Chubbies: A New World Order?

Oh boy. Am I the so called "slave to a trend" that Chase and Status were referring to? I'd like to think not. But one look at the meteoric rise of Chubbies and some might think otherwise.

Started by four Stanford grads, the aim of Chubbies is to "liberate" men's thighs. If you somehow have not heard of them yet, go check out their website at www.chubbiesshorts.com; it will pretty much tell you everything you need to know. From their "cargo embargo" to the "32 facts", Chubbies relies on over-the-top comedy and satire to advertise their brand. And damn does it work.

In 2012, their sales increased by over 600%; even more so in 2013. Expansion is to be expected, as they just introduced draw string shorts and swim trunks. Despite being based out of San Francisco, the company is becoming synonymous with the Southern style, neo-prep/frat in particular (people still wear them in other ways, such as this). They have hundreds of college ambassadors across the country preaching the gospel to their peers, and applications recently reopened. It's not unreasonable to expect Chubbies to take over the world within the decade.
And what a liberating thigh-volution it would be.

I first found out about these bad boys a little over a year ago by way of some sartorial research. It was right at the beginning of my clothing metamorphosis, and, at the time, I was simply not prepared for something so...well, short. But as I became more and more aware of traditions and perhaps a bit, ahem, "ballsier" in my choices, it was simply a no-brainer to at least give them a try. Price wise, the Chubbies are actually relatively cheap. At $50 a pair, they're about $30 less than any comparable shorts from Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Southern Proper, Brooks Brothers, etc. And much more comfortable, too.

I opted for a pair in light green, or as the company calls them, "The Three Commas" (Chubbies creates clever, often irrelevant names for every style). Officially, it's "seafoam green", but I am irreverent of the color spectrum.

What I've found best about the Chubbies so far (3 or 4 wears) is that you can wear them casually with a t-shirt, or go slightly ritzier with an OCBD. They can emanate a youthful "greek" vibe, or a classic, down to earth one, as pictured below. I'll let you decide which is which.

Ready to sink a few at a social function

Ready to sink a few after a nice cruise in a convertible 3-Series

The toughest challenge Chubbies will face in the coming years is the struggle of relevance. Is it just a fast fad, or a true re-imagining of the way men casually dress? My fear is that too many will write it off as "fun while it lasted", and not look to the past for inspiration. Long, break-at-the knee shorts are a relatively modern phenomenon. While I do love the fit and elastic waistband that Chubbies offer, they are not the first short shorts (or simply shorts as they like to call them). But this can and should work to their benefit. The Chubbies brand is the first in recent history to embrace the buyers cognizance of the inseam, instead of simply selling 5 inch shorts. By this I mean that they are sold around the premise of showing some thigh. It is not that men did not do this before, it was just not very popular outside of high fashion and uber prep circles.

For now, we can only hope that the phenomenon will continue its apparent tour de force. But we should not forget to have fun along the way. Confucius once said, "He whose shorts end before the knee, will be drowning in endless seas of...". I suppose you get the point?