Brad Pitt Masters the Tricky Art of Wearing All White

The actor's crisp fit is a sartorial lesson for guys everywhere.
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TORU YAMANAKA

Thanks to some forward-thinking designers and global warming, seasonal changes don't regulate our wardrobes the way they once did. Sure, you're only going to wear that insulated parka when it's actually freezing out, but the old school rules that dictated what guys should wear when have changed. You can wear boots in the summer, you can wear floral prints year-round, and you most certainly can—and should—be wearing white any day before, during, and after memorial day.

And to be clear here, we don't just encourage you to wear white jeans whenever you damn well please, we encourage you to wear head-to-toe white. It's a 202-level menswear move but one that never fails to impress. Just look at GQ Style cover star Brad Pitt at the Japan premiere of his movie War Machine in Tokyo, who made an all-white fit look as easy-to-wear as a T-shirt and jeans.

Sadly, not every man is as genetically-blessed or cool-in-every-situation like Brad Pitt. But we can all take a page out of his style playbook and copy what's happening here. Like any monochromatic outfit, wearing all white requires following a few simple rules. Sticking to them is the difference between looking like a leading man (à la Pitt) or being confused for a professional house painter/old time-y ice cream truck driver/mental institution patient.

"Hey you, yes, YOU can look this good in all-white."

Jun Sato

Here are the 3 you need to know:

1. Your Outermost Layer Is the Most Important Layer
Whether you're wearing a suit jacket (Pitt's is Isaia) or a denim jacket, your outermost layer should be cut slim to give the whole fit a defined shape. We call that a silhouette in the menswear biz. And since light colors have a tendency to make everything appear wider, you want to keep the pants slim too.

2. Vary Your Tones and Textures
You can wear blinding white, but every layer can't be blinding white. When layering similar tones of any color, the key is to alternate shades—otherwise you register as just one blob of color (in this case, an egg). So go for off-white or eggshell in this case and mix up the fabrics. Twill cotton next to gauzy knit cotton next to linen this time of year adds dimension where there otherwise wouldn't be any. Pitt's layers have clearly defined boundaries from the cream colored suit to the crisp white button down to his breezy white tee.

3. Skip The Formalities
In Pitt's case, that meant forgoing the buttoned-up dress shirt and necktie in favor of a simple tee. You have to remember to break things up in a monochromatic outfit not only with color and texture, but by making sure the layers don't overpower the outfit's most important element—you. So showing a little skin is as important as picking the right pieces to pair together.


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