Two weeks ago I was spending time with my mum in Cape Cod – begrudgingly browsing her ridiculously expensive “investment pieces,” as she calls them – when I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. Imagine, if you will, beachy grandmother circa 2021. We’re talking breezy linen top, oversized straw bag, beads dangling from every wrist.
The woman who has quietly amassed a wealth that affords her not just a beach house, but beach houses. Now picture her feet. Rain boots.
Preferably Birkenstocks, but any respectable rain boots will do. Wait, what?
Those rhinestone-covered slides she’s wearing with her Coach bag are rain boots?!?!
I thought.
My mind was reeling. As someone who covers and thinks about eco-friendly fashion on the reg, I had seen some questionable trends in my day. (Okay, fine, I work at Outside, which means I’ve willingly sat across from people who believe fleece is “casual” wedding attire, but still.) But actual rain boots?
Trekking boots, even?! Outdoorsy footwear paired delicately with the beachy vibes of Coastal Grandmother??? It was jarring, but…also kind of beautiful? !
Okay, maybe that was taking it a bit far. But you get the idea. Something about that contradiction – rough-and-tumble boots, worn by someone who definitely could afford ballet flats, but chooses not to – clicked with me.
And over the next few days, I started noticing versions of that combo everywhere. The Bushwick blogger mums buying all their organic peaches at the farmers market in leather aprons and hiking boots. The artisan selling macrame wall hangings at the Christmas tree shop who spent the afternoon petting puppies and stalking me through her Instagram stories in her Columbia jacket and distressed jeans.
I began to google-image-search my way through a recession of my brain as soon as I got home from holiday. And y’all – it turns out that lady from Cape Cod was onto something. Meet your newest vague style inspiration: coastal gorpmother.
A collision of coastal grandmother-style – the Pinterest-core aesthetic of floaty blouses, neutral-tone sundresses, and tiny bean bags – and gorpcore, the utilitarian outdoor trend we’ve been talking about ad nauseam over here at Outside. Makes sense when you think about it. Both of these trends are, at their core, about investing in pieces that are going to last you years.
Coastal grandma wasn’t actually about wearing seersucker, it was about buying high-quality clothing that you could rely on season after season. Same thing with technical outdoor gear! You wouldn’t spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of hiking trousers unless you were 110% sure you were going to be wearing them on all of your hikes from here on out.
Built to last, those pieces! Okay, so what’s the big deal? Well.
If you spend as much time as I do thinking about where our fashion industry is headed, coastal gorpmother is pretty rad. Not only are we seeing women blend two distinct and largely separate approaches to wardrobe Sustainability – that high-low combo of expensive-yet-still-classic linen trousers with affordable-but-sturdy hiking boots – we’re seeing it happen organically. No trend alerts, no celebrities hopping on board.
Just everyday people mixing Utilikilts with seersucker for funs. Already brands have caught on. Patagonia released a line of cargo trousers in pastel colours sure to make your grandpa blush.
Eileen Fisher launched a line with MOON temperature-regulating technology, including plenty of pieces that could double as outdoor gear if you added some hiking boots. J.Crew and Hoka even partnered to release a line of uber- comfortable trainers – apparently the footwear holy grail I never knew I needed – that sold out the second they dropped. (I managed to snag myself a pair and trust me when I say they are life-changing, hiking boot anchors and all.) I love this trend from a sustainability standpoint because it forces you to think creatively about how you dress for different occasions. Casual Friday versus hike on Saturday versus work from home Sunday.
Too often, when we think about having a versatile wardrobe we autumn into the trap of feeling like we need one set of clothes for chores and errands, one to “look good” and another still for rugged outdoor activities. Enter coastal gorpmothers, proving you can take that versatile, hiking-boot-worthy pair of trousers and slap a blazer on them for looks while you run errands. Or wear that cute, breathable top while hiking AND out to brunch.
Dressing for multiple occasions with multi-purpose pieces is something I’ve been trying to do for a while now. Fewer bags, more things that can go in those bags. I will say I was skeptical when I first started noticing this trend.
The hippie environmentalist in me hates trends. Trends are bad because they make people think they need more stuff. But the more I paid attention, the more I realised that wasn’t happening.
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These women weren’t shopping at Zara or H&M. They were investing in elevated basics from brands we already know and trust are trying to do better, like Patagonia and REI. Brands that offer repair services, brands that have stood the test of time and aren’t constantly turning out it-girl-approved collections.
My mum’s been buying cheaper linen shirts for years, wearing them until they get small holes in the arm sleeves from her incessant gardening and then tossing them without a second thought. Recently, however, she’s replaced her old linen stash with ones that can double as gardening shirts. “Look at these trousers.
They resist wrinkles, stains, and repel water!” she said as we flipped through clothes in her closet. “I can wear this working in the yard OR taking things to the gallery.” Practical. “It’s just so… practical!” I heard over and over from self-proclaimed coastal gorpmothers.
Functionality. Versatility. Pieces that can actually adapt to the way we live our lives.
Not just weekends spent hiking, but weekend hikes followed by lunch dates with friends. Meetings at the office that turn into nighttime festivities. Who knows.
Life. Case in point: where these women are sourcing this stuff. Sure, some are buying new (and thrift shopping vintage here and there, but plenty are digging through thrift store and resale piles for vintage Patagonia jackets and waterproof hiking boots.
Items designed to last a lifetime, so even decade-old technical gear is probably in great condition. As for me? I’ve already bought into the trend.
Well, sort of. I’m actually trying really hard not to use it as an excuse to buy a bunch of new clothes. I did find an adorable pair of barely worn Merrell hiking boots at my local consignment shop in Seattle for $40.
They work for weekend hikes, but are also cute enough to wear with jeans on weekends when I’m not sweating my butt off. I bought ONE good quality technical shirt from Outdoor Research that I can wear hiking, to meetings, or running errands around town. Bonus points if I spill coffee on it.
But that doesn’t mean I’m running out to buy a whole new wardrobe complete with North Face vests and jorts. Because here’s the thing about coastal gorpmother – it’s all about being authentic to your lifestyle. I will never wear rain boots because I don’t live by the beach and don’t own a rain barrel.
I reside in Seattle, which yes, gets rainy. But I take public transportation. I don’t need rain boots to protect my designer shoes.
My life doesn’t lend itself to that, so I won’t do it! But I can steal some of the ideas this trend throws out there and apply them to how I live. For me, that means durable pieces from brands I trust that give a damn about their impact and clothes that serve more than one function.
We live in confusing times when it comes to fashion. More than ever we’re being asked to consider how our sartorial decisions impact the planet around us.
But at the same time, we want to look cute.
We want to feel good about what we wear.
We want to express ourselves without having to google whether a piece of clothing is ethically made or not. Coastal gorpmother allows us to do all that AND look drop dead stunning (or hideously-off-inspired by your elders, depending on how you dress it) while doing it.
Will it last as a trend? Doubtful. Too many baseball hats and sandals for something to truly cement itself as the next big thing (although please let it be.).
But as a mindset? As a guide for how we approach our closets moving forward? I think coastal gorpmother has some major things figured out.
Sustainability. Versatility. Quality over quantity.
Fashion that speaks to our lifestyles – not the other way around.
