What is it with British men in hot weather?

My father had a pair of voluminous khaki shorts left over from fighting in thw Burma jungle in WW11. Every summer without fail they put in an appearance when he was gardening or doing other 'weekend jobs'. My poor mother tried so hard to wean him off them but he wouldn't part with them. If visitors called when he was at the end of the garden she used to say he was out!

I forgot to say he also had a bush hat to complete the look. Poor Mum.

I suppose there is an ignorance about bareing in public streets etc or is it arrogance ego thing 🤔

windmill1

Oh yes, sadly. The first sign of sunshine - at any time of year - and British men's sense of style goes out the window, and it isn't brilliant to begin with.

So many favour those appalling Cargo Shorts, ultra-baggy three quarter length shorts, usually in a drab and washed out khaki, with pockets all over. Very much favoured by distinctly out-of-shape blokey's, the waistband either balanced on top of their beer gut or tucked underneath, with hairy little legs poking out and topped off by the scruffiest trainers.

And, it goes without saying, these guys obviously don't believe in ironing anything. I can only suppose they think that Real Men Don't Do Ironing.

Let's not forget, how could we, the ever-present Baseball cap.

British men, in warmer weather, display their "take-me-as-I-am" attitude via their sartorial laziness and boorish ignorance. They truly look as if they dressed in whatever happened to be lying on the bedroom floor when they rolled out of bed in the morning.......

You've given me a laugh!!

I was in the car with dad ages ago and he started his usual comments regarding women, their bulges and very tight clothes.

So I said, "what about men who have trousers with a tight shirt tucked in and their bellies overhanging?"

"That's different!" Was his reply!

Now c'mon!
Everyone knows sandals with socks are 'in fashion'!
Just under the knee is the best > I'm reliably informed.

I’m just imagining the response, or maybe I should say outcry, if this thread was all about British women in the hot weather, and a load of men were commenting in such a negative and disparaging manner?!

Kandinsky

Can you imagine a man posting this about women
This is snobbery and sexism in action.

Kandinsky

Can you imagine a man posting this about women hmm
This is snobbery and sexism in action.

I completely agree. There’s a lot of body shaming here too and I’m shocked at how many on here are doing it.

I can see the point of baseball caps worn backwards in sunny weather but so many men (inc my grandson) do it all the time. That band across the forehead looks plain stupid to me!

Dont think they should be allowed in shops without a shirt on. Trouble is they all think they are in Marbella.

What with half of the country veiled up and the other half half naked, what a world.

Magenta8

Esmay Thank you for giving me a good laugh. I now have a mental image of an obese man strutting around wearing nothing but knickers.

Enough to put you off your dinner. The best of it is, they wear these shorts for weeks on end. They must make their way to the washing machine on their own eventually.

I shouldn’t worry Turdi. This board has no shortage of women who enjoy disparaging the clothing choices of other women.

For the record, I don’t care what clothes people wear so long as they do wear something when they are in places where clothing should be worn. Save naked torsos for home and the beach, not the post office and the grocery store.

Diffuser

Another one here who can't bear to see overweight men with no tops on walking through town. Yuk!

My DH wore a turquoise polo shirt, navy chinos and navy deck shoes today and a looked smart, he's always been very well groomed, that's just who he is.

Another thing I've noticed is that in very cold weather, men wear shorts with a hoodie and gilet. Their legs must be freezing!

I think maybe it is a cultural thing. Here in Cornwall a lot of men of all ages wear shorts all year around, often with jumpers and gilets just like you said. They look perfectly smart and respectable. I personally can’t see the problem with that, so much nicer than a white flabby belly on display in hot weather!

Both men and women can look either good or very often, sadly, not so good in the sun. I have always thought that very few people suit shorts once past their early thirties. I bumped into an old school friend of mine rhe other day and very much enjoyed the catch-up. However, she was dressed in a vest top and fairly brief shorts and is probably a size 22-24. Not a good look. However, many years ago, an elderly man l knew would don his shorts. They were of the type sported by Nanny27's father and worn with the floppy white hat that only the British wear, brogues and knee-lenghth woolly socks. Added to this, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the late Charles Hawtrey, so the overall effect was somewhat unfortunate, to say the least.

