Late Summer Trend: Neo-Victorian Style Via Soccer Shorts

If you happen to be in a seaside resort in Italy it won't be hard for you to spot teenagers wearing Adidas Entrada 14 shorts. Even though they are soccer shorts, they have indeed become pretty popular among boys and girls (actually they seem to be more popular with girls) who wear them everywhere, especially on the beach.

Though you may see them in bright and vivid colours, young girls favour them in black or navy with white stripes and most girls wear them with a black or navy top to create a sort of uniform.

In a way, though, by doing so they have uncannily recreated the classic Victorian swimwear style. Check out fashion history books or images on the Internet about Victorian styles and you will stumble upon many images of dresses and shorts with horizontal white stripes around the edge.

I don't like taking (and publishing) pictures of underage boys and girls without asking for an official authorisation from a grown-up, so I have avoided doing so, but check these teenagers out if you happen to be on an Italian beach.

You will easily spot two or three girls walking around wearing the same "uniform" and looking incredibly similar to bathers from the Victorian age, especially because most of them prefer to keep the shorts on even when they are walking around the beach.

There is actually another interesting connection between Victorian looks and modern swimwear and that's the burkini (full-body swimwear adopted by some Muslim women).

France recently issued burkini bans in seaside towns with Prime Minister Manuel Valls explaining that this style is "the expression of a political project, a counter-society, based notably on the enslavement of women" and highlighting that it is "not compatible with the values of France and the Republic."

And, while it is perfectly understandable to take safety measures against any kind of extremisms, it seems rather extreme to see a hooded wetsuit (that may have not looked so out of fashion in the Victorian era…) as a symbol of allegiance with terrorist movements.

Sounds like we may have passed from the scandals of the first bikinis and undressed women to the scandal of the covered women. You're right, we're living in confusing times, so, for this Sunday, I feel like prasing those Italian teenagers who have adopted soccer pants as their uniform unawarely recreating a look from the past in a sporty key, without caring much about history.