What They Wear: Fashionable Fellows

In addition to the continuous stream of What Was She Wearing and Ask a Stylist questions our readers send in, we're also inundated with inquiries about fashionable fellows. Since our expertise lies in celebrity and runway women's fashion, we turned to Matthew Edelstein (Editor-in-Chief of our favorite guy's online fashion magazine, The Contributing Editor) for his thoughts on guys’ garb, menswear trends, and why certain celebrity looks work.



Robert Pattinson
As it turns out, your WhoWhatWear.com editors are not impervious to the Twilight epidemic, nor can we resist the sinfully handsome, Robert Pattinson. This story finally gave us some validation for ogling and googling him: style stalking! We were curious about Edelstein’s take on the dapper-meets-rugged ensemble Pattinson wore to MTV's Video Music Awards last fall and weren’t disappointed with the response! "Mixing grays is a huge trend on the runways, but Pattinson does it with ease and seemingly little effort,” Edelstein says. “His messy, but gorgeous hair and beat-up boots add character and keep his look from feeling too styled.”

Ed Westwick
Aside from our obsession with Chuck Bass' fashion sense, the man behind the character—Ed Westwick—has a reputable flair of his own. Edelstein surveyed the getup Westwick wore to the Ray-Ban Remasters event in New York City and proclaimed that the Gossip Girl star is like a baby Kate Moss—style-wise, of course! "Sure, he's a little messy, but the Englishness just oozes out of every photo," Edelstein clarifies. "Westwick has great personal style and the way he puts clothes together is effortless. His other career, as the lead singer of The Filthy Youth, is clearly evident in his sartorial choices.” In short: the blue leather jacket and skinny jeans with pointy-toe oxfords might not be the epitome of Upper East Side suave, but they’re perfectly rock’n’roll and completely fabulous.

Pharrell Williams
When tossing around potential candidates for today's story, Pharrell Williams was one the first fellows named. The rapper's fearless and original clothing combos, like the look he sported at the Visionare & Krug Party in Miami, deserve some kudos! "Motorcycle style is a huge trend” Edelstein commends. “Pharrell looks like a latter-day Steve McQueen in a biker jacket." But more importantly than knowing the latest looks, Williams understands how to make an outfit personal. “The way he combines classics with more fashion-forward styles is totally new for a rap artist," Edelstein says. In other words, Williams has mastered the remix!

Albert Hammond Jr.
As dedicated chroniclers of Agyness Deyn's revolutionary style, we are inadvertently exposed to a great number of her fiance's outfits as well. Needless to say, we are besotted with Albert Hammond Jr's fashion sense—and we're not the only ones! After a thorough review of the musician’s latest ensembles, Edelstein reports superb findings. "Albert Hammond Jr. loves dressing up and is famous for wearing three-piece suits on tour with his band, The Strokes," Edelstein notes. "The toggle coat, shirt, tie, and skinny trousers (not to mention supermodel girlfriend!) all say New York style.” Apparently there’s truth to murmurings that Mr. H. Jr.’s personal style influences the rest of his band mates!

James Franco
In addition to James Franco's timeless good looks, movie star status, and allegedly brainy ways, he also possesses a keen fashion sense! We are particularly charmed by the ensemble he wore on his visit to The Late Show with David Letterman last year. Edelstein reinforced our outfit crush, much to our delight. "It's really cute the way he dresses down what's almost a tuxedo, by pairing it with a casual gingham shirt,” he says. “I love when male celebrities can show a bit of personal style for appearances." Agreed!

Mark Ronson
In addition to being a music tastemaker, Mark Ronson's also got plenty of style smarts. While out and about in New York City a few weeks ago, Ronson inspired us with his classic apparel and Edelstein gave us an on-the-money assessment of his outfit. "Ronson's seventies-era plaid grandpa coat is the height of New York City hipster fashion." Edelstein notes. "He's tall, good looking, and a music producer, so he can pull off a large scale plaid coat.” Ronson also gets props for choosing on-trend outerwear in a neutral palette. "The brown and tan shades make it urban," Edelstein says. "A classic red plaid would just scream holiday dressing."

Kanye West
Kanye West is chief among the slew of leading modern-day male fashion influences, so his inclusion in today's story was crucial! He attended Chanel's S/S 09 show in Paris last week, wearing enviable attire that anyone would find inspiring. "Kanye West is the celebrity patron saint of fashion, and it shows." Edelstein declares. "Normally a velvet double-breasted jacket would be considered dressy, but the way Kanye pairs it with ripped jeans and sneakers is nothing short of inspired." Edelstein admits that West isn't the first to do the high-low mix, but nevertheless commends the musician for adding his "own special brand of Kanye-ness" to the mix.

Justin Timberlake
Despite some of his unfortunate fashion choices in the nineties, Justin Timberlake’s blossomed into quite the dapper gentleman! Edelstein extended his thoughts on the musical icon's style, particularly the polished look he flaunted for the Keep a Child Alive 5th Annual Black Ball in New York City a few months ago. "Men’s fashion is all about the fit of the clothes and Justin's fit like a glove," Edelstein says. The fact that Timberlake tried a daring look in an unfussy way is particularly appealing. “The hat, leather jacket, and tie could easily go wrong on someone else, but Justin's confidence really sells it," Edelstein says. We couldn't agree more!

Michael Cera
We have such a soft spot for Michael Cera, so we were delighted to discover that he has an impressive repertoire of fly outfits under his belt. We sent one of Cera's Sundance Film Festival getups to Edelstein, who echoed our sentiments. "Michael Cera has indie sex appeal for miles," he says. "But when he dresses up for the red carpet, he strikes the perfect fashion note." The army green coat with contrasting collar is a particularly standout piece. "Mixing classic menswear—almost like something your grandfather would wear—with more up-to-date pieces is a hot fashion look." Edelstein says. "The shirt and tie worn with a cool pair of retro sneakers makes for the perfect fashion alterna-vibe."

Joel Madden
With the ultimate style queen (Nicole Richie) by his side, Joel Madden is no doubt familiar with fashion. After his successful participation in A Guy's Opinion, we have made a point of tracking his clothing combos. On a recent trip to Fred Segal in LA, Madden wore some particularly cool attire and our male fashion guru provided his informed commentary. "Not generally known for his fashion sense, Joel Madden manages to pull off a look any fashionista would be proud of," Edelstein says. The way Madden updated classic Rat Pack-style is the key to the whole look. “The cardigan, fedora, and aviator shades all say Frank Sinatra,” Edelstein says. “But the tattoos and high top kicks make it feel modern."—Jessica Amento

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled, female-focused fashion stories tomorrow! Until then, we’d like to remind you that our amazing new contest is officially open for entry. Just in case you missed it, WhoWhatWear.com and Purseblog.com are teaming up and giving away a fabulous set of Louis Vuitton luggage! Don’t forget to sign up today!

Photos of James Franco, Kanye West, Michael Cera, and Joel Madden, Getty Images. Photo of Ed Westwick, WENN. Photo of Mark Ronson, Pacific Coast News. Photo of Albert Hammond, Splash News.