Grandpa: but make it fashion
Amy Butterworth, Online Lifestyle Editor, remarks on the current trend of borrowing trends from our beloved seniors
As we apprehensively greet the coming of a new year/decade, we may find it fitting to look to the past, and specifically to our elders, for wisdom. Although, on second thoughts, this may not be entirely accurate (I can hear the faint whisper of an ‘ok boomer’ in the distance). However, one thing we have borrowed from our elders is their fashion sense. The growing prominence of the chunky dad trainer has had its time in the spotlight, and the ‘mom’ jean is but a distant memory; it’s time to go further back down the generations with the revival of fashion a la grandpa.
Fashion often plays on dichotomies, separating practicality and style into mutually exclusive boxes, but 2020 is the year where we no longer need to prioritise one over the other. Instead, an amalgam of the two, fashion-meets-function, has been formed, all the while being an ode to the more mature generations. The revival of the all-pervasive Birkenstock epitomises this; you cannot ignore its stark resemblance to orthopaedic shoes, but with a hint of industrial, modern flair. Featuring a large, ironically infantile Velcro and chunky sole, these shoes are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do; try twinning with your grandad when he goes on his next hike.
Fast-forward to 2020 and we want chunk, drape and slouch – androgyny, angular, un-fitted silhouettes
The days of yore may have asked us to accentuate the ideals of feminine beauty through fashion. But women have been subverting this for centuries; consider Marlene Dietrich’s androgynous protest against sexual fashion norms in a pair of utilitarian trousers. Fast-forward to 2020 and we want chunk, drape and slouch – androgyny, angular, un-fitted silhouettes. Once the aim was to accentuate the body, but, as a granddad would reply to the question “why do you wear the clothes you do” – comfort prevails.
Argyle prints are replacing the once-pervasive plaid. A brand that is capitalising on this trend is newcomer on the fashion block, House of Sunny. They feature a currently sold-out sweater vest boasting mahogany and cashew-coloured argyle print and… removable-sleeves. It’s sartorial sangfroid – no fuss, no comment, no stress. Garishly uncool, your mum probably hates its dated and unflattering nature, but that is exactly why we love it.
I am forever indebted to corduroy, as the vintage-esque fabric oozes sophistication, while its textured ridge-like feel adds an aura of industrial quirk to an outfit. Find it in trouser form, jacket form, shirt form, or even have a peruse at its unconventional, dated cousin – tweed, most commonly seen in blazer form.
Within the current fashion trajectory, the line between masculine and feminine cuts, styles and patterns gets continually shrouded in a progressive mist. We have seen this materialise with Marlene Dietrich, but almost a century has passed and we are still working to not be confined to dressing young/old, masculine/feminine, practical/stylish. It is high time that we end the days of dichotomous dressing.
Cover image: Photo by Robin Noguier on Unsplash
