A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but shorts are not Bermuda shorts unless they allow the wearer to display his knees.

The Tourism Department?s recent efforts to market Bermuda during New York?s world-famous Fashion Week have been undeniably successful ? but the legwear proudly labelled as Bermuda shorts and modelled down runways last week may false advertising.

Fashion Week ? a week-long gathering of celebrities, designers, and media ? was held from February 4-11. The Bermuda Department of Tourism was a sponsor of the event, which usually draws a crowd of about 50,000.

As part of its sponsorship, Tourism arranged for designer Peter Som ? known for his ?maximal minimalism? (sleek, pared down designs) ? to incorporate his interpretation of the venerable Bermuda shorts in his runway show on February 10.

Tourism also set up a pink sand and seashell bar in the Fashion Week lobby, where Horton?s Black Rum Cake and Dark ?n? Stormies were served to the likes of Dennis Rodman and Bebe Neuwirth (?Lilith? from the hit TV sitcom ?Cheers?).

Fashion bigwigs such as Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour were in the front row of Mr. Som?s show.

?Mr. Som was not alone in his fascination with the shorts,? a Tourism spokeswoman gushed yesterday. ?In fact, a fall/winter version of the shorts ? some made with velvet, tweed, and other wintry fabrics ? appeared on several designers? runways throughout the week.

?While the summer version of the shorts is in stores now, the shorts displayed during last week?s runway shows will appear in stores in fall/winter 2005.?

?Version?, however, appeared to be the key word.

Pictures of the shorts modelled at Fashion Week raised some eyebrows at yesterday ? and Hamilton stores confirmed what this newspaper suspected.

The shorts on display were not Bermuda shorts.

?Bermuda shorts have to have a three-inch hem and be three inches above the knee cap,?a sales rep in the Men?s Department at Trimingham?s said yesterday.

While a representative in the English Sports Shop concurred on the hem length, he said the shorts must fall to just two inches above the knee cap. Either way, a visible kneecap is central to the Bermuda shorts fashion statement ? knee socks below, Bermuda shorts above, and the kneecap in between.

Both stores agreed that women?s shorts have the same length requirements as the men?s, with the English Sports Shop saying many female tourists simply purchase the men?s shorts as they have a larger colour range.

But shorts that fall below the knee, both emphatically agreed, are not Bermuda shorts. In fact, investigation by this newspaper revealed that the shorts modelled in Mr. Som?s show appear to be somewhere between the lesser-known Jamaica shorts and capri pants.

Tourism Minister Ewart Brown, who noted that the design was an interpretation, said Mr. Som brought ?a modern aesthetic to a classic design?.

?Our presence at Olympus Fashion Week confirms that Bermuda is once again a destination for the world?s trend-setters,? he said in a Press statement.

Real Bermuda shorts remain immensely popular with both tourists and local businessmen, the shops said.

As one shopper in the English Sports Shop said: ?They really do make a statement.?