Over time, the gray suit has become the second skin of businessmen around the world. But in the competitive waters of corporate culture, the new move is to be the man with big, bold, bright ideas that stand out. Here, 'Kick-Ass 2' star Aaron Taylor-Johnson shows how a sharply tailored suit can put you at the top of the food chain.
World's Youngest Super-Dad
Aaron Taylor-Johnson's résumé has the logic of a Dalí painting. He works infrequently. His roles are extreme. He's basically the inverse of typecast, having played a pubescent John Lennon, a comic-book nerd turned vigilante (Kick-Ass, the first and second), a polyamorous—with Serena van der Woodsen and Tim Riggins!—pot tycoon in Oliver Stone's Savages, and a poodle-ish Count Vronsky (Anna Karenina). But it's the quality of the young Brit's personal life that contrasts most surreally with the roles. At 23, he holes up in London nearly full-time ("I'm trying to do just one movie a year; that'd be a luxury," he says) with his 46-year-old wife, artist/director Sam Taylor-Johnson, their two young daughters, and her two kids from a previous marriage. (She poached him directly from the set of the Lennon movie, and they swapped surnames.) Accordingly, he seems to regard his career with a middle-aged evenness, dismissing the awesome parts of being an actor: "Turning down roles just means more family." As though, say, training to fight a freshly conceived, freshly pissed Godzilla (his next film) is simply a vacation from family life: "We were assigned a Marine who's worked a bunch of movies. That was very new to me." Same as running up a body count in Kick-Ass 2 alongside foulmouthed, super scandalizing 16-year-old Chloë Grace Moretz: "I mean, when I first worked with her, she was 12. So she's older now, yes, but she was already way more mature than most teenagers, anyway." Or filming threesome sex scenes with Blake Lively and Taylor Kitsch: "If you agree to do a sex scene, you have to be willing to not be awkward about it. C'mon! I don't think of it as anything other than a dance, really. I don't see that person. I don't think of me being me." Oh, what men will do to support their families.
—Alice Gregory
Suit, $1,625 by Calvin Klein. Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers. Shirt, $240, by Thom Browne New York. Tie, $125, by Ovadia & Sons. Raincoat by Mackintosh. Watch by Bulova
Aaron Taylor-Johnson's résumé has the logic of a Dalí painting. He works infrequently. His roles are extreme. He's basically the inverse of typecast, having played a pubescent John Lennon, a comic-book nerd turned vigilante (Kick-Ass, the first and second), a polyamorous—with Serena van der Woodsen and Tim Riggins!—pot tycoon in Oliver Stone's Savages, and a poodle-ish Count Vronsky (Anna Karenina). But it's the quality of the young Brit's personal life that contrasts most surreally with the roles. At 23, he holes up in London nearly full-time ("I'm trying to do just one movie a year; that'd be a luxury," he says) with his 46-year-old wife, artist/director Sam Taylor-Johnson, their two young daughters, and her two kids from a previous marriage. (She poached him directly from the set of the Lennon movie, and they swapped surnames.) Accordingly, he seems to regard his career with a middle-aged evenness, dismissing the awesome parts of being an actor: "Turning down roles just means more family." As though, say, training to fight a freshly conceived, freshly pissed Godzilla (his next film) is simply a vacation from family life: "We were assigned a Marine who's worked a bunch of movies. That was very new to me." Same as running up a body count in Kick-Ass 2 alongside foulmouthed, super scandalizing 16-year-old Chloë Grace Moretz: "I mean, when I first worked with her, she was 12. So she's older now, yes, but she was already way more mature than most teenagers, anyway." Or filming threesome sex scenes with Blake Lively and Taylor Kitsch: "If you agree to do a sex scene, you have to be willing to not be awkward about it. C'mon! I don't think of it as anything other than a dance, really. I don't see that person. I don't think of me being me." Oh, what men will do to support their families.
—Alice Gregory
Suit, $1,625 by Calvin Klein. Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers. Shirt, $240, by Thom Browne New York. Tie, $125, by Ovadia & Sons. Raincoat by Mackintosh. Watch by Bulova
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| Think of It as a Visual Business Card Style in the work world isn't just about clothes. It includes: your comportment, your work ethic, and yes, a loud-and-proud suit that says, "I'm not just another drone." Suit, $1,590, by Gant by Michael Bastian. Shirt, $385, by Ermenegildo Zegna. Tie, $115, by Ralph Lauren Black Label. Tie bar by The Tie Bar. Pocket square by Sid Mashburn. Belt by Salvatore Ferragamo. |
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| The Two-and-a-Half-Piece Suit We heard somewhere that this is the most colorful fall ever, and look! More proof. Try layering in a V-neck that picks up a tone in your plaid suit—and leave your winter coat in the closet as long as possible. Suit, $2,150, by Valentino. Sweater, $695, by Burberry London. Shirt, $295, by Ralph Lauren Black Label. Tie, $155, Band of Outsiders. Briefcase by Smythson |
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| Run a Tighter Ship Wearing a plaid suit is going to get you noticed and remembered—that’s the point. It also means your whole look needs to be put together with confidence, poise, and know-how. This is that know-how. 1. Shirt To look modern, it's gotta be a crisp-as-hell dress shirt (not a more casual sport shirt) with a smallish semi-spread collar. 2. Tie You can play it safe with a solid, or go big (like this guy here) by wearing a small pattern that contrasts with your suit's bigger plaid. 3. Tie bar Nothing locks your look in place like a tie bar. It shouldn't be wider than your tie, and right now we're feeling these short 'n' subtle ones. 4. Pocket square The one thing that can look nonchalant. Fold it and shove it in your pocket, showing about an inch. Now grab your briefcase Suit jacket, $1,150, by Calvin Klein. Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers. Shirt, $325, by Ralph Lauren Black Label. Tie, $15, tie bar, $15, and pocket square, $8, by The Tie Bar. |
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| Master the Merger Mixing different patterns is easier than you think. In fact, there's a formula: One big pattern + one small pattern + one solid = success. |
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| The Bag Needs an Update Too Carrying that same ole' busted briefcase with your new bold plaid suit would be like putting hub caps on a Ferrari. Finish strong with a folio like this brown one from Coach. |
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| Blue and Brown: the Greatest Merger in History It's true. There isn't a single shade of brown or blue that can't be paired together and look handsome. In fact, we dare you to try and prove us wrong. |
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