American men are finally buying fewer pairs of cargo shorts

AP/Reed Saxon

It seems the combined efforts of the fashion media have won — guys are finally starting to give up their cargo shorts.

Market-research firm NPD Group told the Wall Street Journal that sales of the derided shorts have fallen over the past year.

That marks the first time sales have fallen in the last decade, the group says.

This marks a turning point in the debate over the late '90s fashion staple that has proved much more resilient than most. Though the shorts enjoyed popularity through the 2000s and the first half of 2010, they became increasingly out of fashion with every passing year.

Still, the shorts remained a steady seller with many men refusing to adapt to the new fashions and still believing the cargo shorts were "cool."

“It’s quite difficult to let go of what was cool when you were younger,” cargo shorts wearer Gareth Hopkins told the Journal. 

Though cargo shorts have long since been abandoned by trendy boutiques and high-fashion outs, they are still available from retailers like Walmart and Macy's and even mall stalwarts like Gap. Abercrombie and Fitch, now in the midst of a logo-less brand revolution, also can't yet quit the trend they helped make such a sensation.

This past year marked a turning point in cargo shorts, when we saw the beginning of the end of the clothing item we called "The worst thing men can wear in the summer" for their off-trend styling and needlessly bulky silhouette.

It seems men are at long last waking up to the fact that cargo shorts just aren't flattering. And that realization can't come soon enough.

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