Very few international film stars of a certain age manage to be quite as fascinating and seductive, as if passing time has actually done him a favour. Robert Redford is a shining example of this. Film’s eternal golden boy might be on the threshold of 82 but he is still a firm favourite with women, and one of the most copied by men, thanks to his effortlessly classy style.
It might be his mood of hard man from the American West, or it may be his glamorous film star look, but what we do know is that Robert Redford has never given the impression of being a man who doesn’t know what he wants – quite the opposite! The impeccable intuition that has always guided him in the choice of memorable roles has also created his iconic style. In fact, there are many items of clothing and outfits that, with his effortless style have entered history: like the club shirt collar worn with pin and tailored three-piece suits in The Great Gatsby, or the striped shirts and pinstripes worn by gangster Johnny Hooker in The Sting. Shirts are often part of his characters’ looks. Denim shirts and checked or striped flannel, with sleeves rolled up are the signature style of headstrong reporter Bob Woodward in All the Presidents’ Men. In Out of Africa, safari and linen shirts dress the adventurous explorer, Denys Finch-Hatton.
Then there are items that Redford loves to wear both on- and off-screen, such as a denim jacket – a firm favourite – and lots of other items that are always found in his wardrobe, including jeans, a white button-down shirt, caban, aviator sunglasses, turtleneck, and cloth cap. Simple items but worn with great class. There isn’t really anything more we can say about class when it comes to Robert Redford. He has always been able, in some way, to transform anything he wears into a must, and to wear it damned well. With no effort.
