Icons From the Past: Dressing Like Steve McQueen

Dressing Like Steve McQueen

It’s no surprise why Steve McQueen was the highest paid male actor of his generation. McQueen was not only a fantastic actor, but embodied “coolness” like no one else. A passionate enthusiast of all things motorcycles and fast cars, McQueen took classic American style and brought it to a whole new level during his time in the spotlight. As one might expect, a great deal of Hollywood mainstays have tried to emulate Steve McQueen’s look over the years, with some finding success and others falling flat. Dressing like Steve McQueen is more about maintaining the right mindset than it is padding a wardrobe with designer pieces; McQueen dressed for the “every man,” and provided a stark contrast to many of the people who call Hollywood home today. The following tips can help you to get McQueen’s look, so long as you’ve got the personality to fit the bill.

The Leather Jacket is King
No matter how you feel about leather jackets, you’ll be hard-pressed to emulate Steve McQueen without learning how to wear them. McQueen spent a lot of time on motorcycles both on and off-screen, and the leather jacket was his go-to outerwear for both stylistic and functionality reasons. That said, you don’t need to be a biker to embrace the leather jacket, as this piece looks just as attractive on those who find themselves walking down busy city streets on a crisp fall day. While color is up to you, you’ll do best with a black leather jacket, which is more suited to this look than brown. Pair with worn-looking jeans (light-washed denim is best for this application), a fitted white t-shirt and a pair of high-top black boots for a look that practically oozes sex appeal.

Sport the Right Watch
Le Mans is one of the most well-known films all time, much due to McQueen’s expert performance. One of the most noticeable elements of Steve McQueen’s look in the film was the Tag Heuer Monaco watch that he wore. As any fashion-forward guy knows, the right watch can make all the difference when it comes to taking an ensemble to the next level, and McQueen’s ability to use this watch to draw attention to himself was simply uncanny. Fortunately, Tag Heuer re-released this watch in the ‘90s, making it possible for the public to further work towards McQueen’s classic look from the film. While far from being inexpensive (watches in the series retail at prices of $2,500 and up), there’s no better timepiece for people who are striving to dress like Steve McQueen.

Leave Effort at the Door
Perhaps the most important thing to note about Steve McQueen’s style was just how effortless it was. If McQueen saw what was happening in Hollywood today with people spending hours in front of the mirror before getting on screen, chances are he’d be embarrassed. Part of the appeal of Steve McQueen’s look was that he embodied the look of the “All-American Man,” which isn’t to say that he simply rolled out of bed before leaving the house, but he certainly put less effort into perfecting his look than is common amongst today’s Hollywood stars. McQueen’s style was intrinsic, and not something he set out to create; you’ll be doing yourself a favor by subscribing to this philosophy.

Sunglasses & Other Accessories
Sunglasses are one of McQueen's standard go-to accessories. The most common brands he picks are either Ray Ban's or Persol. If we had to pick one style frame for the perfect "McQueen Look" then we would choose the Persol's 6495 (about $280 retail). In addition to sunglasses McQueen was a fan of rugged brown leather belts, work boots, knitted wool sweaters and cardigans, as well as flannel shirts. No matter how hard we looked, neckties and bow ties were, to our disappointment, quite uncommon for Mr McQueen. If he did choose to dress up however it would be in a perfectly tailored 3-piece suit.

Other Icons From the Past Fashion Tips:
Dressing Like James Dean
Dress Like Clint Eastwood
A Look at< a href="http://www.cheap-neckties.com/blog/wrapper.php?/archives/472-Fashion-Inspiration-Cary-Grant.html">Cary Grant's Fashion

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