[Edward]

Wouldn't be seen dead in short trousers myself, but I rather like the proper trouser version of these.

Why not? I keep reading that from several people as if it was a capital sin.

Purely a personal preference. I distinctly remember not even liking them much as a kid, around the time I first paid any attention at all to what I was wearing - I guess at about the age of twelve. I still wore them as something of a Summer 'norm', but by the time I was sixteen, when I think my last pair were bought, I really avoided them at all costs. I worked it out once that between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, I wore shorts on a total of six occasions, and I regretted every one of them. (At least half of those were round the house, so I'm not sure that they even count). Neither owned nor worn a pair since, and never felt the need of them.

Whether shorts are 'vintage correct' or no doesn't concern me. I try to be live and let live about these things; my own clothing choices aren't exactly "normal" these days. For one thing, I have plans to start wearing a kilt more often. I suspect a lot of my dislike of shorts goes back in part to my own father - who wore shorts as a norm as school in the fifties and is of a generation of Irish men for whom getting your first pair of long trousers was still a rite of passage into manhood. I've never in my entire life seen him wear a pair of shorts - I doubt he has ever owned any in the last fifty years. I'm sure that's some sort of subconcious influence. Shorts are also, for me, heavily associated with sport, which I openly hate, loathe and detest, so damned by association in that sense. In practical terms, I do not accept the claim that they are necessary in hot climates; I spend a fair amount of time in 30C plus weather every year and have no need to resort to shorts when I can instead wear linen or cotton. I do find it notable that in cultures which have arisen in some of the hottest climates even before the sort of modern awareness we have about the health damage done by excess sun exposure, they were much more covered up.

So yeah... can't speak or anyone else, but for me the bottom line is I intensely dislike the look of shorts (in much the same way as I have an instinctive dislike of flares), and I have no practical use for them. I don't doubt there are those who will have an equal dislike of my preferences!

[Sean Longden]

My dad was the opposite: every summer he brought out his old 1940s khaki drill army shorts until they fell to pieces.

[Unkraut]

It's a bit off topic now. The main question is how to sell those shirts to a modern audience AND vintage folks. For image pix you can style them both ways but it's always better if someone with an own fashion sense does it. Rather than the photographer or art director. So I'm all for more pix like this.

[Sean Longden]

The consensus seems to be that SJC needs more pictures of people wearing the clothes in a less obviously 'vintage' style.

I might try to get a few pics of my son in his SJC shirts, worn in a casual way.

[Edward]

I think the trick will be to manage the marketing in such a way that the brand can appeal to the normals without giving the impression to vintage oriented folks (who, after all, will be the hardcore that will keep coming back for certain things even after a particular fashion fad moves on) that the brand has gone mainstream or otherwise compromised on its cuts. This is where a range of promo shoots and look books can be employed to work wonders.

Maybe there's a gimmick in making a shoot look like it's a young guy in the forties wearing stuff, then his grandkids finding it in the attic, wearing it out in a modern way, still looking cool?

[Unkraut]

I'd say no gimmicks. Just show simple outfits which work for both worlds. I believe it's possible. Ethan Wong with his street x sprezza blog has a similar concept. Brands like Brooklyn Circus have far less vintage correct items but their street style look is a good inspiration.