Between booking their beach holidays and start packing in anticipation for relaxing times in warm climates, men about town the world over share one niggling quandary: what suitable swimwear should be packed? If this seems like an innocuous sartorial conundrum, every man knows that the length, fabric, colour and fit of swimwear can raise many eyebrows for aesthetic and even cultural, ethical and religious reasons.Some swimwear, such as thongs and any shorts in silver or gold lamé hues, are just plain wrong for us at The Style Examiner. Speedos and sungas (the popular fit from the beaches of Brazil that is usually wider than Speedos) can be appropriate in most countries in Europe, but they are certainly deemed inappropriate on the beaches of Jamaica or Trinidad and Tobago. In conservative and highly religious societies like the ones found in the Caribbean, men are expected to wear board shorts with generously voluminous fabric that reaches their knees and hide any suggestions of a penile shape. However, if some board shorts can be acceptable and stylish, when under water they cling to one’s legs, making them unquestionably impractical to swim. Furthermore, they can produce unflattering results when it comes to revealing contrasting tan lines. If one is to bear these two criteria in mind, Speedos or sungas are definitely better options.
To address this dilemma, some swimwear companies have recently started producing tailored shorts that are simultaneously elegant but short and free-flowing enough to allow a good tan line and effortless swimming. Until recently, Aussiebum and Orlebar Brown seemed to dominate this market. However, there is now a new kid on the beach promenade that started producing what we, at The Style Examiner, started deeming one of the best swimwear currently available to men.
Designed and made in France, Swim-Ology’s swimming trunks are produced in plain colours or with discreet designs such as small skulls and bones, leaves, polka dots, plaid or stripes. We tried their Panama model and the verdict could not be more glowing. The shorts contain all the ingredients to make them ideal for swimming, lying on the beach, or walking around town: they are fastened by two buttons and zipped up in front, and include an internal net, an external back pocket fastened with a button, and side pockets. Most importantly, the waist line can be adjusted to the wearer’s body shape by two very secure side buckles, but always allowing for the shorts to sit comfortably at hip level. In essence, if you need to pack only one swim suit for your resort holiday, this is it!