Why Am I Dressing Like My Grandpa?

By Flora Edmiston

I first realised I was dressing like my 79-year-old grandpa on a particularly rainy August day when I put on his flat cap and seriously considered wearing it out. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived with him since March, or maybe it’s a weird coincidence that the current trends line up with his outfits that have changed only very minimally for the past 15 years.

My grandpa may not have a typical pensioner fashion-sense, but I’ve incorporated his longline leather jackets into my own wardrobe and have been complimented on them more than anything else I own. With trending combinations of masculine shirts, jumpers, baggy trousers, scarves, and the colour brown, I could probably create a viral Pinterest board of my grandpa’s clothes. My family now constantly mocks me for spending my whole student loan on Depop when my grandpa’s wardrobe is mainly from M&S.

Going vintage shopping has become something of an obsession, at least amongst my friends. We see it as more than just a quest for cheap clothes; vintage shopping combines the fight against fast fashion with a quest for quality. Topshop jeans that split at the thighs worryingly quickly just won’t do anymore! It seems as if our generation of shoppers would rather invest in some quality, long-lasting Levi’s. My grandpa’s jackets have been worn for almost 20 years now, basically my whole lifespan, and are still in perfect condition. There’s also something so comforting and sentimental about wearing my grandpa’s clothes. When I put on his fair isle cardigan or the leather cross-body bag he made by hand, I feel so proud and connected to the memories he made with his garments. These emotions are something I feel to a lesser extent when wearing other second-hand clothes.

There’s a real 70’s moment happening in fashion, from House of Sunny’s psychedelic prints to the softness of brown to baggy flares. This is no coincidence, as the social climate of the 1970’s is, in many ways, being replicated today. Protest and repression, economic turmoil and generational strife are playing out today in the guise of the BLM movement, COVID-19 and the clashes between the youth and the older generation that comes with societal tension. In my grandpa’s day, this played out through the Civil Rights Movement, the UK miners’ strike (in which he participated) and a polarising government making extremely difficult decisions. As young people in this time, we crave individuality, eschewing the millions of identical Boohoo tops made by workers paid less than minimum wage for handmade garments from Depop sellers and similar one-of-a-kind pieces.

So, I’m dressing like my grandpa to gain a bit of his unrelenting spirit. In wearing his clothes, I feel his drive to stand up for what he believes in and protect his community. If I can be even half the person he is, I will be truly happy. Also, he has some absolutely sick outfits!