By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Whether or not you’ve seen any of Jacob Elordi’s work, the impossibly tall; even more impossibly handsome actor is sure to have somehow entered your life. Most likely, you’ve seen him on TikTok as people swoon over snippets of him on the red carpet and award him the title of ‘White Boy Of The Month’. He’s a 6ft 5, impeccably well-dressed, mullet-sporting star. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Jacob Elordi's Fashion Development
At 26, the actor has flourished. He once frequented red carpets in plain, admittedly boring, navy suits sans tie, and walked the streets in flimsy striped tees and ill-fitting chinos. But today, he’s more often spotted in high-quality fabrics, tailored pieces, and accessories worthy of an A-lister. So how did he do it? And, more importantly, how can his look be emulated without having a personal stylist? It’s simpler than you may first think. So here we’ve broken down five of Jacob Elordi’s best fashion moments to figure out exactly why they work and what we can learn from them.
Lesson One: Play With Texture To Elevate Your Business Casual Dress Code
Photo: Stylight
A business casual dress code is sure to bring about a variety of different interpretations for different people. Where some people’s minds may first go to a casual t-shirt and suit combo, and others with a jean and brogues pairing, Elordi brings excitement as he plays with tailoring, texture, and accessorising to elevate a casual look.
His outfit here is simple when you break it down; a plain white tee, loose but tailored trousers, a worker jacket, and sneakers. It’s casual, incorporating trendy pieces like the ubiquitous Adidas sneakers and a red handkerchief. But the quality of usually casual pieces like the t-shirt, relaxed trousers and worker jacket are elevated for their high-quality materials and impeccable fit.
It’s skilful, pulling off a laid-back outfit in a business casual setting, but the thought behind how this outfit’s pieces work together is evident. It’s all about the textures. You have the soft fabrics of the t-shirt, the handkerchief and the sneakers playing with the harder, more tactile materials of the suede jacket and the corduroy trousers. While the colour palette is muted and devoid of pattern, the pairing of textures makes it look unique and Elordi stands out.
Lesson Two: Lean Into Your Colour Palette and Accessorize Purposely
Photo: Pinterest
When off-duty and on the streets, Elordi relies on selection of practical staples across seasons to create his laid-back style. The pieces are always timeless, often lacking obvious branding, and his love for tactile materials, neutral colours, and subtle accessorising is evident. Here we see the actor in a pair of relaxed fit cargo trousers, a piece he is often photographed in, paired with a long-sleeve ribbed shirt that unapologetically hugs his shoulders and torso to create a balance between the relaxed fit of his bottoms and the figure-hugging top half. We lean further into the casual with yet another pair of Adidas sneakers, their black tone complimenting the black cap, black sunglasses and black leather watch strap the actor has accessorised with. Pulling this deep black shade through the outfit is subtly cohesive and could be seen as accidental, but with a personal stylist on hand, we’re sure it wasn’t.
As with many of his street-side looks, Elordi’s colour palette is calming, muted, and neutral. He pairs the army green cargo with a cream shirt, rather than a stark white, and relies on the pop of blue denim to bring enough brightness to the outfit. With tactile accessories including the metal carabiner clip on his belt and the leather strap of his camera, the whole look is grounded. It feels purposeful and edgy - though we don’t recommend walking around with untied shoelaces like the actor.
Lesson Three: Know When To Dress To The Nines
Photo: Pinterest
We may get dressed every single day, give or take, but dressing up for a proper event, whether it be a date, a party or a wedding, offers a little more excitement. It’s a chance to run away with styling, to make an impact that shows off a whole new side of both you and your wardrobe. Elordi manages to do this intricately, dressing to the nines while still emulating his classic ‘cool guy’ vibe.
The actor’s red-carpet appearances make such a splash because his stepping out in formal wear is such a rarity. He knows when to take his fashion up and notch and when to leave it simple. At the Canne Film Festival, his 70s-fit grey suit, paired with a slightly unbuttoned, black dress shirt and heavy, black shoes felt smart for him, though on another actor whom we may regularly see in full dress jackets and patent leather brogues, it would’ve felt lacking or uninspired. But again, he played with some texture, albeit subtly and made sure to perfect the tailoring and fit of his outfit. Adding a few splashes of gold and gemstone through his jewellery which, alongside his oversized sunglasses, added a level of effortless elegance.
Lesson Four: Emulate The Great 90s Icons With Proper 90s Pieces
Photo: Pinterest
90s fashion is still clinging to the current day’s trends, its claws so deeply enmeshed in our wardrobes that it’s likely to be sticking around. We’ve seen so many 90s trends come and go, but the overall image of the decade’s fashion, with its denim jeans, chunky boots and oversized jackets, is one that’s grown to be timeless.
No one quite does timeless 90s style like Jacob Elordi and there is one very simple fact as to why. It’s because he wears proper 90s clothing. He’s not emulating the style of the decade; he’s re-wearing it. In this off-duty look, he’s sporting light wash denim jeans, their straight leg silhouette and ankle-grazing length a replica of those worn by many 90s icons a la Monica Geller of Friends, Julia Roberts, and Brad Pitt. The boots are from the once-popular brand Kickers which rose to fame in the 90s, though never managed to make their comeback. The worker jacket gives the outfit an added vintage feel, the worn navy bringing a humble and honest appeal to an otherwise modern recreation of a bygone decade. The colour palette is muted, worn, and relaxed, adding to the authenticity of the 90s recreation. That’s why it works so well; it’s authentic.
Lesson Five: Embrace Androgyny
Photo: Pinterest
There’s no escaping the fact that Jacob Elordi is a traditionally ‘masculine’ presenting person. He’s incredibly tall and muscular, often sporting a mullet and moustache, true to his Aussie upbringing. But, that doesn’t mean he’s unwilling to experiment with his look and take his style down untraditional avenues.
The actor has become well known for blurring the line between femininity and masculinity. Whether that’s on the cover of magazines as he is photographed in a corset and stunning drop gemstone earrings, or by, as we see here, mixing ‘male’ streetwear pieces with some of the hottest, trendiest, women’s handbags currently on the market.
Elordi’s handbag collection is almost as coveted a prize as he is himself. It boasts pieces from Bottega Venetta, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Burberry, and Valentino. Here we see him sporting an extremely tiny Valentino Locò bag in a stunning burgundy tone with bold gold accents. The elegance and femininity of the bag, which retails for around £2,000, is unapologetically juxtaposed by Elordi’s choice of worn denim jeans, relaxed fit sweater and, topping it all off, his bucket hat - though the latter is Ralph Lauren. The non-excessive outfits are simple but find an excitement for this androgynous choice of handbag. It’s so simple, so practical, and so effective.