Grandpa Style For Young Men

Though youth is venerated over wisdom in this day in age, there are plenty of things to learn from our elders.  One is how to dress better.  For many young guys, getting dressed consists of throwing on the hoodie or flannel nearest to their bed that’s not dirty.  What this says is “I don’t care about how I look,” and this prevailing apathy toward one’s appearance is one of the gravest issues facing the future of society.

Our elders, however, have lived long enough to get it perfectly wrong and present themselves in a studied yet nonchalant manner.  Think of how your grandfather dresses; his clothing is likely looser than yours, but he knows what works and wears it well.  There are no oversized or undersized garments in his wardrobe - he’d loathe Vetements and scoff at the super-skinny jeans of yore.  If your grandpa is particularly stylish, there might be several pieces of his wardrobe you’d like to swipe one day, or hope get passed down as family heirlooms.

Three of my favorite grandpa style pieces are slimmed-down versions of classics.  One is the Baracuta G9 Harrington jacket.  Because of its ribbed cuffs and bottom, the Harrington jacket appeals to the older set due to its movability.  Furthermore, it can be as plain or flashy as you make it, depending on how the rest of the outfit looks.  That said, the Harrington has been the jacket of choice for men like Steve McQueen, Frank Sinatra and Daniel Craig because the plaid lining and button-clasp collar ooze sporty sexiness.  The Harringtons of today are slimmer (and much costlier) than the versions McQueen or Ol’ Blue Eyes sported, but still offer enough room to layer a turtleneck, merino knit or shetland sweater underneath and come with made-in-England quality that’s unparalleled by imitators.

White pants are another geezer trick I've adopted in my wardrobe.  Except for stylish graphic designer Peter Saville, most guys wearing bright white or cream-colored trousers are on the better side of 50.  I like wearing white trousers better than white shirts because they fit right in with the classic color palette I rely on and offer more opportunity to experiment with dark colors up top.  Though I have two pairs of white trousers (the other by Eidos, Isaia's younger but no less luxurious line), the pictured pair are from Uniqlo a couple of seasons back.  I like wearing these when the rest of my look is refined, just to add a dash of ruggedness to keep myself from looking overdone.  While my white trousers by Eidos have more of an old man fit, the Uniqlo pants are trim with a mid-rise that won't scare gramps out of his britches (I've seen enough low-rise white pants to know they don't work).  

I’m also a fan of shetland sweaters because of their warmth and understated gentility.  They’re simultaneously fusty and sexy, something a charming professor, well-traveled museum curator or Sean Connery might wear when autumn leaves begin falling.   While many men prefer to pair shetlands with collared shirts, I let my sweater do the talking and slip a crisp white t-shirt or henley underneath.  This merges grandpa style with the embrace of minimalism that’s swept runways and magazines the past couple years.  

I like the slimmed-down shetlands that Scottish company Howlin’ crafts.  They’re the youthful line of sweater stronghold Morrison, and their Birth of the Cool shetlands riff on the preppy style jazz musicians made famous.  For those who can’t spend $180 on a Howlin’ shetland, J. Crew will get the job done for half the price.  With my Harrington, my navy J. Crew shetland looks downright natty and is the perfect look for someone with an old soul who’s young at heart.

Sweater: J. Crew, Chinos: Uniqlo, Jacket: Baracuta, Sunglasses: Warby Parker, Boots: Red Wing Heritage