Every time I see a new photo of Jeremy Allen White, the same thought involuntarily screams across my brain: No one has ever looked cooler. The actor manages to turn discarded jackets, undershirts, beat-up hats, bare feet, a dangling cig, and a prominent waft of existential dread into a killer sense of personal style. And what all of his best looks share in common is near-total outfit collapse.
Perhaps no two photos better encapsulate JAW’s style than the ones above, taken at a recent Stella Artois event in New York. At the beginning of the night, fulfilling his step-and-repeat duties on the red carpet, White appeared composed in a crisp black suit and a simple crewneck sweater. He looks like the kind of guy you’d invite over to binge watch Friday Night Lights on Netflix even though he’s already seen it, like, three times. It’s the second photo, however—taken after the event—where the real magic happens. As White left the venue, it appeared as though everything was just barely hanging on: the jacket sliding off his shoulder; the dart in his mouth; his general disposition.
This type of unraveled ensemble is exactly what we’ve come to expect from White, who Twitter users like to jokingly dub “the working woman’s Timothée Chalamet.” All of his Jeremy Allen Whiteness comes through most clearly when he’s not trying to look put together. He crushes in white tees, broken-in and baggy jeans, ripped shirts, and the layers hidden beneath his original outfit. He’s at his best when he’s just running out for a little snack. He is the King of the Bodega Fit, the Master of Mess, the Doyen of Dishevelment.
While we’re accustomed to celebrities relying on stylists to craft a great outfit, JAW’s best looks evince his own personal talent for dressing well. Putting a suit on him is like shaving truffles over a cheeseburger—potentially great but wholly unnecessary. White posseses a style you can only get from a lifetime of getting dressed. The ripped shirts, destroyed jeans, and faded New York Mets hat—staples of his wardrobe—are the result of loving wear over many years. Much in the way Carmy might approach a dish on The Bear, White’s signature look is Man, Deconstructed.
