Brief encounters: short shorts in the spotlight at Gucci’s

On the front row, the brand’s ambassador, Paul Mescal, wore a striped cotton pair that at first glance could have been mistaken for boxers

Gird your loins. The main missive from the Gucci menswear show that took place in Milan on Monday afternoon was that short shorts are sliding up the style charts for summer. Out of 46 of the looks shown, 41 featured shorts hovering around the three- and five-inch inseam mark. One model’s look even consisted of just a pair of slick leather shorts in Gucci’s signature “Ancora Rosso” oxblood colour. On the front row, the Irish actor Paul Mescal added to the mood wearing a softly striped cotton pair from the brand that at first glance could have been mistaken for boxers.

While Mescal was named an official ambassador for the Italian giant last October, he’s also become the unofficial face/legs of the short shorts trend. He was one of the first to thrust micro shorts into the spotlight when he was pictured circa 2020 in a pair from his local GAA team (Gaelic Athletic Association), an Irish sporting organisation that Mescal previously played football for. Since then “thigh guy summer” has become a popular hashtag on social media and now Gucci has elevated the trend to high fashion.