Always look at the trousers first. Any hint of elastication, and the wearer is eliminated. Not a Groovy Old Man at all. Don’t be fooled by pony tails. The greasy-grey specimen, especially when swept back from a receding hairline, is not a good look. Yes, you can be bald and groovy. Designer labels might be a plus point, but it’s perfectly possible to be dressed by Oxfam and succeed. Style is as groovy in old men as it is in young ones. Vanity is not.
What makes these guys groovy is their history. The older ones are the first generation to have youth culture corpuscles in their blood stream. These guys were teenagers when rock rolled into town. And at exactly the same time as they were getting their jiving licences, these young men were rocked by the realisation that, unlike their fathers and grandfathers and great grandfathers, they would not have to wear the uniform of a soldier. National Service was coming to an end. Or, if they did do National Service, they were performing in the armed farces rather than forces. Nobody took it seriously. One guy I heard of was demobbed on the same day he heard rock 'n' roll for the first time. As historical a moment as Agincourt, but without the threat of violence.
The point about Groovy Old Men, especially this first wave of them, is that they've been groovy all their lives. They're not mummified teds or mods or punks, they've moved and grooved with the times. This means they're still comfortable with the unholy trinity of sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll. They still have reasons to be cheerful. St Ian is the patron saint of Groovy Old Men. Soon, all old men will have the equal opportunity to be groovesters. People will not remember an era when there was no youth culture.
But they can't be defined. My book is not a style bible. Everyone has their own idea of what groovy is, and you can have a Groovy Old Man lifestyle as long as it doesn't involve non-groovy things like elasticated trousers, light opera, golf, timeshares, the Rotary Club (I could go on with this list but tolerance is part of being groovy).
Now you've read about what defines a Groovy Old Man, click the button below to take our fun test to find out if you or someone you know makes the grade!
