18-07-2025
Yacht-Rock Style Isn't as Smooth as Its Sound—and Therein Lies Its Sex Appeal
Yacht Rock style as worn by George Benson, Pablo Cruise, Kenny Loggins, and Jim Messina
The heart wants what it wants. Mine seems to be wholly immune to the indie-sleaze and Y2K revival—been there, done that—but strangely drawn to the tight jeans and hairy appeal of the yacht-rock set. Let's just say I watched last year's HBO's self-described 'dockumentary' on the subject and was hooked.
Originating in California in the 1970s, yacht rock is a genre of soft, mellow music that was post-named in 2005 in conjunction with a video series. The moniker plays on the tranquil take-me-away mood of Christopher Cross's song 'Sailing.' It's a sound and mood that contrasts with the more energetic pop of the clean-cut Beach Boys, who emerged a decade earlier. Heading to Getty Images I expected to find a low-key, surfy, Cali style, but what I discovered was that while yacht rock is sonically associated with smoothness, yacht-rock fashion is, in contrast, choppy, a grab-and-go mix of jeans and tees. And it's really hirsute. What unites the look of bands like the Doobie Brothers or Steely Dan is hair: chest hair, long hair, exaggerated sideburns, and beards befitting storybook sea captains.
