Why some twentysomethings are dressing like senior citizens

Clothing labels have certainly used seasoned models in their print ads before. Ralph Lauren’s campaigns have long featured leather-faced Marlboro Men-types. In 2015, the French fashion house Celine tapped the beloved writer Joan Didion—then 81—to model its designs. And elegant older models such as Maye Musk (72) and Carmen Dell’Orefice (89) have been prominent for some years now. But in most of these precedents, the label in question carefully orchestrated the models’ outfits. What’s new is how younger generations are captivated by the way the elderly actually dress themselves. On the surface, Grandpa Style appreciation resembles normcore, the aughts trend of dressing in banal basics—such as gray sweats and nothing-to-see-here dress shirts—as a way of turning one’s back on the frenetic fashion market. Elderly style role models often hopped off the trend train years ago, so their fashion sense skews more elegantly traditional than normcore. These 70-somethings could still be wearing the same crisp pleated khakis or tweed blazers or floral sundresses they’ve had for decades and view them as “this old thing?” But to the youthful gawker who’s looking for alternatives to lurid logowear or slouch sweaters, such clothes are invigorating.