‘Coastal grandad’ is a kindly approach to dressing that’s to be wholly encouraged

Last summer, a curious – and very welcome – trend appeared amid the white noise of statement swimsuits and heatwave dressing.

‘Coastal grandma’ began as a TikTok phenomenon that paid homage to the crisp white shirts of Martha Stewart and the beachy knits of Diane Keaton and fresh linen of Meryl Streep in just about any Nancy Meyers movie.

Septuagenarian women in their prime, living their best white-washed clapboard lives in exquisite ecru cashmeres, hair the perfect shade of greige and a generous glass of chilled chardonnay.

“Boomers are all the rage,” said The New York Times of the shift in focus, the irony being that that very Gen Z vehicle Tiktok was what prompted this new perspective. Anyhow, as spring proper now gets underway, it seems that Coastal grandma's male counterpart is breaking out of the beach hut to make his presence felt; coastal grandad’s time has come.

As someone who hails from the craggily beautiful east coast of Scotland, it’s fair to say that this style is quite a remove from the grizzled old sea dogs of my childhood. Salt-lashed they may have been, but the fishermen of the East Neuk in the Nineties were definitely more ‘20 Bensons a day and a fish supper on the weir’ than ‘Boden campaign’.

That said, when you look for it, coastal grandad style, in its curated form, is everywhere: the crumpled blue shirts of Charles Dance, looking biscuit-skinned and twinkly-of-eye at 76; the oatmeal-hued windbreaker jackets of Pierce Brosnan who appeared recently with a mop of tousled hair for a film role; the sweeping scarves of Sir Ian McKellen – ideal for fending off the chill on a yomp across the Lizard Peninsula.

It’s also a feature on catwalks; bucket hats, cagoules, wader-style trousers and baggy old shorts with pockets just perfect for housing your bait.

Coastal grandad is a kindly approach to dressing that’s to be wholly encouraged. It’s found in the gentle appreciation of a rumpled linen shirt, all the better and more characterful for not being painfully starched, of practical cargo shorts and trousers over the neatly tailored varieties worn by Love Island contestants, of shaggy knits ripe for fending off the chill when a brisk wind whips in.

It’s nothing revolutionary. In fact it’s the opposite. It’s the solid, reassuring attire of gentlemen of a certain age from Salcombe to Southwold. But as those destinations become ever more desirable so too do the dress codes become more prevalent.

Look at the best dressed men of the moment: Last of Us star Pedro Pascal in a weighty, slightly saggy cardigan and khaki trousers; shiny all-American pin-up Shawn Mendes in knitted sleeveless vests and cardigans (that item again), all in clapboard neutrals; teen drama Heartstopper’s breakout star Kit Connor in a swamping knit in marshland colours and cargo trousers (paired with boots, handy on shingle) and Sex Education’s Asa Butterfield in a windbreaker straight from Berwick Upon Tweed circa 1989 and a crochet scarf.

Perhaps it’s the natural conclusion of the Gorpcore obsession that dominated men’s fashion for years; outdoorsy, functional outerwear and kit-and-caboodle touches like mountaineering-style belts and trainers.

Now we’ve moved from the mountains to the coast in favour of the kind of knitwear and seafaring get-up of which Captain Birdseye would likely approve. Bucket hats are a particular case in point; the fisherman staple has been repurposed by Gen Z – courtesy of the Beckham and Gallagher scion – as an achingly cool must-have for Instagram posturing.

So what are the hallmarks of coastal grandad style? Firstly, a chunky cardigan is essential; it’s substantial enough to cover you up when the haar sets in. A linen shirt in a mid-to-dark blue tone, breezily loose fitting, as well as trousers and shorts with a touch of functionality. Proper boots with chunky socks are also part of the appeal; only Italian playboys hit the seaside in all-too-precious suede driving shoes.

It’s a pleasingly British approach; slightly ramshackle, weathered and able to withstand a downpour and touch of sea spray. We await Tom Ford’s new cologne for men, Eau de Vinegary Chips, any day now.

Get the look

Clockwise from top left: Armor Lux Mariniere long-sleeve T-shirt, £27, endclothing.com; Fuse jacket, £225, rains.com; Knitted cardigan, £220, sheepinc.com; Suede boots, £56, boden.co.uk; Fjallraven hat, £50, johnlewis.com