Did Chris Pine Wear Tiny Shorts to Promote His New Movie?

Eileen Cartter
·3 min read
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Courtesy of Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant

Sartorially speaking, the actor Chris Pine has spent the better part of the last two years freaking it. We’ve observed his pivot to weird hats, oddball gym ensembles, high-kicking huarache sandals, and Cast Away-caliber beards with glee. Not too long ago, we even named him GQ’s most stylish man.

In those couple years, Pine has made a pastime of breezing around Los Angeles in his quirked-up outfits: Grabbing coffee in a sherbet-striped Elder Statesman cardigan, a PBS tank top, and rose-pink leather sandals. Attending a dance class in techy running tights layered under shorts, with bulbous leather clogs. Or, as he did most recently, hitting up a celebrated local restaurant wearing a very small pair of red corduroy shorts.

In an Instagram photo posted by Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant—a spot famous for its pastrami sandwiches—Pine poses with owner Norm Langer. Grinning, he wears a patchworked Ralph Lauren cardigan, a low-slung tank from the burger chain Big Boy, and tomato-red micro shorts from a California-based company called Hammies, which produces a variety of yesteryear-y, hamstring-displaying short shorts. Looks like the style Pine’s wearing is the succinctly named “Men’s Short,” whose three-inch inseam makes Rob Pattinson’s cargos look like full-on JNCOs.

Men's Short

$75.00, Hammies

But the actor’s retro-ish ensemble may also be a harbinger of something else entirely: Next month, Pine will release a new movie called Poolman, which he co-wrote, directed, and stars in. In the film, his character—the titular poolman—sports a scraggly gray beard and a grown-out half-bleach-blond, half-salt-and-pepper shag haircut, with a wardrobe of floppy sun hats, micro swim trunks, and sloppy-beachy suits matches the film’s vaguely ’70s tint. This look) think Coastal French Art Grandpa meets The Dude) generally mirrors what has appeared to be a great shift in Pine’s personal style in the last couple of years. Which, conveniently, aligns with how long he’s been making Poolman. It turns out that one of his coolest looks as of late—a Breton-stripe shirt, high-waisted trousers, and freaky straw hat—was merely a costume from the film.

As it turns out, the Langer’s of it all is a hint, too: Pine was there to film a promotional video with food publication The Infatuation, as the deli also gets a shoutout in the film. “This is my take on the Langer’s egg cream,” quips Danny Devito’s character in the trailer. “A little bit of cinnamon.”

Perhaps Pine’s been playing the long game with his outfits, insofar as his notable personal style can work double-duty as consequential good press for his upcoming movie. Between Paul Mescal and Jeremy Allen White, we’ve seen what short shorts can do lately for a leading man’s career.

Originally Appeared on GQ

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