Summer sartorialism, Kiwi style

Being summer and all that in the southern hemisphere I figured I should finish up the year with a small homage to summer clothes, Kiwi bloke style. Disclaimer: I have none of these in my own wardrobe.

1. Walk shorts.

Style: Short trousers for men, same style as a business suit but stopping mid-thigh.
Accompanied by: Long socks, pulled up to knee height, with open-toed leather (‘Roman’) sandals.
Used as: Business attire.
Where seen: Napier, a lot.
Cringe factor: High.

2. Jandals

Style: Rubber soles with a double strap sweeping back from a vertical rubber pillar gripped firmly between the big and second toes on each foot, Japanese sandal style.
Used as: Business attire, home-wear, on beaches, and absolutely everywhere at all times in summer.
Where jandals aren’t used: It’s illegal to drive a vehicle when wearing them.
Origin of name: Corruption of ‘Japanese Sandals’.
Most common action when wearing: Stubbing own toes while trying to winkle the jandal back into place under the foot.
Cringe factor: Zero. These things are cool.

3. Stubbies

Style: Ultra-short shorts for men, typically offered in brown or, alternatively, brown.
When popular: 1973. Other things also popular the same year included the Bay City Rollers, Agent Orange and asbestos.
Availability: Mercifully, none.
Cultural place: Iconic, but only for the horror value.
Cringe factor: Infinity.

And here’s a homage to them, inside an advert for another piece of Kiwiana, voiced by Jermaine Clement from ‘Flight of the Conchords’:

Copyright © Matthew Wright 2018