Introduction
It’s been a stellar couple of years for Mr Timberlake, having successfully reinvented himself from singer to actor following a break from his music career. With starring roles in movies such as The Social Network, Friends with Benefits (playing a rather well-dressed GQ editor) and In Time between 2010-2011, Timberlake’s self-imposed hiatus went astonishingly well, by anyone’s standards.
Having returned from the musical wilderness at the start of the year with the release of his third studio album, The 20/20 Experience, Timberlake is set to follow it up later this year with the highly anticipated second instalment.
This return to music has signalled not only a clear change in sound, but also style. With his music adopting a more suave, soulful and mature approach, his dress sense has followed suit. With a strong sartorial nod to Rat Pack refinement and a little help from Tom Ford, Timberlake has finally cemented his place as a true style icon…
Suit & Tie Sh*t
Winner of GQ‘s ‘Most Stylish Man in America’ title in 2009, Timberlake is no stranger to dressing well. However, since the turn of the year his style has fully graduated from its 1990s boy band roots and taken on a tailored approach worthy of his new sound.
Of course, that infamous Canadian Tuxedo during the Britney Spears years will never fully be erased from memory. Yet it would be unduly cruel to hold it over his head, especially considering his more recent style exploits.
As previously mentioned, our icon appears to have struck up a formidable partnership with the inimitable Tom Ford. The latter lent his eponymous label to the ‘Suit & Tie‘ video as well as many recent red carpet appearances, ensuring Timberlake has been topping charts not only musically but style-wise too:
This evolution of style has not only led to a change in personal appearance but also business ventures. Having now left his own clothing line, William Rast, best known for its denim, Timberlake has continued his creative collaboration with Ford; working on an evening wear collection, which is in the same vein as his ‘Suit & Tie‘ video styling:
Inspired By Formal Pieces
- Reiss Poker Modern Two Button Suit Black
- Asos Skinny Fit Tuxedo Suit Jacket In Navy Polywool
- Reiss Hampton Micro Polka Dot Pocket Square Off White
- Burton Grey Textured Skinny Tie With Bar
- Valentino Grey Prince Of Wales Check Wool Suit
- Tuxedo Tailored Fit Shirt And Bow Tie Set
- Topman Black Textured Silk Tie
- Burberry Brit Check Shirt 161298
- Reiss Chariot Two-fold Cotton Shirt White
- Loake Patent Oxford Shoes
- Allsaints Merit Shoe
- Mr. Hare Che Leather Loafers
Style Reinvention
Timberlake’s style reinvention has been very much in the guise of another FashionBeans icon – David Beckham – with his new found affinity for tailoring accompanied by a slick pompadour hairstyle on top.
Similar to Timberlake, Beckham has many outfits in his back catalogue that are best forgotten – matching all-leather look anyone? How about a holiday sarong?
Now in his thirties, Timberlake has ditched the ill-fitting streetwear, t-shirt and waistcoat pairings and tired trilbies of his pop star past and grown into his more mature style. This is reflected not only in his formalwear but also his casual attire, as he demonstrated with aplomb at Cannes; the maker of many an icon:
Timberlake’s style showing at Cannes this year was reminiscent of Ryan Gosling’s breakout in 2011
No Tunnel Vision
It would be easy to accuse Timberlake of simply having the unlimited funds to ‘buy’ his style. After all, how many of us have the money to deck ourselves out in Tom Ford tailoring week after week? Not to mention having the man himself a mere phone call away.
However, Timberlake has belied this accusation time and time again with his off-duty displays:
Casual wear is a moniker of true style icons; after all, once you nail the tailoring basics and find yourself a high quality tailor, you can’t fail to look good in a suit.
Timberlake has developed an incredibly simple approach to casual style: he combines timeless pieces to create classic and masculine looks that are far detached from his disastrous double denim past.
Great outerwear provides a stand out point of interest. Whether it’s an edgy leather jacket or rugged pea coat, Timberlake pairs them with high quality basics that reinforce the merits of a capsule wardrobe and show the importance of investing in versatile, everyday essentials.
He has also clearly upgraded his choice of headwear – ditching the unstylish, somewhat passé styles for driving caps and fedoras that perfectly complement his new refined approach to dressing.
Finally, showing he can switch from sharp formal wear to off-duty casual wear at the drop of a hat, Timberlake took a different approach for his second 20/20 Experience music video, Tunnel Vision [NSFW, ‘explicit’ version].
Aside from the more obvious eye-catching moments, the video features a pair of AllSaints chinos dressed down with a simple button-down shirt and t-shirt combination in a tonal grey palette, finished with a pair of leather and suede mix desert boots – effortless, everyday style at its best.
Inspired By Casual Pieces
- Topman Soulland Mondeme Shirt
- Reiss Oakland Short Suede Zip Through Jacket Navy
- Asos Leather Bomber Jacket
- Double Breasted Pea Coat With Wool
- Jean.machine J.m-1 Slim-fit Rinsed-denim Jeans
- Allsaints Charge Chino
- Lanvin Double-breasted Knitted Cotton Cardigan
- Topman Grey Neppy Flatcap
- Burton Brown Suede Boots
Final Word
With Tom Ford the dapper driving force behind this particular style reinvention, Timberlake has swapped the bleached curls and dungarees for a sophisticated pompadour and perfectly tailored suiting – fully completing his evolution from boy band member to a man worthy of the most stylish award previously bestowed.
No doubt more are to follow if he keeps to current sartorial form.
But now we want to hear your opinion:
- Do you approve of Justin Timberlake’s sophisticated style evolution?
- Did he nail his Cannes showing?
- Was it more impressive than Ryan Gosling’s effort?
- How do you rate Timberlake’s style reinvention in comparison to David Beckham’s?
Let us know in the comments section below…
