As a general statement, the fit is relaxed and flowy. You will want to get garments in pastel colors but even a faded navy, brown and black look great with Soft Boy, just take caution not to lean to hard into the tattered look. Keep in mind this style highlights an 80s to 90s vintage look that is not heavily weathered in appearance, think soft not rugged.
Starting from the top, this style puts less of a focus on hats but a vintage dad or bucket hat would work well with it. Round lens glasses are ideal, pastel colored lenses are even better and as far as hair goes it is best left messy at a medium length.
For tops, look for button downs and tees as well as oversized long sleeve shirts and sweaters, again from the 80s or 90s time period so an old varsity sweater or a baggy Guess tee would do the trick. To help create that vintage Soft Boy appearance the sleeves on your tee should be closer to your elbow. Note that as the sleeves get closer to the shoulder the silhouette of the top becomes more modern.
Outerwear should be a light wash denim jacket or windbreaker again from the same period as the tops with the exception of cardigans, you'll want them to give off more of a 60s collegiate vibe. Additionally flannel patterns can work well as Soft Boy is like a preppy less tattered version of the popular 90s Grunge style.
For bottoms aim for khaki or pastel colored chinos and light wash or black denim. Again the fit is relaxed and the pant length should have no brake so either cropped or rolled will equally achieve the right look. Shoes should be casual sneakers such as old school Reeboks, Converse or Vans worn with white tube socks or ones with vintage designs on them.
Appropriate accessories consist of a chain wallet, fanny pack, any jewelry that fits into the targeted time period like a signet ring, an old school digital watch, a medium sized chain with a small to medium sized padlock on it, a gold nugget ring and yes, as Harry Styles has shown us, a pearl necklace works well with Soft Boy if you can confidently pull it off. Belts should be of a vintage design such as a breaded leather or D ring belt.
Outfit Example #1:
All three of these outfits showcase a staple look for the Soft Boy style. That is a baggy long sleeved shirt or crewneck sweater with a white collared shirt underneath. Notice the colors are done well here. Mint green pastel with black denim, a faded navy top with khaki chinos as well as with light wash denim
Outfit Example #2:
Both of these looks display oversized tees, white and faded black, simple vintage jewelry, shoes from the 90s and light wash denim with no brake. Also take note that the waistband of the pants can be worn slightly higher than normal as shown in the photo on the right.
So there is the Soft Boy style in all of its cozy vintage glory. To reiterate, it’s obviously not for everyone. This look better serves those of us that are still in school but ultimately if the style interest you, I say give it a try. Also for those of you who like to talk fashion, if you want to discuss this style more don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or message me on Reddit.
