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Austin Butler is that polished guy on the red carpet in that old Hollywood sort of way. All Celine suits. Alexander McQueen tuxedos that rarely veer from tradition. Saint Laurent's translucent shirts that get people hot and bothered. The Oscar nominee has got a formula, and it works.
Off the red carpet, and away from the day job, Butler's a little more loose with how he dresses (like the rest of us). Rightly so, too. This is a guy who spent the best part of a year promoting a movie that had him wear over 90 (yes 90!) different outfits. When he's pictured away from the cameras, he looks a little different. A little more relaxed. A lot more like the rest of us.
Yesterday, the actor was photographed in Los Angeles running errands (Erewon, Trader Joe's etc etc) and fetching flowers (he was later seen arriving at Cindy Crawford's Malibu house and supermodels always need flowers). His fit was relaxed. Adidas sweatpants, the retro Beckenbauer kind that you can grab at Sports Direct and Sambas – the enduring king of the sneaker world.
After what felt like 3,000 years of big and wavy trainers, Adidas Sambas have led the classic revival forward. From seemingly nowhere, everyone sub-35 bought back into a sneaker that's been around since 1949. It hasn't changed much since then, either. Because ultimately, the Samba is a boomerang: throw it away, and it'll come back. Which, given the slew of menswear madness, is really quite refreshing.
His appearance spoke to the playbook of Austin Butler Big Downtime Fits. He's a massive wearer of budget-friendly Sambas. He loves a pair of louche sweatpants that work for both hangovers and with open Oxford shirts (the duality of sportswear!). His favorite jacket is a Carhartt chore. This stuff is far from McQueen black tie, but it's just as effective—and Adidas is still riding high.
This story was originally published on British GQ with the headline, “Austin Butler is Adidas' best advert”.