The War on Cargo Shorts: Country Clubs Looking Prescient!

Nicole Hong of the WSJ reports that men are trying to stick with their cargo shorts as women find them deplorable.

Country clubs, which have long hated cargos for mysterious reasons (too working class?!), are suddenly looking like pioneering trendsetters after years of being badgered for disallowing certain fashion, including cargos.

Hong notes golf's role in the cargo pant/short war.

Many upscale golf courses have banned cargo shorts in recent years. In 2012, Michael Jordan was playing golf in cargo shorts at a Miami country club when he was asked to change his pants, according to news reports at the time. He reportedly refused. His agent released a statement afterward saying Mr. Jordan had previously worn cargo pants at the club without incident.

Around 2010, slimmer men’s shorts started to replace baggy silhouettes. By then, the backlash against cargo shorts was well under way.

Fashion guru Tim Gunn said in a 2007 interview with Reuters that cargo shorts were the least fashionable item of clothing in his closet. British tabloid Daily Express called cargo shorts “a humiliation for any man over 21 and should be sold only after proof of age has been presented.”