Massimo Alba Agone2 Shorts

Corduroy is filed under autumn by almost everyone, which is a habit rather than a rule. Baby cord is a very fine wale, so the ridges are close together and shallow, and what you get is not the heavy ribbed surface of a hunting trouser but something closer to a dense, brushed cotton with a direction in it. Made up in white and cut generously through the leg, it stops reading as a seasonal cloth altogether. The hems are left frayed, unturned and unfinished, and that is the decision the whole short rests on. A raw edge on white corduroy is a small piece of nerve. It says the garment is not trying to look new, and it means the shorts will keep changing at the hem for as long as you wear them.

Why we selected it

We wanted a summer short that was not linen, because linen is where every summer short starts and where most of them stop. This is the alternative that holds a shape.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton baby corduroy, made in Italy. Loose through the leg, with frayed, unfinished hems. Colour: Bianco.

Fit notes

Cut loose rather than fitted, so it sits away from the thigh and does not need a body underneath it to work. Corduroy has more weight and less cling than a summer woven, which is why it holds its line through a hot afternoon. The frayed hem will shed a little in the first washes and then settle. That is the garment behaving correctly, not failing.

Styling

With the Arubaw polo for the plainest version. With the Selma shirt worn open and untucked. White cord against a tan is the entire argument, and it wants a flat sandal or a plain sneaker rather than anything with a heel.

Care

Wash cool and inside out, and keep it out of a hot dryer, which is what flattens the pile on a fine wale. Do not tidy the frayed hem. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Winch2 Trousers are the same baby corduroy at full length. In linen, the Lois Trousers and the Selma Shirt, and the Arubaw Polo Shirt is the linen jersey. There is more on the house on the Massimo Alba designer page. Everything we carry from Massimo Alba is listed together.