How to pull off the ‘eclectic grandpa’ trend without looking frumpy
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Not too long ago, it would have been considered an insult for someone to describe your look as “hotch-potch”. A mismatched, uncoordinated, cobbled-together outfit.
Yet now on the high street, the description is a term of endearment. Boden sells a “hotch-potch” cardigan, with deliberate odd sleeves, for £80. On the catwalk, Loewe designer Jonathan Anderson has offered “accidental” styling for spring, mixing and matching V-necks, over plaid shirts, bunched and tucked into extremely high-waisted corduroy trousers.
“Eclectic grandpa” is the overarching name for this hottest of trends, according to TikTok users. The wardrobe staples long-loved by men of a certain vintage – sweater vests, cardigans, argyle socks and snaffle loafers – are now the most covetable buys in fashion for both men and women.
The unassuming grandpa’s comfy-cosy styling practices are being adopted by supermodels, actors and influencers all over the world – worn even on the red carpet. See Alexa Chung, layering her aqua cable knit over a retro wallpaper print dress, for one reference.
Then there’s Princess Beatrice in a tonal grey outfit, with a vest, shirt, pleated kilt and suede loafers. Saltburn star Barry Keoghan is another (31-year-old) pin-up committed to the grandpa trend, wearing a brushed mohair vest in teal with slate grey wool slacks, at a recent film premiere. The VIPs want an OAP look, and are dressing in vintage or vintage-esque clothes to get it.
“I am all about following this trend from head to toe,” says Sarah Corbett-Winder, the stylist and Kipper Club founder, of the look that she has been championing for spring. “Annie Hall is my absolute style icon.”
The way to pull off the trend without actually appearing older, or just frumpy, is to always include a modern element in the styling. Corbett-Winder suggests carrying an “unexpected, elegant bag” to add some gloss, or wearing a statement piece of non-heirloom jewellery. In Chung’s look, the modern touch is the silver Miu Miu bag. For Gigi Hadid, it’s the insertion of a glossy conker leather jacket in between her plaid shirt and green jumper layers, to polish things up.
Boden’s director of buying, Lucy Rosenberg, claims that the “eclectic grandpa” trend is inherently rooted in Britishness. “This trend really embraces all the hallmarks of great British heritage; great colourful knitwear, tweed and loafers,” she says, amidst a national argyle revival. “It is British eclecticism at its best.”
A scroll through social media, though, proves that the look is universal in its appeal. What makes said grandpa eclectic, wherever he is, is the way he clashes textiles and patterns (deliberately or not) in any given outfit. Seeking inspiration from real grandfathers out in the wild has become something of a sport online, with videos posted of stylish elderly gentlemen from New York to Seoul, all enjoying the same wardrobe staples (readers who meet the demographic: beware of street-style paparazzi).
As fun as it is to see very young people extolling the virtues of wearing jumbo jumpers and thick trousers to stay warm in the winter, the irony of the fun-for-TikTok grandpa chic trend might easily be lost on anyone older than 35.
This needn’t be the case. Julianne Moore and Calista Flockhart are two women in their 50s who have styled the trend in a grown-up yet glamorous way. Flockhart gives an edge to her pale pink vest and trousers by wearing them with chunky velvet platforms, while Moore works with tones that suit her hair colouring.
Corbett-Winder has all manner of tricks to keep the look interesting and personalised. “Have fun with your sock game and try a pop of colour, button your shirt all the way up and layer a necklace under the collar,” she says. “If needed, complete the look with statement reading glasses.”
A print copy of The Telegraph, tucked under one’s arm, might make for the perfect final accessory.
For her
Hotch Potch tank top, £60, Boden; Ives vest, £155, LF Markey
Gingham shirt, £100, With Nothing Underneath; Corduroy trousers, £61, Everlane; Charlotte loafers, £160, BA&SH
For him
Needle cord trousers, £55, John Lewis; Cary Grant glasses, £160, Oliver Peoples
Cashmere vest, £249, Brora; Flannel shirt, £35, Marks & Spencer
