Paul Mescal can pull off short-shorts, but can ordinary men? | Barbara Ellen

I’m preparing to avert my gaze from the victims of this summer’s fashion fad, championed by the young actorSomething strange is happening to men’s shorts. They’re no longer shorts, rather they’re short-shorts. Last week, Normal People actor Paul Mescal, soon to appear in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, went viral after rocking up at the Gucci menswear show in Milan wearing short-shorts. “I’m a big advocate for men wearing shorter shorts,” said Mescal, an official Gucci ambassador. Teamed with a shirt, loafers and socks yanked up to mid-calf, his shorts were indeed extremely short. A casual observer might think Mescal was standing in the street in his pants.Mescal, it transpires, is a dedicated all-weathers shorts fan. But this is beyond The Mescal Effect, or even the leggy musculature on display during Euro 2024. Short-shorts are everywhere: on catwalks; worn by the likes of Harry Styles; wafting around social media as a “thigh guy summer” hashtag. Continue reading...