My God, how hideous:
From all perspectives, the short-suit is an odd pairing. Sartorially, the look is equal parts business and schoolboy. Functionally, it’s both breezy and stifling, and socks are a no-no, unless they go up to one’s knees. The list of people who can pull it off doesn’t stretch much beyond professionals in Bermuda and street-style icons such as Nick Wooster and Pharrell.
[F]or most guys it’s a gutsy decision. For retailers, however, it’s not very risky at all. Most high-volume brands focus on staples, which is a great way to capture the everyman en masse. But staples generally don’t go out of style and thus don’t need replacing that often. The short-suit is something different. It may go the way of square-toed dress shoes next week…
“It’s an easy and affordable way to kind of be in step with what’s going on,” Patrick says. “It’s also a merchandising play, because guys will come in and buy ties and shirts and a bunch of other stuff.”
The critic who posted about this said the main problem is that they're trying to push the "short suit" into the cultural mainstream without the obligatory tour through a subculture first, "where it can acquire the necessary patina of cool to make it a target for cooption by the rest of us." No, actually, the problem is that the look is so dorky, which, come to think of it, makes it perfect for the "pajama boy" set the Obama administration seems aimed at. No way in hell the look ever, ever becomes cool.
Yeah, yeah, I know, tough talk from somebody of the generation that gave the world bell bottoms and tie-dye T-shirts. Well, that just gives me the experience to know dorky when I see it.
