A good rule of thumb when look­ing for inspi­ra­tion for your wardrobe, is not the cur­rent fad in the near­est Details mag­a­zine, but look­ing back on some­one that did it bet­ter. A time when dress­ing well was expected but also had rules that were meant to be bro­ken, let­ting an orig­i­nal shine that much brighter from those afraid to take chances. Dur­ing mid cen­tury Amer­ica, James Dean was one of those. He didn’t care about keep­ing him­self pretty like his fel­low actors, but got dirty and real. Liv­ing life, instead of fear­ing it, is what makes him a style icon and much more.

A look that would do fine today: boots, trousers, sports coat, argyle V neck sweater with col­lars just doing their thing. Casual cool.

I’d be relaxed too if I had Jack Pur­cell’s on my feet.

Chino’s, V neck, pocket watch: clas­sic but rum­pled, mak­ing the look his own. You should too.

Avi­a­tor sun­glasses will never lose their appeal. And every­man should wear a watch.

The look that started it all: a clas­sic white T

The coat’s lapels give away his pea coat. Trousers aren’t tight but give enough room to take some chances.

Doing what he did best. Look­ing cool.

The artist at work in a striped Oxford.

It all starts with being com­fort­able in your own skin.

And the “Lit­tle Bas­tard” that did him in.

There are plenty of good dis­cus­sions on how James Dean por­trayed that ulti­mate cool and orig­i­nal­ity, but the impor­tant thing to keep in mind, is he took risks, tak­ing on what life has to offer.  So live life the way you want to and take some chances. Do what you’re afraid to do because life is short. As it was for him.

Return to our home­page to learn more about cus­tom dress shirts.

Categories:Inspiration, Style Icons

Tags: 1950's, classic mens style, classic style clothes, James Dean, james dean car, james dean style, live life, men's fashion, men's style, mens wardrobe, originality, style icon