Jacob Elordi’s Pleated Shorts Take a Cue From The Pedro Pascal Memes

Don’t worry, you were not the only one looking at every angle of Pedro Pascal’s mini Valentino shorts at this year’s Met Gala. Because judging by the amount of men we’ve seen in tiny shorts so far this summer, the Pascal effect is flourishing. The latest name to throw his hat (or leg, or knee) into short discourse seems to Jacob Elordi who wore similarly thigh-baring bottoms today in Milan.

The Australian actor was attending Valentino’s spring/summer 2024 menswear show and turned up in a pleated black pair of shorts that stopped around mid-thigh. Elordi is very tall so the jury is still out on whether these were custom made for him or just extremely short on his 6’5” frame.

Other male attendees got in on the shorts trend, too, like singer Mahmood and actor Jeff Satur. But Elordi’s pair seemed to be, well, the shortest—cut more like Pascal’s Met look than your average Bermuda style.

Elordi is no stranger to short shorts—he’s taken to the ‘80s gym short variety over the past few years while out in Los Angeles and New York City. But this is one of the first times he’s worn the style for a more formal occasion.

Similarly, to Pascal, the Australian went formal for the rest of his look. He paired shorts with a white button-down, black tie, and leather blazer. He also chose an exposed sock-boot pairing a lá Pascal.

It seems that creative director Pier Paolo Piccioli enjoyed the reaction to the internet-breaking shorts he designed for Pascal. Not only were multiple attendees dressed in formal shorts in the front row, but many models on the runway were outfitted in iterations of formal shorts as well. Chalk it up to the power of Pedro’s legs, perhaps.