When you think of actors from the Sixties that have left an indelible mark on menswear, the likes of
Sean Connery, Paul Newman, James Dean, and Gregory Peck will likely come to mind. And for good reason. But the French film legend Alain Delon, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 88, is more than deserving of a place in that pantheon – and he didn’t need the weight of Hollywood behind him, either.
That’s not to say he didn’t try to make it work across the pond, but it was in Delon’s homeland that his talents and wardrobe flourished. He famously played the icily beautiful Tom Ripley in René Clément’s Plein Soleil (Purple Noon), based on Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley (a story that has repeatedly inspired stylish on-screen moments, from Jude Law in the 1999 English-language adaptation to Andrew Scott‘s monochromatic Netflix show Ripley). He could play a tough guy, too – like in Jean-Pierre Melville’s neo-noir thriller Le Samouraï – but it was his debonair, otherworldly looks that entranced the filmgoing public. The fact that he dressed incredibly well was the icing on the cake.
As time went on, that picture of Delon grew far more complicated; controversy was never far behind him, and he would go on to espouse some deeply objectionable views. But his film legacy lies in the Sixties, when he was arguably the most magnetic presence in cinema.
As is the way with French style and timeless icons, the key to recreating his outfits is to focus on fit and silhouette. Delon was a big advocate for great shirts, swapping between cotton chambray or linen styles for more formal Oxford shirts, which never clung to his body but draped closely to it. While his styling was never particularly out there, he often flung a knitted piece over his shoulders in a preppy, intentional way. Ensembles were considered without looking fussed over.
Take a look through some of his iconic outfits for inspo below.