With Father’s Day on the horizon, I wanted to take a moment to explore the emerging trend of “Dad Style.” If your daily go-to is a pair of comfy jeans and a polo shirt, you are inadvertently already following this trend. Alternatively, if the term “Dad Style” evokes memories of your own dad’s closet, especially if he favored argyle vests, khakis, and canvas baseball hats, he’s been hitting the nail on the head of Dad Style.

For some, Dad Style or Dad Fashion is an intentionally awkward mode of dressing that favors casualwear and comfort while paying homage to the ongoing 1990s resurgence. With shows like Friends and Seinfeld available on streaming, a new generation is starting to explore stonewashed jeans, Hawaiian shirts, oversized ribbed sweaters, and bulky sneakers. Basically, Dad Style is dressing like a middle-aged man enjoying a day away from the office.

How did Dad Style come about? Since the recession of the late aughts, the workplace has become more casual and more creative. Nowadays, it is the norm to wear jeans to your job, and many up-and-coming professions in tech, retail, and research have a younger workforce than the more traditional industries of finance and law, which still require a more formal mode of dressing. Even khakis and polo shirts, once reserved for the golf course or weekends, are now typical workwear. This natural “casualization” of the workplace opened the door to Dad Style, among other informal trends and fads.

Dad Style isn’t just about being casual; it’s where nostalgia and irony intertwine as 30 and 20-somethings dress like their fathers did back in the ‘90s. So, they are pulling up their socks, tucking their t-shirts into pleated pants, and opting for a tapered jean. And don’t forget sweater vests. A baggy sweater vest is a Dad Style staple.

However, not all Dad Style is retro or ironic. Another core of Dad Style is functionality.

Windbreakers that are waterproof, Under Armour, steel-toed work boots, and money belts all fall under Dad Style. If your items are infused with tech features, all the better. Smart clothes that track and monitor your activity, help you regulate your body temperature, or connect to your phone can all be considered Dad Style.

Of course, Dad Style is not just for men. Young women have embraced Dad Style, wearing New Balance sneakers, opting for a wider-cut jean, and thrifting for Members Only jackets. For many, Dad Style gives you the feeling of wearing your dad’s actual clothes, going for an oversized silhouette to feel a bit of sartorial protection.

Oversized doesn’t mean sloppy. This trend is about comfort but not about laziness. So, nothing distressed, ripped, stained, or wrinkled. Even if your dad didn’t iron his jeans, to further embrace Dad Style, feel free to iron yours, and create a crisp seam down the front of the leg.

If your dad fits this mode of dressing, you may want to consider raiding his closet. If not, besides Seinfeld, as mentioned above, other seminal figures of Dad Style to take inspiration from include Bob Saget from Full House, Tim Allen from Home Improvement, Reginald Vel Johnson from Family Matters, and Ray Romano from Everybody Loves Raymond. Their characters all embody aspects of Dad Style. And if you find yourself binging old episodes of Family Matters, in particular, you may want to throw in a bit of Urkel’s style with some red suspenders.