You can tell a lot about a man by how much thigh he’s showing this summer. At Club Monaco, the quiet kings of beige linen and earnest leisurewear, the legs are doing more talking than usual.
The latest arrivals offer a modest enough palette: off-white, pale blue, navy. But look lower. The hemlines have risen. Juan Betancourt is sitting, legs spread, relaxed, unbothered, as if to say, “These aren’t just shorts. These are choices.”
And they are. Because after decades of cyclical toying with inseams, the current swing toward thigh-baring menswear is no longer confined to trend-heavy designers or Soho exhibitionists. Even the restrained Club Monaco man, previously more known for showing cuff than calf, is inching upward.
Why the Short Short Still Matters
This time, the short length is not ironic. Nor is it retro, really. Yes, there are remnants of Magnum P.I. and the 1980s basketball court, when shorts were high and personal space was low. But what we’re seeing now is less disruptive. If Tom Selleck’s shorts were a wink, these are a shrug. The exposure is subtle, but the message isn’t.
There’s cultural currency in that hemline. Today’s man, the kind who owns suede sneakers and uses hair product with discernment, doesn’t need a big logo to signal taste. He has a quad. Maybe two. A modest 5-inch inseam is no longer just beachwear. It’s brunch wear, gallery wear, “I’m working from the hotel lobby” wear.
Brands like Saint Laurent and Dries Van Noten have all backed the high-short cut. Even Prada’s recent collection has given thigh its due, pairing abbreviated shorts with shrunken sailor-style knits. The effect is one of deliberate vulnerability, signaling exposure as aesthetic rather than necessity.
Of course, showing more skin comes with a new set of unspoken rules. Grooming, for one. A full pelt of thigh hair once suggested old-school athleticism or West Coast nonchalance. Now it reads less surfer and more algorithm. Going smooth can feel a little too calculated, but looking slightly maintained implies effort without obsession.
And then there’s the seated pose. Once overlooked as a styling challenge, it now serves as the real test: if you can sit naturally and still feel at ease in a shorter inseam, you’re in the clear. Club Monaco’s model passes easily, thighs confidently angled, inseams well above the knee and unapologetically so.
Which raises the perennial question: is there such a thing as too short? Only if you’re asking the wrong people. Modesty, in 2025, is no longer defined by coverage. It’s defined by confidence. The shorter short isn’t scandalous. It’s honest. A climate-appropriate, ankle-to-hip acknowledgment that men too deserve ventilation and a little self-celebration.
And so the question becomes not whether your shorts are too short, but whether your conviction is too low. This summer, the new flex isn’t on your sleeve or wrist. It’s on your thigh.
