You’ve no doubt watched Emerald Fennell’s Clash of Classes salt burn. Sometimes silly, convoluted and deadly serious; The film inflates the laziness of the British elite, places a microscope on those who covet their privilege, and the wardrobe is a celebration of a weekend sleepover aesthetic that flourished in the early 19th century. until midnight.
From Felix Catton (played with utter laziness by the hoarse Jacob Elordi) to his bootcut jeans and white T-shirt combinations with V-neck jumpers, to Oliver’s ill-fitting Moss Bros tuxedo to his college “bop”. opening scenes – and not forgetting the perfectly placed eyebrow piercing Elordi wears for the first half of the film. salt burn It’s set in 2006-2007, and costume designer Sophie Canale has dressed her characters to period perfection. Flap-collared rugby shirts and pointy-toed loafers abound.
“Fashion is cyclical and people often talk about a 25 or 30 year trend cycle, so I think salt burn it’s riding on the crest of that wave,” Canale says Telegram. “Jacob Elordi’s Felix perfectly captures the flamboyant boy aesthetic of the Nights with his confident demeanor. “He’s cool and friendly, but there’s also a distant, unattainable side to his character, which is what makes him so charismatic.”
It’s not just the film’s popularity (it grossed more than £16 million worldwide) that has provided a clarion call for British men to dress like Etonians with the first-generation iPhone. A number of major brands have placed the sartorial calling card of the “Neo-Posh Boy” look at the center of their seasonal collections, with surprising success.
At The Row, python-style twin sisters Mary-Kate and Ashely Olsen showed off a high-collared, Noughties-inspired three-button suit and a Felix-friendly wingtip shirt. There were also oversized, tertiary-coloured blazers that looked like they had been sourced from Oxfam on Cowley Road. Bottega Veneta’s creative director, Matthieu Blazy, has put forward a striking interpretation of the Noughties “jeans and sheux” look, first immortalized in the original Best Gear triple. He paired leather trousers crafted to resemble denim with loose suit jackets and baggy leather shoes.
At Neil Barrett (who founded his eponymous brand in 1999), the 59-year-old British designer showed off gray V-neck jumpers that he wore with white T-shirts and charcoal school uniform trousers; Officine Générale and Dior exhibited deep V-necks worn with suits. AKA the pinnacle of Neo-Posh Boy chic.
“Nostalgic touches to school days add a sense of comfort and sophistication to any outfit. Recently, this trend has come to the fore once again, as men tend to dress smartly and move away from the comfortable trope of casual wear,” says Damien Paul, head of menswear at Matches Fashion. “This also happened in our 24th Spring Summer menswear section. Sales of categories such as chunky loafers rose 30 percent year-on-year, with brands such as Marni, Prada and JM Weston driving performance.
“In the same period, sales of straight-leg jeans from brands such as Our Legacy, The Row and Acne increased by 90 percent. Arch 4’s V-necks, Sweden’s Ben Cobb x Tiger and Comme des Garçons Shirt also perform well.”
So why is dressing like young Prince Harry on Short Leave suddenly all the rage? Fashion editor for stylist Dan May 10 Men Magazine in 2007, the look had been around for a long time; Like a senior lad in The Botanist. It’s now trickling down into the broader language of fashion.
“Walk through Chelsea, Sloane Square, Parsons Green or Kensington and you’ll see that bootcut jeans, loafers, blazers and V-necks are still the uniform – I’m sure they’re in every sixth-form state school. country,” says May. “I think the look has become more distinct now, thanks to movies like this. salt burn and Netflix’s latest One day adaption. That’s why stylish brands like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger are still part of the zeitgeist. Their continued dominance plays a huge role in influencing both how men dress and the products of other brands.”
Played with appropriate public school braggadocio by British actor Leo Woodall. One day’s Dex provides another good example of why the Neo-Posh Boy aesthetic feels so relevant right now. All oversized blazers, a pair of Levi’s Twisted jeans and trendy pinky signet rings – Dex’s look is full of cocky ease; Not only does it feel like the next logical sartorial step, following the unapologetic yet prevailing “quiet luxury” vibe, but it also feels like a welcome millennial vibe in our increasingly discontented age.
Moreover, the Neo-Posh Boy aesthetic is essentially class cosplay. As Catherine Hayward, who became Esquire magazine’s fashion director in 2007, explained: “It’s a tribal thing. Fashion loves a gang that expresses class. Especially the photogenic one.”
In 2005, Joe Casely-Hayford became creative director of Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes. The late designer was responsible for dressing the organization’s members in roomy blazers, which are the centerpiece of the ultra-stylish Sloane Ranger uniform. Casely-Hayford’s son Charlie, now a menswear designer, believes today’s Neo-Posh Boy aesthetic is this generation’s version of the look.
“The reemergence of the public school look is akin to Indie Sleaze, the Noughties movement that adopted clothes from the Sloane Ranger toolbox (Barbour jackets, shrunken tweeds, boat shoes) and consciously juxtaposes it with the then-prevailing indie aesthetic,” Casely said. Hayford explains.
“The new public schoolboy look is a reprise of this era’s Sloane Ranger, and once again serves as a backdrop for discord and friction,” he says. “The result is a new visual language that is not just imitative, but also playful, energetic and entertaining.”
If you’re ready to try the Neo-Posh Boy aesthetic for yourself, the key to looking as good as Elordi’s use of Defender salt burn (and there’s nothing like Jeremy Clarkson smashing the Lotus Elise Best Gear), is to focus on the proportions of the clothes you choose to wear.
Choosing an oversized blazer from Our Legacy or Acne, for example, will look intentional, not like you’re wearing something you inherited from your Tory grandpa. Similarly, some straight-leg raw denim jeans from Bottega Veneta or The Row will provide a mid-20s vibe while looking much more appropriate than the baggy pair of Levi’s Twisteds that have been sitting at the back of your wardrobe since Elordi was born. Whether you dress like a Neo-Posh Boy or not, a good pair of plain black loafers will be a forever investment.
Alternatively, you can keep it simple and go shopping in your own wardrobe. “You’ll always find an oversized tweed jacket or a dirty-knit V-neck in a man’s haul,” says Hayward, who also extols the virtue of buying second-hand. “Vintage clothing draws on the British, punk attitude of breaking the rules and ‘fixing and mending’. It’s part of the British tailoring spirit. So light.”
I mean, dressing like a twenty-something dork with a trust fund is. What about eyebrow snaps? Should we all start making piercing appointments at Claire’s Accessories? “That’s a big NO from me,” says May. “Even Jacob Elordi couldn’t do it.”
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