The Shorts-and-a-Sweatshirt Vision Board
It's more than an outfit. It's a movement.
This week Vox’s excellent internet reporter Rebecca Jennings got razzed for claiming that it’s “an unfortunate truth that almost everyone who is not princess diana looks bad” in her iconic bike shorts and crewneck sweatshirt outfit.
The volume of responses in defense of the look made me realize that I might not be the only one obsessed with Shorts-and-a-Sweatshirt. “Princess Diana Outfit Season” is having a moment and as a longtime advocate of the outfit, I want to color in the rest of the Shorts-and-a-Sweatshirt picture.
Princess Di’s mastering of the craft inspired a generation, and Shorts-and-a-Sweatshirt has a je ne sais quoi that transcends gender, age and geography.
I’m not here to make specific garment endorsements. If you take yours as a pair of cutoffs and a ratty old hood-zip, you are welcome here. More of a collegiate fleece pullover and athletic shorts type? Come on in, we’ve got some Oktoberfests in the fridge with your name on them.
I will spend all of my days championing the easy magnificence of Shorts-and-a-Sweatshirt, and my corrupted brain has latched onto the idea of it as a fleeting lifestyle for two short but magical stretches of the year.
These are the things for when you’re feeling as carefree as the final leaves that are holding out from turning yellow. When you’re walking the neighborhood in perfect weather that vouchsafes an autumn full of opportunity. When you’re on the couch, feeling content knowing that you don’t know nothing as the sun sets on the summer.
Behold, the Shorts-and-a-Sweatshirt Extended Universe.
LISTEN (ALBUMS):
Years ago a friend told me that “the best music is sad, but fast.” That’s more or less what we’re looking for here. When daylight savings ends and the nation’s collective dopamine drops a few percentage points, it will be time for Deja Entendu and Blonde. But that’s not where we’re at quite yet.
Melodrama is masterpiece and I won’t elaborate further; Red, Green or Inbetween is very fast and very sad; and with lines like “I wrapped my arms around the moment like I'm clutching a memory | You alive in your madness, in love with the night,” No Closer To Heaven is an easy first-ballot.
One of the most magical things I’ve experienced came courtesy of Motion City Soundtrack and their entire vibe is basically “I feel both sad and happy at once and that’s okay,” which is the kind of balance that makes them perfect for this time of year. I’ve found myself listening to The Sound of Animals Fighting about a dozen times every September for the last 10 years. I don’t know why and don’t care to.
Man on the Moon, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and Sainthood get in as legacy admissions since I became obsessed with these albums during my first semester of college.
LISTEN (SINGLES):
“Happy but slow,” is also a compatible ideology with the Shorts-and-a-Sweatshirt way, and if that’s more your flavor, look no further than Viagra Boys and Amy Taylor’s version of In Spite of Ourselves, but if you’re looking for the pinnacle of “Sad but fast,” I present you Knuckle Puck’s cover of Stick Season, a song I’d never heard until this came out but apparently is absolutely massive.
DRINK: Oaxaca Old-Fashioned
A traditional old-fashioned is like a fleece hoodie with its familiar comfort and coziness, but subbing mezcal and tequila in for bourbon are like throwing on a pair of shorts — they’re a bit lighter and more spritely.
Combine 1 ounce tequila, 1 ounce mezcal, 3 dashes Angostura bitters and 1 barspoon of agave nectar in a rocks glass with 1 large ice cube in it. Stir for 30 seconds and enjoy, but don’t put the bottles away because you will be wanting another.
READ: Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore
Everything Chris Moore writes is a romp with supernatural circumstances, easy-to-root-for, buffoonish characters and jokes in every other graph. You can guess the eldritch slant in Bloodsucking Fiends, which is a hoot that’ll set you up to read its sequels, You Suck and Bite Me in time for Halloween.
EAT: Spaghetti alla Nerano
For a summer squash-based dish, Spaghetti alla Nerano is pretty heavy, what with all the frying and olive oil, but hot damn is this one a winner. There are few men I trust more in food (and life in general) than Stanley Tucci and Chef John. They will not let you down with this one.
DO (HIGH ENERGY): CYCLOCROSS
Cyclocross is a niche interest within a niche interest, and it’s the most fun way to spend an early fall weekend. A bunch of us travel from all over to ride in labyrinthine circles with the hopes of getting our front wheel across a line before anyone else’s. I can’t get enough of it.
DO (SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER ENERGY): Walk to your local park on a nice evening.
I regret that in recent years I’ve caught a case of the Needing Stimulation At All Timeses. I put podcasts on when I have breakfast, put on some music while I’m getting dressed, and I always have some light TV fare (New Girl lately) fills the air when I’m making dinner.
I’m not sure if it’s good for me, so during these hallowed late summer evenings I've been setting some time aside to pull on a hoodie and some shorts and walking around my neighborhood at dusk, focusing on looking up at the trees and critters as opposed to the streets and stoops. It helps me be where my feet are and to soak in all the joy in this nonpareil time of year. I recommend you do give it a try.