For years, we have repeatedly extolled the virtues of Patagonia’s Baggies shorts. Season after summer, Yvon Chouinard’s masterpiece has provided the soundtrack for warm-weather attire all across the world, becoming the go-to choice for both fashion insiders and regular shorts fans. Yet we’re still not sick of them.
Yet, in the interim, swishy shorts in the Baggies style have become an unavoidable earworm, inspiring many excellent interpretations on the original material—some of which are more pointed than others. But who is the silhouette that may conceivably unseat the Baggies’ reign atop the charts this year? Running shorts by Fear of God Basics. Essentials hoody
The Basics line is Jerry Lorenzo’s less expensive—yet no less fashionable—counterpart to the Fear of God brand. (Consider sweatshirts, t-shirts, and sneakers all made in the designer’s preferred dusty color scheme and offered at relatively affordable pricing.)
So it’s scarcely surprising that the complete range usually sells out, and fast. But the sub-shorts label’s remain among its most prized products. They also offer two very important hand pockets and an elastic waist with a hidden drawstring for simple size flexibility.
Yet in typical FOG style, they exude polished California cool while being stylishly, well, saggy. Nevertheless, unlike their Patagonia counterparts, they don’t include the recognizable mesh banana hammock. And hey, perhaps we’re speaking to a mainly
Hey, maybe we’re speaking to a largely boxer-brief warrior audience. Yet if you ask us, the greater air flow and flexibility of choice might be enough to push the Baggies out of first place in the menswear market.
Fair warning: The Essentials silhouette is shorter than the five-inch industry standard at a healthy three inches. Good if that makes you nervous. The safe bet is always a five-inch inseam, but outstanding fits encourage the daring, not the conservative.
As stated in our “Golden Rule of Shorts,” shorts should currently be either two inches shorter or four inches longer than usual.
