Justin Bieber’s Street Style Is Criminally Underrated

There are levels to sleazy-chic. First comes Drake, with his love of pinky rings, custom Brioni suits, and sunglasses with a pervy tint. He is blissfully unaware of his hot cornballness and that, in my opinion, makes him all the more endearing. Then there’s Post Malone, a man who exists on his own planet of dorky swag, complete with quirky Nudie suits, cowboy boots, and Bud Light-themed merch. Now Justin Bieber is throwing his sleazy-chic hat in the ring. The pop star stepped out yesterday in Los Angeles wearing a floral print camp shirt so large it skimmed the bottom of his butt. It was thrown over a white ribbed tank top. His slouchy tan pants were extra long, too, bunched up at the heel but with enough room left to reveal a sliver of his white New Balance sneakers.

Bieber reminded me of that infamous posse of skaters who makes a cameo in the opening scenes of Clueless. Remember their low-slung chinos and baggy shirts? It was such a potent look you could almost smell the cloud of skunk weed permeating through the silver screen. So lazy! So IDGAF before IDGAF was even an acronym! He also brought to mind a young Leonardo DiCaprio, specifically that Tumblr-beloved Romeo and Juliet film still in which the then-heartthrob is smoking a ciggy and wearing that Hawaiian shirt. There was a glimpse of Matchbox 20 lead singer Rob Thomas in Bieber’s groovy camp shirt, too. (Watch the video for “Smooth” again and you’ll get what I mean.) Maybe even a whiff of Kevin Federline and his trademark white ribbed undershirts.

Which is all to say that Bieber is bringing a vibe to his street style that is weirdly fresh. Where other celebrity men can come off as overly styled, there’s a raw coolness to the singer’s latest look that feels real and unpolished. There is a spunk. (As much as I appreciate Seth Rogen’s new makeover—suited, booted, and with a beard trim—there’s nothing more appealing than a man with unstudied cool). Look back on some of Bieber’s recent looks and you’ll notice a running theme. The combinations appear counterintuitive and slightly juvenile: socks-and-sandals in a non-ironic way, basketball shorts and pulled-up socks, and even a polo flaunted like some hungover golfer or simply a teen who loves to chug Mountain Dew. Still, Bieber makes it his own.

Admittedly, there are other famous guys who fall into this category. Take Shia LaBeouf, for example. He hardly stunts for the paparazzi, though the images of him casually running to the corner store have earned him fashion cred nonetheless. There is one particularly rabid fan account, @shiasoutfits, that tracks the actor’s grungy, sometimes dirty, and kind-of-hot looks. See the huge hiking backpack that’s so packed to the gills with stuff—tennis rackets, umbrellas, you name it—he’s tied his jacket around the straps. His pants are always too cropped; his sock always on view. Like Bieber and his trippy tie-dyed tracksuits, LaBeouf has no trouble pulling off the wildest style experiments—think, pink spandex.

Unlike LaBeouf, though, Bieber has a real interest in fashion. He has worked with stylist Karla Welch on producing a line of perfect white T-shirts. He recently struck out on his own with Drew, his own line of beige-centric casual wear that includes the likes of oversized T-shirts and carpenter pants. But for whatever reason, Bieber’s devil-may-care style choices have never quite gotten their due. I'd say it’s high time Bieber had his own fashion fan account. In fact, maybe I’ll start it.

Originally Appeared on Vogue