Men’s beachwear extends from superyacht sleek to beach boho
We dissect the complex landscape of the modern man’s beachwear.
There was a time when getting changed to go swimming was so simple. A pair of Speedos and off we went, without a care in the world, safe in the knowledge other men on the beach would be similarly attired. It was a sort of convention – beach and pool was a non-fashion arena for blokes. Of course, there were a few variations, care of surf dudes in longer, baggy things and a few old-timers rocking the sorts of shorts more associated with a bygone age, but generally speaking, like Ray Winstone in Sexy Beast, we tended to all be smuggling budgies to varying degrees.
Back when men gave as much thought to their swimwear as they did to their moisturising routine, Adam Brown, a photographer, was on holiday with friends when he had an epiphany. Around the pool were all manner of chicly attired women, while the menfolk looked, well, like a bunch of scruffs who’d pulled out some shorts from the bottom of the dirty washing pile.
Brown decided the time had come to create an alternative and so, in 2007, Orlebar Brown was born, offering the type of tailored swim shorts that Burt Lancaster would have recognised from his turn in 1968’s The Swimmer. The Orlebar Brown Bulldog style, its first design, with distinctive side fastenings and a sartorial cut based on that of classic men’s tailored trousers, was something of a game-changer, suggesting a man could, and should, dress well for the beach or pool. The idea, says Brown, was that you could wear a pair of Orlebar Brown shorts in the water and then to the beach bar or restaurant and feel appropriately stylish.
Today Orlebar Brown is well known not only for making swim shorts with a stylish silhouette, but also for featuring photographic prints and patterns on its swimwear and accompanying resortwear. Along with Frescobol Carioca, a brand which makes classy patterned beach-to-bar swim shorts (see the Angra Clube design that alludes to poolside mosaics and Rio de Janeiro’s Art Deco-inspired architecture), we see Orlebar Brown as the choice attire for propping up the beach bar. But Brown is a member of just one of a host of contemporary swimwear tribes.
Let’s start with the Fashionista. The Fashionista is a guy who knows his brands and wants you to know he does. The model David Gandy may have shot to fame in a pair of white Dolce & Gabbana briefs for the Italian label’s Light Blue fragrance ad, but today a Dolce & Gabbana fan is more likely to be in a pair of the Italian label’s swim shorts sporting the house signature leopard print. Similarly, Gucci guy likes you to read his allegiance – witness the mini-GG logo swim shorts in beige with the house green-red-green stripe at the sides. At Versace, you will, of course, find board shorts, swim shorts and briefs in the label’s Barocco print, as well as many styles with the gold Greca border motif on the waistband and with a centrally placed gold Medusa head. A symbol of past conquests, perhaps?
Another fashion-aware group is less inclined to advertise its allegiances. The Stylishly Modest will seek out brands such as Tom Ford, Celine and Zegna. This is the “If you know, you know” approach. Here we should give the aforementioned Mr Gandy an honourable commendation, too. Seems he so enjoyed his Dolce & Gabbana experience that he’s designed his own. David Gandy Wellwear’s swim shorts come in block colours of red, forest green and navy, and two lengths – mid and short. Gandy personally prefers the latter, which he says are inspired by ’70s running shorts and describes as having a “flattering but not indecent length”. And he should know.
Less anonymous are the Sexy Beasts, who are here to have some Brit-on-the-beach fun. Burberry has its house checks, including a pair of checked briefs that would make Ray Winstone proud, while the more playful, colourful patterns of the likes of Richard James and Paul Smith speak of arty flamboyance – see Richard James’s waves print and Paul Smith’s signature stripe and floral designs. Meanwhile, Welsh actor Luke Evans has co-founded BDXY, a resort range for buff blokes not unlike himself who see the beach as a type of real-world movie set. The brand’s Atmos Mirrorzag swim brief, with its graphic lines, is a handsome posing piece.
Adjacent to this look is the Beach Boho, a man who channels a bit of vintage, a bit of street market, a bit of art and craft. Dries Van Noten fits this bill with fitted printed swim shorts, as does Italian label Missoni, famous for its striped knitwear and whose multi-coloured zigzag swim shorts pay homage to the brand’s history of creating innovative knits. Closer to home you can’t go past Mikey Nolan’s exuberant Double Rainbouu, or the graphic prints of Commas.
However, if it’s more of a Euro Dad vibe you’re after, head to Vilebrequin, which opened in Saint-Tropez in 1971 and makes plain and patterned swim shorts that have a sunny Côte d’Azur spirit. Its classic style, a French take on the Californian board short, has made fun prints such as multi-coloured turtles, starfish or sea shells a signature. These days they’re best known for their father-and-son matching patterns, an exercise in mini-me cute.
The American equivalent of Euro Dad is Hamptons Weekender. This is men who get out of Manhattan on a Friday night and head to the beach playground of the well-heeled. Of course, he’ll fly the stars and stripes in preppy Ralph Lauren. Its Traveller Swimming Trunk is a swim short with drawstring waist and a back flap pocket with button fastening that comes in plain warm-weather brights, some subtle seersuckers, a gingham version and a patchwork model in a mix of plaid and tropical prints.
If he’s signalling a more worldly outlook, this guy may turn to Brunello Cucinelli, who has become the go-to outfitter for off-duty Wall Street types. These modern-day Masters of the Universe are into the “quiet luxury” of brands such as Cucinelli and Loro Piana. Cucinelli has mid-length plain and paisley patterned swim shorts with a drawstring and discreet house crest on the left leg, while Loro Piana also has a drawstring style with a subtle brand motif – the Bay Swim Short – that comes in plain shades and a shirting-look vertical stripe in two colours. Loro Piana, it should be noted, does have a history of making sailing attire and pioneered a Storm System treatment that enables natural materials including wool, vicuña and cashmere to become weather resistant.
And then there’s Mr Superyacht who splits into one of two camps. On the one hand, there is the man who does not leave the sun deck of his vessel and thus will avoid testing the functionality of his swimwear.
For those who do want to leap off the tender, Stone Island and Moncler do tech-looking swim shorts that, while not exactly surfer dude (that’s better achieved with brands created by surfers, such as Rip Curl), suggest you can do more than a couple of widths of the pool. Stone Island’s slim-fit swimming trunks have side pockets, a patch pocket with a velcro closure at the back, an elasticated waist with drawstring and two-button fastening and are made from Econyl regenerated nylon.
Apologies if you find yourself aligned to none of the above. The long and the short of it, so to speak, is that today’s designer swimwear will likely make you look infinitely better than anything you might have worn back when swimming more usually meant verrucas and chlorine rather than sun, sea and sand.
This story is from the December issue of WISH.
