The VICE Guide to Dressing Like a 1970s Himbo

Burt Reynolds’ mustache. Leather vests. Pants that remind us that you have a penis [Jim Morrison has entered the chat], and box chains that sparkle between the curls of your super-low-V-neck-framed chest hair. There’s so much to love about 1970s men’s fashion, from the gender-bending stylings of David Bowie to Jim Kelly’s micro shorts in Enter the Dragon, because it was an era dripping in color, personality, and casual sex appeal. Naturally, Gen Z has started making a case for the return to a 1970s himbo aesthetic: 

“Instead of going to therapy,” says the audio of the TikTok video below, “I simply dress like a 70s cult leader, walk around outside, and am healed through the powers of mystery and intrigue.” It’s also fitting that Gen Z, which has already heralded a new era of gender inclusivity (and a style aesthetic fit for Godspell), is so smitten with a decade that made the gender binary bendier (and more covered in fringe) than ever. 

While we’re not saying you should sub therapy for some corduroy button-downs and flared pants, assembling the perfect 70s himbo capsule wardrobe is an excellent way to segue into fall with the added perk of a retail-induced serotonin bump. If you want to invest in a full-blown Parisian night suit, be our guest—but the cool thing about 1970s fashion is that you can amp it up or tone it down with as many or as few pieces as you’d like and still harness its sex appeal. Cop a patterned button-down to pair with your Levi’s, or wear your flared pants with a basic white tank. Whether you’re looking for an entire personality rebrand for autumn or just a few new pieces to breathe some life into your wardrobe, here’s everything you need to get a lock on the 1970s himbo aesthetic. 

The first step is finding a patterned button-down or bowling shirt. If you really want to go for period accuracy, hunt down a top with a pointed collar, but any printed button-down with a retro print will do. The trippy dice on this button-down are very Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  

Corduroy is the unofficial fabric of fall, and the perfect thing to wear over your printed button-down shirt to bring even more texture and warmth into the mix. Amazon reviewers say this pocket-equipped button-down fits true to size, so order one a little larger if you want to layer it over a long-sleeved shirt. 

We’ve gone to great lengths to break down our undying, inter-seasonal love for jean jackets, whether they’re embroidered, acid-washed (very 90s), or have a sherpa collar like this gem from Abercrombie. Cop it while it’s part of the 15% off men's sale to add some timeless flare to your himbo vibe.

What are personality pants, you ask? Any trouser that makes our heart go pitter-patter, from the jeans on the cover of the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album to the flared pants donned by every himbo and himbo-ette in the 70s. Bell bottoms are extremely flattering on calves, and they don’t always have to be skin-tight, as evidenced by these dark wash jeans from G-Star that are 50% off. 

If a flared jean isn’t your vibe, ASOS’ plaid drawstring trousers are comfy as hell and cut a flattering silhouette with a roomier straight leg—and the earthy plaid is a direct throwback to our favorite 1978 midwestern basement couch. 

We stan a himbo in dark flared jeans and a pair of lacquered Saturday Night Fever elevator shoes, but a more casual move for the himbo-on-the-go would be pairing a personality pant with a fall Chelsea boot. This leather pair by Ariat takes inspiration from traditional cowboy boots with the subtle embroidery, and it has a trusty handle loop on the heel for sliding them on and off as smoothly as spreading butter on a hot biscuit. 

Flared trousers with Chelsea boots is very Velvet Underground/ punk-show-under-the-bridge-core, and that’s tight. But if your vibe is a little more sun-dappled casual, dress down your personality pants with a shoe like the Nike Blazer, which debuted in 1973 as the brand’s first basketball sneaker. They’re great shorthand for saying, “Let’s smoke one at the lake before we hotwire my truck.” 

Not that hog—although, why not? Every 70s himbo needs a pair of aviators or tinted sunglasses that say, “My other car is your Mom.” 

Does it wobble over your white tank top? It will, once you cop this 14K gold vermeil chain from the talented Canadian jewelers at Deux Lions that will have all the cuties cooing, “Tabarnak! He’s fine.”

Looking sharp. Next stop? Turtleneck Town. 

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