The Rise Of The Soft Boy

The most impactful look in menswear right now borrows from the women. Jeffrey Yan explores why it is the ultimate power move

- Jeffrey Yan

The state of menswear has come a long way since the days of the beefcakes immortalised in Versace campaigns by Bruce Weber and the neo-Greek gods Tom Ford sent down his Gucci runway in the 1990s. It’s also a far cry from the template set by the Pitti Peacocks in the late 2000s with their three-piece suits and double monk strap shoes. The mid-2010s were all about the hypebeasts and streetwear swagger, but that, too, has reached peak saturation. These days, it’s all about the soft boy.

As its name implies, the look is all about a certain tenderness, flamboyance and romanticism that deviate from the traditional masculinity that defines classical suiting and even sportswear—the roots of which can be traced to skate, basketball and other conventionally hyper-masculine sports and subculture. Instead, the soft boy borrows from the language of womenswear, with colours, fabrications and ornamentations more commonly associated with the modern female wardrobe and the menswear of centuries past.