The King of Cool James Dean, What You Need To Know James Dean wardrobe staples include white tees, denim and a leather jacket.
He wore dressier duds like the shawl collar jacket that he is recognized for having resurrected.
His rebellious look marked a definite departure from predominantly preppy styles.
Why He's A Style Icon
James Dean, who himself was a man of few words, requires little explanation when it comes to discussing his status as a style icon. He was the king of cool.
Dean’s first television experience came in the form of a 1950 Pepsi commercial -- a far cry from his first big-screen debut five years later in Elia Kazan’s East of Eden. His role as the angsty outcast Cal Trask was a prelude to achieving full-blown stardom in Rebel Without a Cause. The brooding young actor gained international fame playing Jim Stark, a teenager who, as the title implies, can’t seem to stay out of trouble.
Dean had a classic greaser look with slicked-back hair, jeans and a tight white T-shirt that was capped off not with a black leather jacket but a red windbreaker, and of course, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. It may not seem cutting-edge by today’s style icon standards, but his rebellious look marked a definite departure from predominantly preppy and buttoned-up midcentury styles.
Life imitated art with James Dean carrying that brazen image into his everyday existence. A taste for fast cars was conveniently accompanied by fame and fortune that allowed him luxuries like a Porsche 356 Speedster, which he later traded in for the more exclusive -- and faster -- 550 Spyder model. Not surprisingly, Dean had a habit of racing his pricey investments. It was the natural complement to his all-American bad boy persona. But as luck would have it, life in the fast lane ultimately led to an untimely demise at the ripe young age of 24.
Dean’s legacy, however, far outlives his short time on Earth for one simple reason: He embodied the essence of cool. He was one of the first male actors who garnered as much attention from women as he did from men. And while James Dean’s sexual past remains shrouded in mystery to this day, one thing is clear: Everyone either wanted him or wanted to be like him.
Dress The Dean Way
It is indeed possible to be almost as irresistible as Dean without putting your life in danger. His immortal sense of style is easy to infuse into your wardrobe, and the truth is, you’re probably already halfway there (everyone has a T-shirt and jeans; they just have to be cut right). Dean’s look comes from an era when clothes fit properly by hugging the body rather than hanging and bunching with enough extra fabric to outfit a family of four.
There is more, however, to Dean’s look than understanding denim and a white tee. He is credited with popularizing the vest as part of his Texas oil tycoon role in the posthumously released film Giant. Dean also had his hands on dressier duds like the shawl collar dinner jacket that he is recognized for having resurrected. From the familiar to the formal, James Dean was a timeless trendsetter -- and an undeniably cool one at that.
He wore dressier duds like the shawl collar jacket that he is recognized for having resurrected.
His rebellious look marked a definite departure from predominantly preppy styles.
Why He's A Style Icon
James Dean, who himself was a man of few words, requires little explanation when it comes to discussing his status as a style icon. He was the king of cool.
Dean’s first television experience came in the form of a 1950 Pepsi commercial -- a far cry from his first big-screen debut five years later in Elia Kazan’s East of Eden. His role as the angsty outcast Cal Trask was a prelude to achieving full-blown stardom in Rebel Without a Cause. The brooding young actor gained international fame playing Jim Stark, a teenager who, as the title implies, can’t seem to stay out of trouble.
Dean had a classic greaser look with slicked-back hair, jeans and a tight white T-shirt that was capped off not with a black leather jacket but a red windbreaker, and of course, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. It may not seem cutting-edge by today’s style icon standards, but his rebellious look marked a definite departure from predominantly preppy and buttoned-up midcentury styles.
Life imitated art with James Dean carrying that brazen image into his everyday existence. A taste for fast cars was conveniently accompanied by fame and fortune that allowed him luxuries like a Porsche 356 Speedster, which he later traded in for the more exclusive -- and faster -- 550 Spyder model. Not surprisingly, Dean had a habit of racing his pricey investments. It was the natural complement to his all-American bad boy persona. But as luck would have it, life in the fast lane ultimately led to an untimely demise at the ripe young age of 24.
Dean’s legacy, however, far outlives his short time on Earth for one simple reason: He embodied the essence of cool. He was one of the first male actors who garnered as much attention from women as he did from men. And while James Dean’s sexual past remains shrouded in mystery to this day, one thing is clear: Everyone either wanted him or wanted to be like him.
Dress The Dean Way
It is indeed possible to be almost as irresistible as Dean without putting your life in danger. His immortal sense of style is easy to infuse into your wardrobe, and the truth is, you’re probably already halfway there (everyone has a T-shirt and jeans; they just have to be cut right). Dean’s look comes from an era when clothes fit properly by hugging the body rather than hanging and bunching with enough extra fabric to outfit a family of four.
There is more, however, to Dean’s look than understanding denim and a white tee. He is credited with popularizing the vest as part of his Texas oil tycoon role in the posthumously released film Giant. Dean also had his hands on dressier duds like the shawl collar dinner jacket that he is recognized for having resurrected. From the familiar to the formal, James Dean was a timeless trendsetter -- and an undeniably cool one at that.
Title: The King of Cool James Dean
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Post by 4:41 AM
Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Post by 4:41 AM
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