8" or 10" shorts? Depends on your legs, not your height.
Lads, quick one for the weekend.
I believe Y.Chroma is the only super-premium men’s brand that makes shorts in more than one length. A few mall brands do it, but premium brands like Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, and Zegna don’t. I like those guys, but disagree with this decision.
Here’s a little video on the 3 reasons why I take this unusual extra step.
1. Your body is not your height.
The average inseam on earth is around 28 inches. I’m 6'1" and mine is short. Michael Phelps is taller than me and his legs are actually shorter than mine — his body is all in his torso.
So if you’ve got long legs, the 10-inch sits at the right scale. If your legs are shorter (regardless of your height), 8-inch will flatter you more. Inseam is not height. Never was.
2. Your preference.
Then there is personal style. Some of you want the short sitting well above the knee. Clean. A touch of leg. Slightly sportier. Brilliant.
Some of you want it grazing the top of the knee. More covered. Also brilliant.
Both are correct. Both deserve to exist.
3. One cuff, two looks.
And here’s the third reason — the one nobody talks about.
All my shorts have a button cuff. Hard to make, by the way. Most guys wear them up most of the time. But fold it down and press it and you’ve got a dressier silhouette. Barefoot loafer, knee covered — you’re going to dinner in Hawaii with an upscale, dressy shorts look.
I make two lengths in all colors of the Retinol and Becker Shorts, and will expand this into future shorts as well.
P.S. Care note for any first-timers: no dryer, boys. Ever.