Well, I went to visit our other nearby town today, and with one exception, all the men I saw were dressed as they usually dress, t shirts/ shirts with sleeves rolled up, mainly trousers; jeans and light cotton trousers. and the occasional pair of shorts.

The one exception, and it was a truly revolting exception, was a large, very large, man in his 40s, I would guess, wearing shorts so low slung he had a gaping bum crack and nothing above them, so he was naked from below his navel to the inevitable baseball cap. Thankfully I only got a glancing view of him, he was revolting enough to want to vomit is seen for more than a feww seconds.

Casdon

Italian men have a real talent for looking smart whatever they wear, don’t they. It’s clothes (and bodies) that just don’t fit any more that let British men down most I think. I suspect they are blissfully oblivious too, so I don’t hold out much hope for change.

Men who live in cities anywhere in the world are always better dressed than those in small towns or villages.
As for older women in Italy, they always seem to be short and dumpy with identical short hairstyles in a strange dyed auburn brown colour.
Italian girls and young women often look stunning but in time turn into their mothers😄
I haven’t seen any bare chested men in the town where I live thank goodness, not a great look unless they are around 30 and fit,and even then best kept for the beach or poolside.

.

No.....

Always Ralph Lauren.
Perfect for men of all ages.
My husband (late 50's) and my sons (20's and 30's) all love his clothes.

The Mcarthur Glen outlet do fabulous colours that you don't see in the shops here - pulled in from Europe.

Ralph favours the English styles of the Cotswolds and the Hamptons.

Fabulously interesting film called "Very Ralph" all about his surprisingly poor childhood and his career and his 60 years of marriage to his wife Ricky. Think that it's on YouTube now.

.

I suspect that they think they look wonderful.

I've not seen people looking particularly poorly dressed this summer. My darling husband, who is very short (5'9) and slim, wears just above the knee shorts, polo shirts, and looks quite nice. I wear jeans and assume I look the same.

I want to know why they walk with splayed feet and hips forward when they don shorts!

Galton

Dont think they should be allowed in shops without a shirt on. Trouble is they all think they are in Marbella.

What with half of the country veiled up and the other half half naked, what a world.

Other than beach side shops and Chiringuitas I think you will find that tops are required in shops in Marbella and along most of the Costa del Sol.

I like to see chinos, tailored shorts, polo shirts and deck shoes.

I am of italian origin so go to Italy often. Both men and women are very stylish and love designer gear! However they can be very critical and everything has to be just so! There is also something rather nice about living in the UK. No one bats an eyelid as to what you are wearing which in many ways is quite nice.

Agree!

@Norah, since when has 5’9 been considered very short for a man? I would have thought it was average height. My father, born in 1940, was 5’8 as a young man and this was the average height at that time. Of course, he shrunk as he grew older, as we all do and as my husband, who was a full 5’6 in his stockinged feet when he was younger and is now 5’4. This is what I consider fairly short. We have two sons and a daughter. The older son is around 5’5, and his younger brother 5’6/5/7. All three men take size 7 shoes, which is great in the sales.

Musicgirl

@Norah, since when has 5’9 been considered very short for a man? I would have thought it was average height. My father, born in 1940, was 5’8 as a young man and this was the average height at that time. Of course, he shrunk as he grew older, as we all do and as my husband, who was a full 5’6 in his stockinged feet when he was younger and is now 5’4. This is what I consider fairly short. We have two sons and a daughter. The older son is around 5’5, and his younger brother 5’6/5/7. All three men take size 7 shoes, which is great in the sales.

My opinion is a man of 5'9 is very short. My darling husband is quite short as compared to my family members. I intended no judgement.

Short is not negative, merely factual.