男裝短褲新時尚 褲腿越來越短
The very word 'hemline' can summon visions of midcentury women's fashion and the Byzantine bylaws that simply had to be followed whenever imperious French designers raised and lowered skirt lengths. Those crazy dames, right?
“裙襬長度”這個詞會讓人想到中世紀女性的時尚，以及拜占庭時期那些專橫的法國設計師每次調整裙子長度時必須要遵循的規定。會讓人想到那些貴婦人們，對不對？Guys, you're in the same game. For most of the past two decades, men's shorts have barely merited the name, dropping so far down the calf that Linnaeus would have stuck them in the pants family. Call them what you want -- knickerbockers, breeches, clam diggers -- the one thing they haven't been is particularly short.
其實男士們也一樣。過去二十年的大部分時間裏，男士短褲幾乎沒有名副其實過，都掉到了小腿那裏，以至於林奈（著名動植物分類學家）把它們歸到了長褲裏。怎麼叫它們都行――燈籠褲、馬褲、挖蛤褲――唯一沒有被叫過的名字就是短褲。Finally that's changed. And given how change in the menswear world is measured -- think millimeters per decade rather than centimeters per season for women's wear -- shorts are shortening quickly. In the past few years, the low-water-mark length of a 15-inch-or-so inseam receded to knee-length (11 inches), then a knee-baring 9 inches, then to a quadriceps-exposing 7 inches and on to the newly fashionable thigh-flaunting 5 inches. If men's shorts were a glacier in Greenland, scientists would be freaking out.
這種局面終於要有所改變了。鑑於男裝世界裏變化的衡量方式――以每十年毫米計而不是女裝的每季以釐米計――短褲正在迅速變短。過去幾年裏，內縫長從最低的15英寸左右減到及膝（11英寸），再到露出膝蓋的9英寸長，到露出股四頭肌的7英寸長，到現在時尚感十足、露出大腿的5英寸長。如果男士短褲是格陵蘭島的一座冰川，科學家們肯定嚇壞了。
One trendy company that's staked its business to an abbreviated hem is Chubbies, which makes and sells only men's shorts with a 5 1/2-inch inseam, recalling Adidas soccer shorts of the 1970s and the Ocean Pacific trunks of the '80s (both of which are collectibles on eBay). The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2011 by four guys in their 20s who'd grown tired of the surf jams and cargo shorts they nearly drowned in during their teens.
Chubbies是舊金山一家專注於新式短褲的時尚公司，只製作和銷售內縫長5 1/2英寸的男士短褲，喚起人們對上世紀70年代阿迪達斯(Adidas)足球短褲和80年代 Ocean Pacific運動短褲的回憶（二者目前都是eBay上的收藏品）。該公司於2011年由四個20多歲的年輕人創立，他們厭倦了十幾歲時爛大街的衝浪短褲和工裝短褲。'We spend too much time in the gym to hide under frumpy shorts that say, 'I don't care how I look,'' said Rainer Castillo, one of Chubbies' founders and the chief designer. The brand's goal is to bridge the divide between long cargo shorts and fussy, high-end designer short-shorts.
Chubbies創始人之一、首席設計師雷納・卡斯蒂略(Rainer Castillo)說：“我們花了太多時間在體育館躲在宣稱‘我不在乎自己什麼樣子’的老土短褲裏。”該品牌的目標是消除長工裝褲和花哨的高檔設計師短款短褲之間的鴻溝。Produced in the U.S. in a range of sporty, casual and dressy renditions, and available via their website for around $50 each, Chubbies make a pretty good case for themselves. Still, Mr. Castillo said he is aware that there's a customer out there who's not ready to bare so much thigh; the company hopes to bring out a 7-inch inseam at some point. That measurement could prove to be a sweet spot of sorts -- smack dab as it is between the conservative 9-inch and the 5-inch party boy.
Chubbies做得非常好。其短褲在美國有運動、休閒和考究等各種款式，可以從他們的網站上購買，售價約每條50美元。不過，卡斯蒂略說，他知道有的顧客還沒有準備好露這麼多的大腿；公司希望未來會推出7英寸款。這個長度應該會是可以照顧到各類人羣的最佳長度――介於保守的9英寸和花哨的5英寸之間，長度正合適。For Atlanta-based menswear designer and retailer Sid Mashburn, the magic number is close to it. He does either a 7 1/2- or 8-inch inseam. 'I just don't like the longer lengths. They cut off your body in a strange place,' said Mr. Mashburn. He added that he prefers to measure shorts by outseam (the measurement on the outside of the leg, from the waist to the hem) rather than the inseam, since the drop (the distance from the waist to the crotch) can vary as much as a few inches depending on the style. For the moment, however, he sticks to the traditional inseam in descriptions.
