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Designer Shorts Go Long on Price Tag

What recession? Some styles cost $775 or more

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted May 21, 2009 11:28 AM CDT

(Newser) – Men’s shorts, once the outfit of choice for working outside or lounging around the house, are the new fancy dress pants—or so designers are trying to convince the world. And the new generation of shorts has the price tag to match, the New York Times reports, with high-end stores charging as much as $775 for drawstring shorts or $1,495 for a man-skort.

“All the work is the same as pants,” says one designer, but some customers are balking: “It’s like you are getting less fabric and less workmanship for more money,” counters one analyst. One pair of shorts, at $615, is more expensive than its $485 pants counterpart—but a Bergdorf Goodman rep can explain the apparent discrepancy: “The shorts have all the bells and whistles.”

A model showcases an outfit on the catwalk from designer Tommy Hilfiger's 2007 collection.
A model showcases an outfit on the catwalk from designer Tommy Hilfiger's 2007 collection.   (Getty Images)
A model showcases an outfit on the catwalk from designer Tommy Hilfiger's 2007 collection.
A model showcases an outfit on the catwalk from designer Tommy Hilfiger's 2007 collection.   (Getty Images)
A model showcases an outfit on the catwalk from designer Tommy Hilfiger's new collection at the Tommy Hilfiger Spring/Summer Launch at Est. Restaurant on June 20, 2007 in Sydney, Australia.
A model showcases an outfit on the catwalk from designer Tommy Hilfiger's new collection at the Tommy Hilfiger Spring/Summer Launch at Est. Restaurant on June 20, 2007 in Sydney, Australia.   (Getty Images)
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You might ask, ‘Why can’t I just chop off my Gap chinos and throw them over my boxers?’ But it was actually quite a complicated engineering trick to get the shorts exactly right.
- Designer Michael Bastian, whose cut-off khaki shorts go for $540

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