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Board ShortsOnce upon a time you could wear a swimsuit and be cool. Or even trunks. Now, those days are history. Nothing says cool like a killer pair of boardshorts (and nothing says geek louder if you don’t). Bold graphics, long cuts and ideally paired with thong sandals and no shirt or a bikini top, board shorts are the casual, comfortable uniform of the surf lifestyle. Stroll down the summer boardwalk in Venice, Newport Beach or any coastal city in the heat of summer and you can’t help but wonder if there was ever any other kind of beach clothing. Boardshorts are the quintessential beach apparel, but they don’t stop there. Riding the wave of surf culture, board shorts have become popular casual shorts for anytime warm water is near –- wakeboarding, river sports, poolside chillin’, Hawaiian pig roasts, Jacuzzi adventures, etc. Men’s and boy's designs usually are cut just above the knee, while women’s and girls models are shorter and more form fitting – half Daisy Dukes, half Hawaii Five-O. The best are made with light, synthetic fabrics that dry almost instantly, and many come with zippered or Velcro pockets and a clip so you don’t lose your keys in the surf. For the most stylish brands, look to surf giants Billabong and Quiksilver, which might as well stake their entire companies on how cool their board shorts are each season, as well as Roxy – Quiksilver’s sexy line for women. High-end outdoor clothing giants Water Girl and Patagonia makes durable boardshorts that eschew flare for clean, cool and classic look. Quicksilver claims credit for inventing modern boardshorts. Until the late 1960s, surfers wore heavy canvas trunks that restricted movement. No big deal, since most surfers just rode straight down the wave. But as board lengths dropped, surfers needed more freedom to move. Australian surfers Alan Green and John Law ripped, cut and stitched a solution – a lightweight, fast-drying short that was actually comfortable to wear. Soon, word got out, and Quiksilver was born. Call it “birth of the cool.” Just don’t get caught wearing them under your wetsuit. Dude. Come on. |