Introducing: The Bruce short – Permanent Style

The new PS shorts are live today and they are – as one reader cunningly guessed – a continuation of our popular Bruce chinos launched in the spring. 

This was done for two reasons. One, we love the material and casual feel of the chinos so much; and two, it makes sizing a lot easier for everybody, as they can buy the same size in shorts as they did in the chinos. 

Indeed, they can buy the same colour if they wish, as the beige and khaki that the PS shorts come in are the same shades. Those two are so perfect, so exactly what we wanted. 

We also added a dark menswear navy that I know will be popular. Navy is more useful as a short than a trouser, in my experience, but if pushed I can see us also doing a navy version of the chino later in the year, if there’s a lot of demand. Let me know. 

So, the shorts are available in the same range of sizes and are, like the chinos, a comfortable and easy fit. I wouldn’t recommend picking your size based on what you had in the old PS shorts, as they were a rather different fit (slimmer, lower, pleated). 

The shape of the new shorts was also inspired by an old US military pair that I had and featured on PS in the past. That helped determine things like the leg opening and the inseam. It’s so much easier when you have a vintage garment you already like, and can carry across little pieces of them. 

So the shorts have an 14.5cm (5.7 inches) inseam in the size 48 that I wear (above) which is a nice mid-point – not the traditional Bahama dress short that ends on the knee, but not the scandalous-when-you-sit 3 inches either. 

On Lucas, pictured below, in a size 54, that inseam rises slightly to 16cm. 

And the leg opening is comfortable and wide without being too much. On me that’s 32cm, on Lucas 35cm.

One note here – when you first get the shorts, I find they can feel a little wide because they’re pressed flat. If you give them a little iron to get rid of the hard fold on the seam, or just fold them as you would do suit trousers, you’ll get a better sense of the shape. 

Like the chinos, the sizes on the shorts are based off the chest size of a jacket, which is how the industry does it for trousers, though when you come to think of it, it doesn’t make much sense. Everything is inherited from suit systems, essentially. 

Any discerning customer like the PS reader is going to look at the size chart though, and the waist measurement there is the best place to start. My waist measures just under 34 inches, and that’s why I take the size 48 in the shorts and chinos, which has a 34-inch waist. 

We’ve expanded the range of sizes considerably, so hopefully there’s one for everyone. Note that the volumes in the smaller sizes will not be large.

As ever, we’ve taken some pictures here to show how the shorts look, but also what we’d wear them with. 

We talked in the chinos article about how versatile this particular shade of beige is, and while it goes well with lots of other more obvious things – whites, blues, navy, bright colours – it also looks good with black, showing how muted and cold a colour it is. 

That’s the black hand-framed cotton sweater from PS I’m wearing, with our boat shoes too and Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses. 

With the khaki/olive colour (below) I’m wearing an old Ralph Lauren popover of mine – actually something that, I now realise, I also showed with the old PS shorts as well. Such a creature of habit. 

Finally Lucas, in his more relaxed way, is wearing the dark navy with a Rubato work shirt and dark-brown City-Mocs from Saman Amel. 

Come to think of it, that’s basically the same top I’m wearing – cream, textured, untucked. Perhaps we’ve started to dress like each other. 

On the navy, note that the colour will fade a little over time, but not a lot, as the material has already been pre-washed. 

Product summary:

• Cotton chino short in a strong right-hand twill 
• Comfortable cut with a straight leg
• Pre-washed so no shrinkage
• Slant pockets, coin pocket, open back pockets
• Split waistband to make them easier to alter
• Three colours, beige, navy and khaki
• Made in Italy by East Harbour Surplus
• Available only on Permanent Style

Sizing:

• Simon is wearing a size 48 in the beige and khaki, Lucas is wearing a size 54 in the navy
• The size refers to a corresponding suit jacket, but best is to work off the waist size in the chart below. Simon’s waist, for example, measures just under 34 inches
• If you are between sizes, we recommend taking the larger size and altering the waist to bring it in, or using a belt
• Note that the shorts are hemmed rather than unfinished in the leg (unlike the chinos) to the lengths listed below

cm

inches