An Ode to the Internet Boyfriend: Why the Celeb Crush Is My Unlikely Style Icon

The year is 2020, and Sally Rooney's novel Normal People has been adapted into a BBC TV series. Almost immediately, the entire nation is watching, and it isn't the whip-smart dialogue or the palpable on-screen chemistry of its leads that is the talk of offices everywhere the next day. The internet is sent into a tailspin over Paul Mescal, or more specifically, the gold chain that his character Connell wears. Such is the power of the "internet boyfriend"—the unexpected celebrity crush who manages to be disarmingly attractive, witty, approachable and fashionable at all once. Internet boyfriends are so universally appealing that we can all imagine what it would be like to date them.

There doesn't appear to be a "type" per se, the genre incorporates everyone from the older "Zaddy" who isn't new to fame but has undergone a fashionable makeover, to the up-and-comers enjoying their turn in the limelight. Think Jeff Goldblum on the Prada runway, Oscar Isaac wearing New Balance, Jeremy Allen White making chef's whites a hot commodity and Pedro Pascal wearing, well, just about anything. We are so taken by the internet boyfriend that not only do we want to be with them, we want to rifle through their wardrobes, too. 

I hadn't realised quite how much this aesthetic of dadcore-meets-normcore-meets-Pitti Uomo had infiltrated my subconscious until I took stock of everything I'd bought recently. Somehow, my summer wardrobe now consists of retro trainers, loafers, tailored trousers and plain white tees (I also count no less than six waistcoats), almost exactly in line with the internet boyfriend's uniform of choice. If you've ever googled Idris Elba, Stanley Tucci or Timotheé Chalamet + "style", join the club. If you've bought a pair of tortoiseshell or gold wire aviator glasses in the last two years, you're a card-carrying member of the crew. Find yourself shopping at Arket, Uniqlo and COS to top up on oversized shirts, straight-leg trousers and blazers rather than minis and florals? You're one of us.

Unisex dressing is nothing new, and menswear-inspired looks have been a runway mainstay for just about as long as I can remember, but the 2020s undoubtedly belongs to the rugged, fashion-forward A-lister who can show up on the red carpet in nonchalant shorts or sneakers and still make the best dressed list (and wherever there is a lesson in getting ready in 5 minutes but looking it like it took hours, I'm taking notes). Having happily picked out a line-up of the most influential internet boyf's, below I share tips from their wardrobes, and there's an easy-to-recreate look for everyone. 

1. OSCAR ISAAC

Style Notes: The latest addition to the Zaddy cohort is Oscar Isaac. After that red carpet video of prolonged eye contact with Jessica Chastain did the rounds, everyone was suddenly keen to watch anything that Isaac did next, and although Scenes of a Marriage didn't make quite the splash we thought it would, the costumes certainly did. Like his character Jonathan, you can expect to see Isaac in muted colour palettes and plenty of preppy-chic corduroy. 

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2. JEREMY ALLEN WHITE

Style Notes: It's been a very good year for Jeremy Allen White. If you watched the US adaptation of Channel 4's Shameless you will know him as gangly teenager "Lip", but to the rest of us he is brooding chef Carmie in FX's The Bear, an under-the-radar drama that's already reached cult status. Perhaps it's the gritty Chicago sensibility, maybe it's the heat of the kitchen—either way, there's something about how White wears tailored whites both on and off the screen that makes them feel impossibly cool. 

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3. PAUL MESCAL 

Style Notes: In the three years since Normal People hit our screens, there's rarely a month that goes by that someone doesn't bring up Connell's chain. A shame really, as Mescal's recent red carpet looks are ones to behold, and we can appreciate any man who embraces corsages, pussybow blouses, ribbon ties and wide-leg trousers with such aplomb. 

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5. JEFF GOLDBLUM

Style Notes: Where should I even begin with Jeff Goldblum? The internet is so unanimously in love with this man that I don't think we even need to discuss why, but when it comes to his fashion sense the appeal lies in his ability to take quirky, off-the-wall pieces and make them make perfect sense. Goldblum is king of the print clash and an expert in accessorising, so the next time you see a boxy floral shirt, colour-pop trousers or a pair of bright sunnies, just know that there is a Jeff Goldblum outfit that did it first. 

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5. IDRIS ELBA

Style Notes: There was once a time when Idris Elba was synonymous with a grey wool coat and a red tie, but Luther aside, Elba is now a firmly established part of the fashion crowd and can be relied upon for slick, off-duty looks. Image search his "street style" looks now, I implore you. It's not all leather jackets and shades—in fact, he makes a compelling case for both the cargo trouser and the Gucci floral shirt, which I didn't think anyone could pull off. 

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6. PEDRO PASCAL 

Style Notes: I have to confess, while I'm not overly familiar with Pedro Pascal's work (and I'm one of the handful of people who haven't seen The Mandalorian or The Last of Us), I am however fully acquainted with his wardrobe. Not since Jeff Goldblum's eccentric re-invention have I been quite so invested in a man's wardrobe, and from the moment Pascal stepped onto the Met Gala steps in Valentino shorts, I knew he would be the one to watch this year. Whether he's wearing buttermilk yellow or a cosy grandma knit, this is a man who pushes boundaries, and in turn, inspires us to take more sartorial risks ourselves. 

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7. PETE DAVIDSON

Style Notes: Like him or loathe him, there is evidently something about Pete Davidson that got the attention of Kim Kardashian, Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale, Phoebe Dyvenor and Kaia Gerber. Perhaps the original internet boyfriend, he's always in my feed and always in a relationship. Davidson has the kind of laidback approach to dressing that's perfect for a lazy weekend. Will his clothes be ironed? Probably not. Will they be "meet the parent" appropriate? Not likely. But there is something undoubtedly cool about looking like you pulled on the first pieces of clothing that came to hand and just added a pair of shades. Bravo, Pete. 

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