There is also the phrase; “Imitation is the best form of flattery.” What better way to pay tribute to one of the most iconic stars who ever lived than to model his style and persona in the clothes we wear this Fall and Winter.
If you thumb through the pages of these magazines you will see the likeness of Steve McQueen’s classic photos. Not just any photos, but photos that make you say to yourself, “I wish I could pull that off!” Frankly, he is too cool.
You will see his classic style of monochrome color turtlenecks, which are a hot commodity for this Fall and Winter Season. It was unique in the way that he wore them. Mostly with sports jackets or car/outer coats. If I can add I think they also look very good with 2 or 3-piece suits from flannel and winter wool fabrics. Not everyone can pull this off. In fact, Richard Roundtree is also famous for rocking the turtleneck’s and long jackets. Problem is, his movie and characters weren’t totally believable.
In the pages of these popular fashion magazines you will also see Steve McQueen’s classic framed sunglasses, his fast cars, one of which has been categorized as one of Hollywood’s Most Famous Cars -1968 Mustang GT500. Ford has even used his likeness with the re-launch of the classic car. There it is. In this 1-1/2 minute commercial. The sweater. The jacket. The cool of Steve McQueen. To top it all off, he always had the leading lady every man wanted in his time. Ali McGraw, Faye Dunaway and the list goes on. All the material trappings that exude success, was all wrapped up in him.
Although he was one of the 75 Best Dressed Men of All Time clothes alone do not make a man cool. So I asked a gentleman who remembered Steve McQueen when he was in his prime. “Why did you like Steve McQueen?” I asked. “Why was he so popular in the 60's and 70's?” The elder statesman glowed with enthusiasm as if he was reliving some great moment or event in his life. He stuck his chest out and with a straight face he said, “Steve McQueen was a "Man's Man.” After I finished laughing my tail off I asked, “What the heck does that mean?” He replied, “He’s a tough guy. In his movies he always played a ‘man's’ part. In other words, you wouldn’t catch Steve McQueen playing in a movie like Hitch. He just wouldn’t do it." The elder statesman also said, “He didn’t take any crap. The cops were always chasing him. There was a right way; the wrong way and then there was Steve McQueen’s way!” He explained.
The elder statesman was right too! By definition a Man’s Man is intelligent, courageous, persuasive, confidant and the object of women’s fantasies.
What I find interesting in all of this is Steve McQueen absolutely embodied the essence of success and cool in his day. What I also find in this business of styling great clients both near and far, there is one recurring theme; the appearance of success will always attract attention. There are no exceptions to this rule. Quite frankly, deep inside of every man’s heart is the desire and need to be successful. There is no denying it. It doesn’t matter if you are an athlete, businessman, writer, entertainer or whatever, we all have a need to be successful. To what degree is another blog for another day.
In fact, we often gravitate to those that emulate our definitions and visions of success in our areas of expertise. And in most cases, we usually want to be the lone ranger, the guy that does it his way. The guy that goes against the system or the establishment. Funny thing is, Steve McQueen almost made you feel you could do it to.
Regardless of how you try, the bottom line is success attracts success. There is nowhere on earth you can go to escape from this fact. So my advice to you is to take the time to dress the part of success. In closing, most of us couldn’t do the things Steve McQueen did, like drive fast cars, jump fences with motorcycle’s and get the hot girl. The least you could do is look like he did and just settle for being COOL!
Until next time…
Dress Well,
Stitched Custom Clothing
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