National Post

Picking the right socks for your Bermuda shorts.

- By Maryam Siddiqi

Eduardo Paes, mayor of Rio de Janeiro, ruffled more than a few feather boas early in the year when he wore Bermuda shorts to a black-tie gala. Despite the sweltering temperatur­es, many in the city’s society set weren’t impressed at his informalit­y; formality being something that Brazilians expect from political representa­tives (lawyers too, even cabbies). Had he been wearing knee socks, would the reception have been any different?

“It’s mandatory to wear socks with the shorts, that’s what makes them Bermuda shorts,” says Ronald Maughan, director of operations at The English Sports Shop in Hamilton, Bermuda, which has been outfitting islanders since 1918. “Without socks, they’re just shorts.” You’d be hard-pressed to find another piece of casual clothing with such rigid rules — socks is just one item on a detailed list — but then, you’d be hard-pressed to find an item with such a colourful history.

It’s claimed that the shorts generally were first invented when British forces were in India during the First World War, Maughan explains: “It was too hot, so they cut their trousers into shorts.” They were baggy and without any defining style, but they were cool, and the improvised clothing item followed British forces around the world, including Bermuda, where it was eventually decided that, given the temperatur­es, shorts were a practical item for one’s wardrobe. “In the mid-1950s, people started to taper and tailor them,” Maughan says.

Originally only worn in subdued, serious shades like beige, khaki and grey, colourful versions of the shorts started covering legs in the mid-1960s. Pink, turquoise, emerald green, any colour will do — but never a pattern nor a plaid. “Only solid colours,” Maughan advises if you want your shorts to qualify as Bermudas. Pink is his most popular colour (“When I’m feeling blue, I pull out my pink shorts,” he says), but this summer he expects orange to sell fast. Appropriat­ely, Celosia Orange (17-1360) happens to be one of Pantone’s colours for spring/summer 2014, part of what the colour-forecastin­g institute calls a “confident and versatile palette.”

Aside from colour, flat fronts are de rigueur now as they are with the rest of the fashion industry, though pleats are acceptable, and the fabric blend is traditiona­lly linen and polyester, though Bermudas can also be poplin (a poly/cotton blend). Length of the outseam is typically 19 inches, with the hem sitting two to three inches above the knee. And, in a business environmen­t, Bermuda shorts are worn with a suit jacket.

But back to those socks: “It’s the socks that make the outfit,” Maughan proclaims — pre-party advice Mayor Paes could’ve used at New Year’s Eve. Knee socks must reach just below the knee, no more than an inch, and must be folded over. “If you don’t have the turnover, they’re not a Bermuda sock,” Maughan says. Socks should match the jackets, contrastin­g with the shorts, and accompanyi­ng footwear is office appropriat­e — dark brown or black laceups or loafers. The socks carried by the English Sports Shop are a wool, nylon and Lycra blend.

Although this seems like just the type of outfit hipsters would claim as a warmweathe­r essential, Bermuda shorts aren’t as popular with those in their 20s and 30s as they are with shoppers middle-aged and older, though Maughan insists — if worn correctly — they’re appropriat­e for any occasion. “You could wear them if you’re meeting the Queen of England,” he says. Or, perhaps, to a black-tie party in Rio de Janeiro.

 ?? GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP / Gett
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GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP / Gett y

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