You don’t need crunchy leaves underfoot or the smell of pumpkin spice wafting on the breeze to know it’s fall: one glance at Ethan Hawke’s suit will do the job just as well. While promoting the second season of The Lowdown in New York this week, the 55-year-old actor proved that few things say “autumnal elegance” as succinctly as a brown corduroy two-piece—especially when worn with an extra jolt of personality.
Long favored by bespectacled, pipe-smoking professors, corduroy suits haven’t always been such a stylish swerve. Thanks to the efforts of brave pioneers like Wes Anderson and laid-back style icons like Seth Rogen, however, the fabric is now enjoying a long overdue renaissance. Beyond the timeless sport coat with suede elbow patches, corduroy is surprisingly versatile, lending itself to overshirts, five-pocket trousers, trucker jackets, and, of course, suits.
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Hawke’s suit is from Brooks Brothers and has a pretty killer backstory: the Oscar nominee originally bought it for a Halloween costume. “He went as Fantastic Mr. Fox,” the actor’s stylist Michael Fisher tells GQ. “But in true Ethan style, it quickly became a wardrobe staple.” For this outing, Hawke dressed it down with a beat-to-hell graphic tee from legendary western outfitter Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors and some scuffed leather Adidas Sambas for a look worthy of a ’90s slacker icon. The finishing touch was a pair of custom Oliver Peoples sunglasses, complete with rose-tinted lenses.
The graphic tee-and-suit combo is a classic chill-dude style move (see MJ Lenderman and his Sonic Youth T-shirt), and a surefire way to make any tailoring feel less stuffy. Hawke’s banged-up kicks and designer sunglasses only add to the allure here. If your tastes run more formal, you can lean into the corduroy suit’s Ivy League roots and dress it up with a button-up shirt and a dandy tie à la Anderson. Either way, if you’ve been waiting for a sign to add some corduroy to your wardrobe, there’s no better time of year to do it.