Friday, October 12, 2007

the long & short of it is

I failed to mention how Bermuda shorts came about, probably because I wasn't thinking hard enough to find out. And then I came across this...

Bermuda Shorts
n. Tailored shorts that are long to above the knee. Bermuda shorts were created to solve a moral dilemma. In the 1940s, the island of Bermuda passed a law saying that women were not allowed to walk around with bare legs. So, knee-length shorts - worn with knee socks - were born.
http://fabsugar.com/541866

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Actually, I think Wikipedia has it right,
"Bermuda shorts originated with the British Army for wear in tropical and desert climates, and they are still worn by the Royal Navy. It is believed that the style was adapted for business wear in Bermuda, emulating the British military forces stationed there in the early twentieth century."

Anonymous said...

There was (probably still is) a law that was restrictive on the length of shorts/skirts worn by women that was hardly taken very serious. As a promotion gimmick there used to be print ads and promotional films that showed the police measuring the length of a tourist's shorts. It was really used to highlight how we were so quaint and different. Eating out at night REQUIRED a jacket and tie and beach attire was not something you wore other than on the beach. Traditional Bermuda Shorts would have been used well before that and are actually Men's shorts...

MS CUTE PANTS said...

Thank you, Slowhand.

ZenDenizen said...

I can't stand the sight of a guy in shorts, I don't care how nice his legs are :)