The Ideal Shorts
Material : Cotton Twill
79 €
In stock
59 €
Preorder
- 100% organic cotton
- Hard-wearing twill fabric
- Tailored fit, made in Portugal
Material : Cotton Twill
Get Shorty
They’re not called the Ideal Shorts for nothing...
5,550 of you answered our questionnaire to co-create this piece with us.
Here are the problems you’ve faced with your shorts in the past
0%
They were either too short or too long
0%
The colour faded fast
0%
The shape wasn’t right
0%
The fabric was too flimsy
The Shortlist
GOOD TWILL HUNTING
The cotton twill we used is what’s known as 3x1 twill. At 260g/m2, it’s perfect shorts material. This is the same stuff we made our Light Chinos out of, and is reassuringly tough, without being too hefty. As for their seersucker cousins, they weigh in at 190g/m2, that’s around 70 less than usual, making them ultra-comfortable and breathable.
SHORT TROUSERS, LONG LIFE
Variety is the spice of life, so we made our Ideal Shorts available in hard-wearing organic cotton twill as well as ultra-classy lightweight cotton seersucker. The choice is all yours.
DYE ANOTHER DAY
To make sure those punchy colours last as long as that tough cotton, our fabric was dyed in rolls by some real experts in Italy. The despicable tag-team duo of washing machine and sunshine can often lead to faded colours, but dying the material this way means the Ideal Shorts stay brighter for longer.
SHARP SHAPE
Finding shorts that are the right length ain’t easy. Too short and you’re in Ray Mears territory, too long and you wind up looking like a moody teenager. We prefer somewhere in the middle. Sitting just above the knee, ours have a classic feel that always works—whether turned up or not.
CUT TO PERFECTION
As for the shape, you wanted something that was neither too slim, nor too baggy. Think of the Talented Mr Ripley grabbing a bag of cans for the park and you’re on the right lines.
BAGS OF FLAVOUR
Pocket bags have a tendency to flap about, so we secured ours firmly in place so they stay put and keep your odds and ends fully secure. Realising you’ve lost your car keys somewhere along that 24-mile ramble isn’t much fun.
NO STRESS
Bartacks aren’t exactly the most exciting topic of conversation, but these little rows of stitching are particularly useful when it comes to reinforcing key stress points, and have been a fixture on hardy workwear for over a century. We used them on our pocket entries so they stay strong even when they’re crammed with half of your worldly possessions.
ZIP IT
To go with that sturdy fabric, we opted for a reassuringly durable YKK zip. No more broken zip woes. That sugar cane fly button is pretty tasty too.
HIGHLY VERSATILE
Considering how useful these things are, we may as well have called them the Versatile Shorts. Whether you wear ‘em with a T-shirt and tennis shoe combo or an Oxford shirt meets deck shoe ensemble, they’ll look good. Whatever summer throws at you, these beauties are Ideal.
All the production steps for your Ideal Shorts
What goes into making your Ideal Shorts. The materials have travelled a total of 12 844 (7,980 miles) from field to doormat.
Raw material
Farming cooperatives India and Turkey
India for the classic fabric. Turkey for the seersucker fabric.
Spinning
Sgl Filato Italy and Turkey
Environmental certifications: OEKO-TEX Step
Social certifications : OEKO-TEX Step, BCI
Sgl Filati in Italy for our classic version, while spinning is in Turkey for our seersucker fabric.
Weaving
Tessitura Di Ginosa (Tbm Group), Emanuel Lang Italy and France
Environmental certifications :
Classic : OEKO-TEX Step
Seersucker : Tissu France Terre Textile, Master Of Linen, OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Social certifications :
Classic : OEKO-TEX Step
Seersucker : Tissu France Terre Textile, Master Of Linen
Italy for our classic version and France for the seersucker fabric.
Dyeing
Varano Borghi 1813 Srl (Tbm Group), Otto Garne Italy and Germany
Environmental certifications :
Classic : OEKO-TEX Standard 100, OEKO-TEX Step
Seersucker : GRS, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, ISO50001, OEKO-TEX Step, ISO14001
Social certifications :
Classic : OEKO-TEX Step
Seersucker : BCI, GRS, OEKO-TEX Step
All done in Italy for the classic fabric and in Germany for the seersucker one.
Washing
Mat - Teintures & Apprêts France
Environmental certifications : Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant, Tissu France Terre Textile, OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Social certifications : Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant, Tissu France Terre Textile
A small extra step just for our seersucher fabric.
Garment make
Salgado e Neto Portugal
Transport
Environmental Impact
Our aim is to always give you as much information as possible on the clothes we make so you can make an informed decision before preordering. This includes the environmental impact of each pair of Ideal Shorts we produce expressed in simple terms that we can all easily understand. There’s no point hiding from it:
6 kg
of CO2 emitted
The equivalent of 62.1 km (39 miles) by car.
2.5 g
of phosphor released in the water
The equivalent of growing 41 kg of apples
71.4 MJ
energy depletion
The equivalent of 29h of heating (in average flat).
Classic and Seersucker
3x1 organic cotton twill
The cotton twill we used is what’s known in the biz as a 3x1 twill. For those in the know or who already have a pair of our Light Chinos, you’ve no doubt experienced first-hand that great balance of density and suppleness.
NO SWEAT!
Delivery costs
We deliver worldwide. For orders in selected European countries* including the UK, we charge a flat fee of 9€ irrespective of how much you order. For deliveries in the rest of Europe and outside of the EU, the cost is 15€.
Easy to change sizes
If you get the wrong size, fear not, we accept returns and exchanges. For orders in Europe these are free, and for countries, in the rest of the world we ask you to pay the return and we will take care of the cost of sending out an exchange. Just log into your Asphalte account and we’ll get that sorted.
IT’S A RISK-FREE INVESTMENT
Sure, we work hard on our products, but we won’t take it personally if, for whatever reason, you change your mind about the item you’ve preordered. We’re all friends here, you can be honest with us. So long as the item is in its original condition, with tags and packaging intact, you can send it back to us for a full refund. No worries.