Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Madras Shorts

Photo by Salt Water New England

  Where do you get your madras shorts?

26 comments:

  1. Castaway Nantucket! Nice selection and fantastic quality.

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  2. I have a few pairs of madras shorts. Two from Polo Ralph Lauren and the other, J. Crew. The one from J.Crew is showing its age while the Polo shorts are holding up well.

    Before Wes Anderson popularized this fabric, madras shorts were a common sight in New England during the Summer months. It's the perfect pair of shorts to match just about anything -- boat shoes, loafers, Birks, faded Prep School t-shirt, linen button-up, etc.

    If anything, wearing madras shorts forces me to maintain a rigorous workout routine. These shorts look unflattering on certain body types.

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  3. I have a pair of madras shorts from Talbots that I wear religiously in the summer. I’d love to buy more, but where I live madras shorts are hard to find.

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  4. I have one really nice pair. I believe they are from CapeMadras in Maine.

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  5. Madras skirt, madras blazer, madras dress, madras tie... madras shorts are the only thing I don't have. 😄

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  6. one pair from J Crew, who probably don’t sell them now. They’re over 30 years old, nicely worn and faded. Closest comparable I have seen is on a site called Country Club Prep.

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  7. One can't do any better than Cape Madras in Cape Elizabeth -- I wear their Cape and Westwood style Bermudas. And in the photo it looks like Muffy also has on a pair from them too.

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    1. Here they are: https://capemadras.com/

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  8. https://berle.com/collections/patch-madras-shorts

    ...for men's

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  9. Does anyone make the “true bleeding Madras” anymore? The kind that needed washing by itself, as the dyes would ruin any item washed at the same time. I’d welcome knowing the name of any such maker. 60s Madras took on a richness that made the garment a prized favorite shirt (or pant, if you had a pair). Suspect the real thing—from Madras, hand-dyed, as of old—is not available any more. Would welcome contradiction.

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    1. I think Cape Madras offers what you’re looking for. They advertise products that have “retro style” and “vintage appeal.”

      All their madras garments are woven and sewn in India, and they do fade (I know) even after you’ve washed them in cold water. I don’t know if this qualifies as “true bleeding” or not. Please check their web site for details. Great products. https://capemadras.com/pages/about-us

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    2. Their patch madras is sweet. Alas, they don’t seem to stock the full plaid madras shirt. The full plaid is presentable for the more formal occasions. This is the look more preferred here in the Litchfield Hills. Thank you.

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    3. Every few years, Ralph Lauren will put out a bleeding madras. Not every year and hard to find in stores, I've had the best luck finding new piars on ebay.

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  10. Anonymous 2:14 p.m.: If you use a search engine and search for "bleeding madras," you'll find several sources for the fabric. Not sure about sources for finished garments; didn't take the time to check. Good luck. I fondly recall bleeding madras shirts. Non-bleeding madras is the madras equivalent of non-iron shirts. Both have their place, but they are not the same or, in my view, as pleasurable as versions they have (largely) replaced. Such is "progress"...

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  11. I have a great pair from J. Press.

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  12. Love Cape Madras and Castaway, and LL Bean as well.

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  13. Cape Madras. Excellent shorts.

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  14. Cape Madras! Superb shorts!

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  15. I do believe this is my favourite photo of Muffy. I love the open smile and the sense of fun. I also love the shorts. I have a madras shift dress and a pair of go-to-hell pants that I purchased from Orvis a couple of decades ago and that I've worn the heck out of. Unfortunately I cannot seem to find a decent pair of shorts anywhere in my size; both Cape Madras and Castaway Nantucket list many of theirs as "out of stock".

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