Five of the Best: Men's Swim Shorts

The sun is out and it's time to get those legs out. Okay, it's actually raining as I write this so that might be a slight exaggeration but one can only hope...

I am jetting of on a brief holiday later this week so my attention has turned to swim wear - no budgie smugglers for me but neither those horrid long board shorts. For me it needs to be a nice mid-to-short length pair of swim shorts. 

So here are the top five swim shorts I came across on my search this week.... who cares if we don't look like the Aussie Bum models above.

1. The Simplistic: This black pair from J Lindeberg is simplistic but stylish with a tiny JL logo on the back and a contrasting white drawstring and the perfect length for catching some sun on those pasty legs without being too revealing. Available from House of Fraser. £60.

2. The Retro: I love these retro inspired Tricolor shorts from D&G. I am not usually a massive fan of this brand (far too ostentatious for me generally) but this pair is classy and the coloured side stripes add a sporty feel. Find them at the brilliant FashionBeans for £105.

3. The Lifeguard: These 'Pup' shorts from hot swim wear brand Orlebar Brown are perfect for those who have been working out and who want to show a little more leg, or those who want to don them with a yellow t-shirt for that 'life-guard chic' look. Check out the Orlebar Brown website. £85.

4. The Floral: I do love a pair of floral shorts. It is possible to go horribly wrong with patterned shorts so I always turn to Paul Smith to ensure I stay on the right side of tasteful. These 'Slim Classic' shorts can be found on the Paul Smith website and cost £75.

5. I always turn to Topman for something stylish that is not going to break the bank. These 'Red Candy Stripe' shorts from Topman will do the job perfectly and are only £18, reduced from £26.  

So there you have it, Mr Musing's top five swim shorts for men. Have fun in the sun! 


Oh and remember 'no carbs before Marbs'.....(that's Marbella, for those who don't sneakily watch The Only Way is Essex). 

Mr Musing Thinks: Car Insurance Equality

The one thing about trying to mix hi-brow and lowest common denominator posts in one blog is that the hi-brow ones always take longer to write, needing a bit of research and thinking before they can be published. I find there is a tendency therefore to post less intense fillers just to let my small (but growing) number of followers that I am still here and posting.

I have a couple of interesting (well I think so) posts on the go at the moment, which will take a few days to complete but today I thought rather than resorting to knocking something out about the latest Lady Gaga video (self indulgent but entertaining nevertheless) I would do a quick 'Mr Musing Thinks' feature, where I comment briefly on one of the current news stories.

So here is the first one... Car Insurance Equality 

Image Source: Daily Mail (I don't read it BTW)

This week it was announced that the EU has ruled that insurance companies can no longer discriminate based on gender and set insurance premiums that differ due to a person's sex. This is likely to mean an increase for women and a slight decrease for men and many commentators in the press thought this unfair.


My first thought however, as a male driver who has never had an accident (well not since passing my test anyway) is it's great news. Why should I be lumped together with other drivers and charged more just because I have a penis? 90% of accidents may be caused by young male drivers but not by me - and yes, even at 31 I am still young!


Imagine if insurers used racial profiling and charged Black and Asian people more for their insurance (and I am not saying Black or Asian people are more likely to have an accident - I haven't the faintest idea if there are even statistics on it)? There would be an outcry, so why is it acceptable to profile based on gender?


Of course, it is unlikely to stop with gender and surely it can't be long before insurers cannot set premiums based on age either? So no discounts for the middle-aged driver.


In reality though it is only the insurance companies themselves that will benefit from this ruling. The premiums for men will not drop by the level that they increase for women, meaning that insurers will be laughing all the way to the bank.


Though perhaps, the biggest issue in all of this is whether, stripped of their ability to offer bonzer car insurance deals - girls will bother getting onto Sheila's Wheels? In fact that's another reason why it's a good idea, we may never have to hear that annoying advert (below) again.


What do you think - fair or unfair? Let me know below.


Ps...check out the Sheila's Wheels parody video below (bottom).