For the past six months I've been looking for a thoughtfully designed pair of casual shorts suitable for both dry and wet sports and indoor and outdoor activities. In particular, a pair of casual shorts with a zipper, side and back pockets, trim fitting, available in multiple waist sizes and colors. In other words, something more versatile than the typical athletic shorts, which functions for one purpose only, usually lacks a few of the features described above, and often comes in just one color (i.e. black).
My search for this casual sport short had not been very successful until recently when I was notified of a new line of 'bridge' shorts by Orlebar Brown, a British sportswear brand. They offer both swim shorts and sport shorts which hit all of the features described above.
I have not yet had a chance to test drive the Orlebar Brown shorts but they certainly appear to be a significant cut above the average sports or athletic shorts in terms of construction and material quality (check the video below). Instead of just one or two colors, the Setter swim shorts come in an array of 19 different colors (6 for the Affen sport shorts). In terms of fit, shorts are made in specific sizes (i.e. 28, 30, 32, etc) and 3 different inseam lengths.
I also like the engraved zippers and side fasteners, which speak to an extra level of attention to detail.
