It’s official: when it comes to men’s fashion, short shorts have Paul Mescal’s stamp of approval.
In a Monday, June 17, interview with GQ at Gucci’s spring/summer 2025 menswear show, the 28-year-old actor said that he is a “fan of the shorts.”
“For my eye, it’s to do with proportion. Like, a shorter short and maybe a longer top,” he explained, adding, “I’m a big advocate for men wearing shorter shorts.”
We only have to look at the outfit Mescal wore to the fashion show — a blue button down shirt and a pair of particularly short white striped shorts — to see that this is true. The Normal People actor accentuated the small length of his shorts with a pair of long white socks and black loafers.
GQ published the short video interview to its official Instagram page that same day. “Paul Mescal makes the case for shorter shorts at the @gucci spring-summer 2025 menswear show during Milan Fashion Week,” the caption read.
The comments section quickly filled up with fans agreeing with Mescal’s sartorial take.
“I’m a fan of Paul in short shorts,” wrote one social media user.
Other fans commented, “paul is speaking for the people,” “king of short shorts” and “never stop wearing short shorts, paul 🙏🏼💖.”
Although short shorts have not been widely popular among men since the 1980s, some male celebrities have recently embraced the trend.
Take Milo Ventimiglia, for example. The This Is Us actor made headlines in 2021 when viral pictures of him wearing extra short gym shorts made the rounds on social media. Soon afterwards, he jokingly posted a photo of shorts to his Instagram page, writing, “Ride em high kids.”
Chris Pine is another celebrity who has embraced short shorts in recent years. The Star Trek actor has been photographed wearing them on several occasions, including at the gym, running errands and hiking.
In a November 2023 interview with E! News, Pine defended the look.
“I mean, it’s a vibe,” he said. “It’s the best vibe. It’s like a Tom Selleck vibe. It’s like a ’70s surfer vibe. I prefer that.”
