Island Style: the Perfect Runaway Board Short
Sometimes you just can’t top a classic. I’m not talking about classic cars, in this case, but that California surf brand called SUNDEK. If you were alive in the 1970’s, and ever went to a beach, you might remember the iconic rainbow stripe that ran across the backside of these cool surf shorts.
(Photo courtesy of Sundek/Facebook)
Then, like a lot of other groovy things, SUNDEKS fell out of style. Guys on the beach – especially in the U.S. and Australia – went for longer, baggier shorts. And this was good, for a while. But the Californian brand never totally died. Italians saved the company and operated it out of Europe for some years, while in-the-know surfing fans kept buying them up whenever they could.
(Photo of Ale Ponzanelli by Michele Chiroli, courtesy of Sundek/Facebook)
Now, what was once cool is cool again, because slowly but surely the trend for that all voluminous fabric has waned. Now, both surfers and non-surfers alike are appreciating the stream-lined, mid-thigh cut of a SUNDEK board short.
The fit’s been tweaked a little bit: now they are lined. Instead of a drawstring, the waistband is flat (which, honestly, is more modern and flattering). And just like today’s jeans, they’re low rise, too. SUNDEKS are what Don Draper from the TV series “Mad Men” might wear if he were jetting down to St. Lucia in our century. They’ll look good wherever you wear them, from South Beach to Tortola, Barbados to Bali.
(Photo courtesy of Sundek, Facebook)
When you’re running away to tropical islands, anywhere on the globe, like the Island Runaways do as often as humanly (and financially) possible, a guy starts to care a little bit about what he’s wearing in the ocean. Nah, he doesn’t care a LOT -- and picking out trunks is not the same nail-biting experience as trying to find a flattering bikini! But maybe you care just enough to develop a bit of “brand loyalty.”
One benefit of these nylon shorts: you can emerge from the ocean, and then five minutes later, the sun will have your bathing suit nice and dry. The only possible drawback: the new SUNDEKS aren’t cheap. If the thought of paying over one hundred dollars for a rather smallish amount of nylon fabric seems crazy, then the price tag on these babies may just send you into sticker shock.
Island Runaways’ own Zickie reports, however, that they are highly durable, sleek, and extremely comfortable. They wash and dry so well you could probably get away with owning only one pair of trunks (unless you surf everyday or live at the beach).
(Zickie in his Sundek shorts on a favorite beach. Photo by Island Runaways)
The company also makes a range of women’s beachwear, including shorts and bikinis. They look cute, but we have yet to test drive them. You can see some photos on the SUNDEK website.
By the way, SUNDEK does not give the Island Runaways free board shorts or reimburse us to endorse their brand. We just think that in terms of styling, function, and convenience, this is one swim trunk that’s pretty hard to beat.
See you in the waves, Island Runaway friends!