The poorboy sweater was so skinny and small, it looked like you couldn’t afford a sweater that fits. The skintight style fit right into the swinging ’60s, and with its too-short sleeves and super-tight style, this skinny ribbed knit body sweater was a sure hit.
Super 60’s model Twiggy looked like a poor, underfed street urchin in the body-hugging sweater, and girls clamoured for the streamlined style of Twiggy’s long and lean limbs.
The poorboy epitomised the transition from psychedelic op-art mod styles to the new trend of earth-tone, natural looks popularised by the hippie movement (think thigh-hugging brown cords and gummy-soled Wallabees with a shrunk-to-fit turtleneck poorboy).
The poorboy roamed the streets in the ’70s and returned in the ’90s to much fanfare, finding a new home with the new ‘baby’ style of shrunken tops alongside the baby tee and the baby doll dress. The poorboy showed off the slim style much sought after in body-conscious times, turning underfed into übersexy.
