Jorts Illustrated: Why Dads Are This Summer's Most Surprising Style Icons

Trends come and go, and thanks to the invention of TikTok, they seem to appear and disappear faster than ever too. Fact is, whilst we used to be able to group most fashion trends into very stereotypical aesthetics, we’re now constantly exposed to microtrends every day – from “Clogcore”- which revolves around mules and slip-on silhouettes, to “That Girl” - a wellness-based lifestyle trend that’s very Sporty & Rich, to “Blokecore” - which basically revolves around wearing football shirts and jeans, but we’ll come onto that later.

Due to their fleeting nature, these trends can end up feeling a little bit like a fad. They tend to have less longevity than those we’d see a couple of years ago, and for the most part, aren’t as wearable. Some have even started to feel a little gimmicky, but in the interest of self-expression, we’ll leave it at that. However, a couple of more minimalist, anti-trends have been on the rise this year, and each of them has one thing in common – they'd all look right at home on our dads.

Similar to Normcore, Dadcore has become a slightly ironic response to the maximalist TikTok trends that are dominating the social space right now. Each of the following trends can obviously be worn separately, but overall, each of them is rooted in simplicity and comfort. These trends take on the 80s or 90s-style look that Gen X dads would feel right at home in, forfeiting anything that’s typically ‘cool’ whilst still managing to achieve that laid-back, IYKYK, straight off the set of Seinfeld look that Aimé Leon Dore fans pay over the odds for. And, in case you’d forgotten, we’d also seen quite a few middle-aged men on the runways too, with Jeff Goldblum walking for Prada and Adrien Brody modelling for KITH.

However, there’s dressing like a dad, and there’s dressing like a dad the right way. If you don’t do it quite right, you’re going to end up looking a little silly. So put down the hole-ridden trainers and the Fat Face tee, as we’re going to tell you the dad-led trends you can absolutely get away with following right now. Read on to find out more...

First off, you’re going to want to raid your dad’s wardrobe or attic stash, as vintage sportswear is very much in for 2022, something that we at The Sole Supplier predicted quite a long time ago. If you’ve been on TikTok this year, chances are you probably came across Blokecore, which was basically born when our friends across the pond discovered quintessential British football fashion. Retro football shirts were the stars of the show here, with collared versions being the style of choice for those who were in the know. Although slightly reminiscent of casual culture, you didn’t really have to be into football to join in with the Blokecore trend, and what’s more, you’d be hard pressed to find a real footie casual who’d be seen dead in a replica kit. Blokecore is all about finding the most obscure or coolest kits imaginable, which we all know are vintage. Aside from the actual clothing, TikTok videos were soundtracked with music by The Jam and The Stone Roses (unapologetically Gen X dad, we have to say) and featured kids downing pints and heading to local kebab and curry houses. Need we say more?

Ah, jorts. Though they’ve never really been cool, denim shorts (or jean shorts) have always been a summer staple, but this year they’ve become a little more acceptable within the fashion community. Mocked (yet pushed) endlessly by Instagram meme pages and tongue-in-cheek podcasts like Throwing Fits, jorts have actually become a must-have item this season, and even Vogue declared them to have taken over. While some of these trends may seem a little niche, Google searches for jorts actually rose over 900% year-on-year, and Levi’s 469 Denim Shorts took the fifth spot on Lyst’s Hottest Men’s Product List for Q2, so you know we’re not making it up.

When it comes to womenswear, denim shorts have always been pretty common, but the jorts trend is aimed at both men and women, and actually centres around long, baggy styles instead. Hitting just above or below the knee, jorts are reminiscent of dads everywhere – rugged, practical and unapologetic. In his prime, John Cena would wear jorts. Adam Sandler wears jorts. Do you really need any more convincing than that?

Moving onto footwear, and it's pretty clear that dads are dominating that department, too. Of course, chunky dad shoes have been in since 2017, when the Yeezy Wave Runner and Balenciaga Triple S dropped, and although today’s silhouettes have slimmed down slightly, when it comes to sneakers it’s a similar kind of vibe. For example, whilst previously painted as a bit of a dad brand, New Balance is leading the sneaker scene right now, with recently revived silhouettes from the 80s and 90s taking centre stage. The brand’s 990 silhouette remains popular, and its 2017 campaign for the 990v5 even poked fun at its reputation with its “Worn by Supermodels in London and Dads in Ohio” tagline. However, in a move that well and truly cemented its king of dad shoe status, the Boston-based brand decided to launch a mule version of its 2002R silhouette, in an effort to keep up with another Dadcore trend that was taking over the market.

Whether you’re used to seeing your dad don slippers to take the bins out, or he has a habit of treading down the backs of his sneakers, the slip-on mule style is about as dad as a shoe can get. While some seriously stylish pairs have hit the market recently (we’re looking at you, Dior), the retro styling of the 2002R Mule made it the perfect pick. Classics like Birkenstock Bostons have seen a resurgence too and were named the second hottest men’s product of 2022 according to the Lyst Index, behind Blokecore-style Sambas. In fact, searches for mules are currently up 45% year on year, with the term peaking at 1.3M searches between April and May. If mules weren’t controversial enough, another questionable footwear trend followed shortly after. Known for dropping some pretty provocative styles, Balenciaga launched its Track Sandal, a cross between its Track Runner and a typical hiking sandal, with a lot of Velcro involved. This wasn’t the only ugly sandal to hit the market either, with the likes of Eytys and New Balance also dropping pairs, the latter also seeing a 900% increase in searches YoY.

If you needed yet more evidence that the dads are taking over, you only have to look at the emerging trend of vintage runners that seem to be everywhere right now. ASICS has had quite the year, with the ‘asicsshoes’ hashtag reaching over 5.3million views on TikTok, and #ASICS racking up over 210 million views, and a collab with the design studio JJJJound on the way. Not to be outdone, New Balance also responded by resurrecting its late 00s 1906R model, a retro-looking runner that was done up in mesh and metallic caging.

So, there you have it. Whether you’re brave enough to mix them all together, or would rather pick and choose your dad fad, one thing is for sure – you're about to step into the most comfortable fit of your life.

If you like this, why not check out...