough Givenchy and Margiela face masks? Pharrell caused quite the stir by wearing a hat to the Grammys, who knew a hat could cause so much trouble? Vivienne Westwood probably did.

And now he has gone and done it again, he wore shorts to the Oscars. The Red Carpet is all about being the best dressed – it’s formal. Fashion risks are practically non-existent on the Red Carpet as every star defers to a stylist to ensure they look perfectly (and often boringly) dressed. A stylist probably would have talked him out of this decision. But as Alber Elbaz states,”Pharrell is fun and fearless”. Exactly what menswear needs right now.

Enter the Pharrell Shorts.

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Now Thom Browne has been trying to get men into shorts with blazers for years, so this move is nothing new to fashion insiders. But Pharrell’s move is significant because he just mainstreamed the idea. And he went with Lanvin. Whether it takes off is yet to be seen but I think more men will attempt this look – especially when we are stuck going to black tie events and the mercury goes above 100F. Thom Browne may have invented the idea but Pharrell just made it cool.

Here’s how to do it right. (Remember, when you want to do one thing wrong – everything else has to be perfectly right)

  1. Perfect Fit. This requires tailoring not off the rack.
  2. The top should be a tux – no straying here – white shirt, black bow tie, tuxedo jacket.
  3. The shorts should reach the knee and have a slim fit. Any shorter would be a mis-step.
  4. Must be paired with a formal shoe – no socks. Black. Polish them
  5. Moisturize those legs boys. And a tan helps.
  6. Own the look – without the confidence to wear it, you might as well stay home

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Christian has been a cultural and style junkie since the age of 6; while most kids were swiping cookies, he was swiping his grandfathers' Patek Philippe. Raised to appreciate art, fashion,design and  literature (yeah, this one actually reads) by a single mother fondly called Jackie-O. Christian quickly went from childhood cultural capital thief to academia protégé. Referred to as the cat's meow by some, too clever by half by others, Christian eschewed the academic life and ran away to join the circus -the fashion circus. Several well-appointed positions later and a career on the rise would be most people's dream but it was time to say fuck off and start all over again.

This is Christian Dare Unedited.