From yesterday's Times- Beckham is following Ronaldo's lead....
Get the Beckham look without it making you feel that your lunchbox is on the menu
A press release sent out by Selfridges claims that its male customers have been flocking to buy tiny shorts after seeing a photo of David Beckham in a pair of miniature D&G swim shorts while on holiday in the Caribbean.
So powerful an icon has Mr Golden Balls become that the department store claimed a 50 per cent increase in sales of skimpy shorts, and that D&G’s had sold out, requiring outlets in London, Birmingham and Manchester to set up waiting lists. The microscopic shorts were outselling their baggy counterparts three to one, prompting David Walker Smith, the Selfridges director of menswear and beauty, to say: “Today’s ‘if you’ve got it flaunt it’ generation is no longer exclusive to women, with male customers taking Beckham’s lead and investing £100 upwards on skimpy summer shorts.”
The press release was titled “Battle of the Bulges” and it’s worth remembering two things about Beckham. The first is that he is no stranger to putting his “tackle” out there for public consumption, as his stint as an Emporio Armani underwear model attests. The second is that the rules that apply to the non-famous are not necessarily the same as those that govern celebrities.
Whatever Becks’s reason for squeezing into a pair of male hotpants, it was not to go swimming — this was a fashion statement. But if you are a pap-friendly superstar, frankly, you can wear what you like, when you like, and you will be lauded and admired. Given this, is it any wonder that David Beckham can carry off itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny shorts when the rest of us really should think carefully about following suit? It helps that, injured or not, the man is a ripped athlete with legs to match. But if you are not, or even if you are and want to preserve your modesty, I have a suggestion: Orlebar Brown.
You see what the man at Selfridges is saying does make sense. Short shorts are of the moment and, like Becks, you may be tempted to wear a pair designed for less energetic activities poolside, or even in town while on holiday.
Orlebar Brown is a great British company — its products are even made here — that gets it just right. Its styles are classic and beautifully cut. There are different lengths in the range, but in the Setter, a modern take on the tailored-fit 1950s swimshort that comes in a variety of colours with side buckles, you have what the company calls a “shorter short”. This can give you a hint of the Beckham look without making you feel that your lunchbox is on the menu when you pull on a T-shirt and head for the local restaurant after doing a few lengths.
My favourite style is a collaboration between Orlebar Brown and the designer Bill Amberg: a mid-length beach short in white with a thick, bright, two-colour racing stripe on the right thigh. Cunningly, there is a cool duffle bag in colours to match in which to carry your towel and bestseller. And it comes with a nylon strap so if you’re on crutches you can still sling it over your shoulder, no problem.
Setter swim short: £120; Bill Amberg 10 classic beach short, £150; Bill Amberg 10 duffle bag, £180; orlebarbrown.com
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article7109654.ece
These look more than a trifle expensive to me- Ebay would be my first stop....
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