R.A.G. New York

Plaid has always been a symbol of some kind of curmudgeonry. Whether it’s the older guy in his plaid golf pants or the young plaided-up punk snob who’s already over all the bands you haven’t heard of, plaid has a reputation for being off-putting and overbearing, albeit mature. So it’s a wonder that plaid shorts are becoming a hot new trend. How did plaid shorts go from weird and stodgy to new and trendy?

I think part of the answer is the wonderful power of contrast. Plaid means business — or at least retirement — but shorts definitely don’t. So plaid shorts add a sort of playful attitude to the maturity of plaid patterns. And this can be a great trick to play, at least compared to other fashion-powered contrasts.

Plaid lets you start off with a premise of maturity, and that’s a great asset. When you’re wearing plaid shorts, people know you picked an unusual pattern, and that you added it to a more youthful article of clothing. That mature pattern means that you know what you’re doing — that if they think you’re weird, the joke’s on them. Unlike other similar fashion choices, plaid shorts don’t add the risk that you’ll just look weird: if you’re wearing plaid, you must know what’s up.

Plaid has other advantages, as well. It’s a pattern that has been around for a long time, so if your new plaid shorts catch the tail end of one trend, you’ll be on the vanguard for the next. And since shorts are always in style for their utility and comfort, plaid shorts will still be good to have even if you’re not showing them off so much.

The best thing about plaid shorts, by far, is that their recent popularity has encouraged many more designers and retailers to pay attention to them. If you’re in the market for ,plaid shorts you’re likel to find plenty of stores with a great selection of shorts that are perfect for your needs.

When you pick out plaid shorts, it’s important to pay attention to a few factors. Comfort is almost a given — most are made with fairly nice material, and they’re roomier than most legwear. So the main issues are price and pattern. As for price, the best bet is actually to aim for smaller stores. Unlike the big companies, they tend to attract people by having a great selection at a great price, rather than having a well-funded marketing department. Pattern is another matter entirely. Plaid shorts come in all shades and (plaid-based) patterns, so the best thing to do is just see which ones you’d be comfortable wearing in various situations: imagine wearing your plaid shorts to a party with friends, on a hike, on errands, etc. If it looks sane, go for it — you’ll find that the number of situations in which you want to wear plaid shorts goes way up once you actually have them.

When you think about it, the mysterious popularity of plaid shorts is not so mysterious at all: they’re affordable and comfortable, and while they’re fashionable now, their aesthetic appeal will outlast the trend. The only question is: why don’t you own some plaid shorts already?