EGC: Eclectic Grandpa Chic

Ok, I’m not even sure if this is a ‘thing’, but I saw a TikTok on ‘grandpa core’ and then another one on ‘eclectic grandpa’, so I’ve rolled them together to create ‘eclectic grandpa chic’. We shall henceforth refer to this as ‘EGC’ – for ease, more than anything else.

So what is EGC, exactly? Well, I’m saying it’s an ‘anything goes’ approach to dressing with a focus on things your grandpa used to wear. So we’re looking at a good, comfy cardi, a nice knit and some baggy trousers but with some random colours that maybe shouldn’t work together but actually do. I will caveat this right away by saying, yes, you can go down the vintage route very easily here. Check out Vinted and your local charity shop for preloved versions of these looks. Look out for good men’s blazers, wide-leg pinstripe trousers and quality argyle knits.

Let’s start right away with an argyle-inspired look.

EGC Look 1.

I wore a version of this look last week and it felt kind of cool, and it was that particular outfit that inspired me to do a whole blog about EGC. This Ganni cardigan is right up my strasse, and the colours make it work with so many different trousers and EVERY pair of my Adidas trainers. Yes, I have those in a LOT of colours. We have established long ago that, as a typical Capricorn, once I find something I like, I have a tendency to buy it in multiple colours. So sue me.

EGC look 2.

We had to have a sweater vest / tank top / knitted vest / whatever-you-want-to-call-them in here. But for the ‘E’ in the ‘EGC’, let’s make it a brightly coloured one. Pair it with your best boyfriend jeans and loafers. Don’t be afraid to pair colours that you’ve been told don’t go together. I would say that, so long as you have a more muted ‘base’ colour to tie it in with (pale blue in this case), it won’t look like you’ve been taking fashion advice from Rod, Jane and Freddy.

EGC Look 3.

For those of you who are a little wary of clashing colours, here’s a more muted take on the look. A quintessential cardigan with useful pockets for storing a boiled sweet and a hanky, the classic white shirt that we all should own by now, and some wide-leg pinstripe trousers. These from M&S are causing quite a stir already. I predict a return to favour of classic tailoring this year. I do love my jeans but there’s always a place for a really good pair of smart trousers.

EGC look 4.

We had to include some Fair Isle knits here. If it’s good enough for Claudia, then it’s good enough for us. A classic denim shirt, khaki trousers, corduroy and brogues: a very easy look to replicate. Add some manly jewellery to top it off. I veer very much towards vintage jewellery these days. This highlight on my Instagram has some of my favourites in it, but I’m not averse to some cheaper costume pieces every so often. Latest purchase is this horseshoe ring from Junk Jewels; I love it.

ECG Look 5.

Yellow! Red! Denim! Burlington socks! The chokehold these socks had on me when I was about 15. I clearly recall going to the under-18s disco at Rackstraws (now a Beefeater, reviews not great) in Sandhurst wearing a vintage men’s pinstripe blazer, mini skirt and white shirt, complete with an old men’s tie and knee-high Burlington socks. I can’t remember if that was the same night that someone set fire to Michelle’s wig with a cigarette flicked from the balcony, but I do still know all the words to ‘I Need Love’ by LL Cool J. And I still love Burlington socks.

EGC look 6.

Another one for colour-shirkers, but it’s still nailing the EGC look with its brown hues. I never even liked brown until last year, but it’s surprisingly versatile. Do we just learn to like brown as we get older? The jury is out.

I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did. I’m definitely running with this trend.

K x

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