Walk shorts
Walk shorts are a men's garment, which was popular in New Zealand in the 1960s and 1970s as summer wear for white-collar workers. Walk shorts typically end above the knee and were traditionally worm with knee-high socks and leather shoes or sandals.[1]
The shorts are thought to have had their origins with the baggy khaki drill shorts worn by New Zealand soldiers serving in the Middle East in World War II. In the 1950s, the New Zealand Public Service Association union petitioned the State Services Commission to permit workers to wear shorts. Eventually the commission permitted staff to wear shorts in "white, grey or fawn", which was eventually relaxed to allow colour and print fashions of the time.[2]
The walk short is no longer commonly worn in New Zealand, but is considered an iconic item of Kiwiana.
References
- ^ "Walk shorts, 1969". Te Awa. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ "The walk short story". PSA. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
Related links
- A 1990 documentary looking at the history and decline of the walk short
- Walkshort - a 1987 short film by performance group The Front Lawn
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