對亞特蘭大男裝設計師及零售商錫德・馬什伯恩(Sid Mashburn)來說，這個長度和魔力數字接近了。他喜歡的長度是7 1/2或8英寸。他說：“我不喜歡太長。那樣會顯得比例很奇怪。”他還說他更喜歡量外側縫的長度（腿外側縫的長度，從腰到褲邊），因爲不同款式從腰到襠部的距離會有幾英寸的不同。不過目前他在產品說明裏還是用傳統的內縫長。It may be only 2 or so inches, but the difference between the Chubbies and Mashburns is meaningful. Chubbies' shorter length (and elastic waistband) dovetails with its irreverent vibe; the shorts are more weekend wear than cocktail fare. The company doesn't use typical poetic names for their colors. Khaki shorts aren't 'bone' or 'sand,' they're 'Khakmeisters.'
Chubbies和馬什伯恩之間或許只差2英寸左右，但這種差別意義重大。Chubbies較短的長度和彈性腰帶與其玩世不恭的氣質吻合，更適合週末穿着，不適合參加雞尾酒會。公司並沒有用一般比較詩意的名字給顏色命名。卡其短褲並不是“骨色”或“沙色”，而是“Khakmeisters”。By contrast, Sid Mashburn's styles have graduated from beer to vodka tonics. Made of cotton duck, seersucker or pincord and priced from $125 to $165, the shorts show enough leg to feel current without drawing too much attention. (For extra edge, Mr. Mashburn said, his tailor can sever the bottom hem, to finish them like cutoffs.)
相比之下，錫德・馬什伯恩的款式就像是從啤酒過渡到伏特加湯力。採用棉帆布、泡泡紗或細條燈芯絨面料，售價從125美元到165美元不等。長度恰到好處，既符合短款的潮流，又不會吸引太多的注意力。（馬什伯恩說，如果太長，他的裁縫師可以裁掉底邊，讓褲子看起來像是截出來的短褲。）However, many larger clothing companies believe that one length won't do for all customers. Menswear company Bonobos, which made its name with well-fitting men's trousers, hedges its bets when it comes to its $68 chino shorts, offering them in four lengths: 11, 9, 7 and 5 inches. also offers four different lengths; Club Monaco has three. All make the inseam a prominent detail so guys can rest assured they know what they're getting -- an approach that other online retailers should follow.
不過，很多大型時裝公司認爲，一種長度並不能適用於所有顧客。以合身男褲成名的男裝公司Bonobos對其售價68美元的斜紋棉布短褲就採取了保險的辦法，提供了四種長度：11英寸、9英寸、7英寸和5英寸。也提供了四種長度；Club Monaco有三種長度。這幾家公司都在內縫上下足了功夫，這樣男士們就會很放心，知道自己買的是什麼――這是其他網上零售商應該效仿的一個方法。So, which length to choose? The 11-inch shorts, said Dwight Fenton, Bonobos' vice president of design, tend to work for guys in their teens who aren't up for very short. The 5-inchers, meanwhile, are favored by men in their 20s who want an on-trend look. 'The same young guys wearing the slim-cut suits,' Mr. Fenton said.
那麼該選擇哪種長度呢？ Bonobos設計副總裁德懷特・芬頓(Dwight Fenton)說，11英寸的短褲比較適合那些不太喜歡極短褲長的十幾歲的男孩子。與此同時，5英寸的短褲則受到20幾歲追逐時尚的人的青睞。芬頓說：“和年輕人穿修身西裝是一個道理。”Other factors are obviously height and weight. Taller and leaner gents look better in longer and leaner shorts; shorter builds are better in shorter, boxier shorts. Tall and burly men, meanwhile, can benefit from showing a bit of leg in 7-inch shorts.
其他的因素顯然是身高和體重。高瘦的體型適合較長和較瘦的短褲，矮個穿較短較寬鬆的款式比較好。又高又壯的人則適合露一點大腿、7英寸長的款式。The ideal strategy, of course, is to have a few in different colors and lengths -- giving you a pair for every occasion.
當然最理想的策略是購置幾件不同顏色不同長度的款式――每種場合一條。After all, summer is too short to spend it in long pants.
畢竟，夏天時間太短了，穿長褲過有點浪費。
