This year, with Tiktok still blowing up and its users increasing by the day, the world of fashion is being pushed out to 100's of millions of people on a daily basis. This means more inspiration can be found from every corner of the world, but it also means we have access to and see so much content, that it is easier than ever to become bored, quickly. With this, the trend cycle is becoming shorter and shorter at a compounding pace, so much that by the time you see it on your Instagram Reels or god forbid, your Youtube Shorts, the trend is already history. The only platform that seems to promote and instil any longevity in fashion trends is Pinterest, as it is many people's number one spot for fashion inspo, whether it be for a last minute outfit/gift or planning everything and anything for the future. People tend to pin and plan before they wear or execute their ideas, so Pinterest can essentially see into the future and accurately predict trends in fashion.
Once a year they release a curated collection of upcoming trends for the next 12 months, selected by experts and chosen after months of analysing detailed data from its 482 million monthly users. Pinterest is unique in predominantly being a search engine - as well as a social media platform - meaning that its users are searching intentionally for what they like and what they want to see. With such deep analytics, Pinterest can track and monitor the rise and fall in specific searches, giving them an idea on what is popular, before it happens.
Once again this December, Pinterest released its annual 'Pinterest Predicts', with a wide yet carefully selected and intriguing variety of trends, ranging from home decor styles to hair fads and rising fashion movements. Perhaps the most exciting and creatively arousing among the selection was the 'Eclectic Grandpa' aesthetic. In this post I'm going to deep dive into the possibilities that this upcoming trend could propose for street style and major fashion houses alike, as well as figure out if it is even something that will take off in the mainstream and whether or not I will be participating/drawing inspiration from.
After a full year of NOTHING but 'quiet luxury' being blasted all over social media, runways and street style irl, we are ready to see something more fun, that can be worn a million different ways, that can be easily personalised and replicated with any wardrobe. The internet is sick of the perfect presenting influencer that only portrays the glamorous, simple, chic look - but it is also unrealistic for most (that actually step out in public) to jump into the 'don't care', woke-up-like-this, scruffy, ugly-core. The middle ground has to be something messy and careless, done in an intentional or 'eclectic' way. Perhaps in 2024, we will find that middle ground in the 'eclectic grandpa' aesthetic, which lands perfectly with the rise of street style icons like Bella Hadid, Emma Chamberlain, Yara Shahidi and Naomi Campbell that all have been known to lean into a quirky, edgy and yet preppy look.
Let's start by looking into the Pinterest definition of the 'Eclectic Grandpa': think retro streetwear, chic cardigans and customised clothing. It is taking inspiration quite literally from your grandpa. We have seen success in this trend of drawing inspiration directly from our elders, as recent as this year, in the form of the 'Coastal Grandmother' aesthetic, which saw Gen Z and Millenials lean into a wardrobe similar to that of a simple, elegant elder woman that lives near the beach, consisting mostly of white linen pieces. The intent behind the coastal grandmother trend was wearing pieces that focused on comfort, simplicity and elegance while being able to run errands or take walks on the beach. The grandpa aesthetic that Pinterest is forecasting for 2024 also appears to lean into the comfortable, liveable and personal style - perhaps these are the style lessons we are bound to learn by the time we reach our older age - however, the grandpa counterpart seems to be much more wearable for day to day life, for those in cities or corporate life, as it focuses less on free flowing garments for a sunny day on the coast, and more on personalising your wardrobe to suit your personal taste, with a driving feeling of nostalgia. Essentially it seems that the 'Eclectic Grandpa' is a much more wearable continuation or extension of the 'Coastal Grandmother' with more diverse styling opportunity.
How does the Eclectic Grandpa Dress?
When getting dressed for the day, the Eclectic Grandpa throws on something that brings him joy, or a varsity jacket from his college days that has some great memories attached to it. He'll unintentionally pair his statement pieces with basics like an olive cardigan given to him as the first gift from his first grandchild, a pair of slacks he's worn 50 times this year (so much so that he's patched over a hole in the back with a badge from his days as a Cub Scout), or a white linen shirt that he wore on his first date with his partner. Furthermore, this character really comes to life in the styling, where you can get bold with accessories; think chunky neon rings you picked up on Portobello Road, a cap from a coffee shop you found on that trip to Dallas, or a bedazzled belt you thrifted because it made you laugh and now you had to poke your own hole in it. To most, these pieces often clash, and look like they don't have any thought behind them, yet when this outfit comes together, the 'Eclectic Grandpa' is so comfortable in his outfit and sparked with joy, that he oozes confidence and suddenly everything makes sense as one.
When building an outfit, the 'Eclectic Grandpa' doesn't think about how every piece will look together, following a colour palette, or aesthetic for the day. Instead, he puts on any piece that is calling out to him, that could be beachy vibes on the bottom and cozy coffee date vibes up on top. The outfits come out messy, they clash, but because the eclectic grandpa is such a cool character, that is happy with every individual piece, and doesn't intend for you to love the outfit as a whole, it somehow just works.
What is different about this trend?
The eclectic grandpa wardrobe is very intentional, although not like a capsule closet, where each piece is carefully selected to match perfectly with as many other items as possible, but where each piece is selected intentionally to bring joy, immense comfort or fun into any outfit. It's about fun retro prints with a preppy look or bold coloured accessories with a simple knit cardigan. To some it could seem like maximalism, but to me the difference is, finding something loud or joyful vs finding something you love or something of significance, regardless of how it looks. This almost erratic style - that could just be a maximalist take on an inharmonious/careless dressing approach - is seemingly brought together by a touch of prep. Rather than full on ivy league, old money copycat fashion, the 'Eclectic Grandpa' finds prep in the school jumper he still has from 20 years ago with his house crest embroidered on it, or in simple, well crafted knits - some cashmere, some cardigans, some chunky wool sweaters - or even in casual linen basics as he moves into the warmer months.
How to get the 'Eclectic' look?
Some staples of this aesthetic - that you could and most certainly should customise to bring yourself joy - include fun sweater vests, chic cardigans, white/neutral linen pieces and anything preppy. The best way to elevate all of these pieces, on theme with this trend, is customisation. There is nothing more cool and individual than a piece that is homemade/customised - what could be more intriguing than a piece of clothing that is quite literally 1 of 1, with a story behind it as well.
What do I think?
To me, the 'Eclectic Grandpa' style is predominantly focused on anything that brings joy, comfort, or nostalgia. You are dressing for you, so choose pieces that make you happy, make you feel something, make you feel at home ( that could even mean wearing those tartan pyjama pants out with a blazer and tote bag ??! ). It's the chance to lean into preppy, but throw in your favourite patterns, wacky jewellery, statement shoes, coloured lenses etc. I also love the idea of personalisation, a great option to lean into if you want to try the eclectic grandpa aesthetic in 2024: maybe find a felt badge of your favourite animal and stitch it onto a worn leather jacket, go to a jewellery workshop with a friend and make some accessory with your initial on or string a necklace with that cool stone you've had in your bedside table for a couple years. Anything with a story or meaning is immediately welcome in your EG wardrobe.
As someone who loves a preppy-chic/elevated simple look in my day to day style, but gets bored of the same pieces over and over again, or gets inspired much more when I see a stranger pass wearing something funky or quirky, this trend is one that seems perfect to me and I will absolutely be trying it out. You can keep up to date with my style and find tons of inspiration over on my Pinterest.
You can find the Eclectic Grandpa breakdown as well as other upcoming trends over many creative niches at Pinterest Predicts: click the link below.
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